Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Alex started playing the saxophone when he was nine years old. He studied with kiwi saxophonist Brian Smith (Maynard Ferguson Band, Nucleus) and afterwards went on to study Jazz Performance at the New Zealand School of Music, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree with First Class Honors. 

 

After completing his musical studies in 2012, he began exploring other genres of music, most notably RnB, Soul and Smooth/Contemporary Jazz while he was playing saxophones, flute and keyboards for seven years backing vocalist and guitarist extraordinaire Andréa Lisa (Kirk Whalum, Jonathan Butler).

 

Alex has been performing professionally at various festivals since high school, including the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival in the USA, the Manly Jazz Festival in Sydney, Australia, The Auckland Arts Festival, and multiple appearances at the New Zealand National Jazz Festival. He has also shared the stage with some of New Zealand’s finest jazz musicians, along with international artists such as Grammy nominated guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Butler, trombonist John Fedchock and trumpeters Allen Vizzutti and Jon Papenbrook. In 2013, while Alex and his band were performing around the South of France, he performed a series of concerts with vocalist and flautist Thijs Van Leer (from the Dutch prog rock group ‘Focus’) with one special performance held inside the mansion of the late painter/sculptor, Pablo Picasso. Alex has also spent a number of years playing in the saxophone sections of New Zealand’s finest big bands, including the Rodger Fox Big Band and the Auckland Jazz Orchestra.

 

In 2014, Alex became an official RS Berkeley Performing Artist. He is an endorser of their Virtuoso Black Nickel Tenor Saxophone, Virtuoso Unlacquered Alto Saxophone,  and Volaré Flute.

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Alex is currently in the process of completing his first solo album, with it's release planned for 2022. In 2020, his debut single “Best of Me" (feat. Andréa Lisa) was named in the Top 100 Radio Singles on the Smooth Jazz Network in the United States. When Alex is not playing his heart out onstage, he is also a Musical Director and Arranger for Celebrity Cruises in Miami, Florida. 

 

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