Alex Weiss

This article is about the musician Alex Weiss. For other people see Alexander Weiss .

Alex Weiss (born January 5, 1971 ) is an American jazz musician ( alto , tenor and baritone saxophone , composition ).

Live and act

Weiss began playing alto saxophone at the age of twelve; at the age of 15 he performed with the John Payne Saxophone Choir in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after being mediated by his teacher Duncan Martin . After studying music at the University of Massachusetts in Boston (graduating in 1995), he moved to San Francisco, where he worked with local groups such as One Nation Underground, The Unknown Giants and The Dutch Falcone Orchestra . During this time he took lessons from Roberto DeHaven , preacher and musician in the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church . From 1996 he was alto saxophonist in the Marco Eneidi / Glenn Spearman Creative Music Orchestra ( American Jungle Suite , 1995); further recordings were made with Wadada Leo Smith , Bertram Turetzky and Jackson Krall . Furthermore, Weiss founded a first quartet during this time, with Roberto DeHaven (saxophone), Ben Pfeiffer (bass) and Paul Spina (drums); In 1997 this line-up created the album Make Your Own Lightning . In 1998 he toured with the band Lords of Outland (with Rent Romus , George Cremaschi ) in Denmark; there he met John Tchicai . On his return to California he worked with Tchicai and recorded an album of his own compositions ( So It Goes ). He also played in the quintet Little Giant , with Ara Anderson (trumpet), Patrick Moorehead (piano) and Safa Shokrai (double bass).

In late 1999 Weiss moved to Madrid, where he worked with the band Mojo and toured Spain; he also founded the Gallo Pinto formation . After almost four years in Europe, he returned to the Bay Area in 2003 and was a member of the funk band Brazuka Brown . With Eric Drake and Charlie Gurke he formed the saxophone quartet Space Invaders ; He also worked with the drum and bass quartet Outhead (album Quiet Sounds for Comfortable People , 2012 followed by Send This Sound to the King ). In 2007 Weiss moved to New York City and has since worked with musicians such as Ches Smith , Dmitry Ishenko , Mike Irwin , Dalius Naujo , Nate Wooley , Abraham Gomez Delgado and his own formation El Gallo Bueno , with whom he performed at the 2009 Festival International de Jazz de Montréal made a guest appearance. Further recordings were made with Sam Mickens and with John Tchicai's Five Points ( One Long Minute 2009). In the field of jazz he was involved in six recording sessions between 1995 and 2014, according to Tom Lord .

Discographic notes

• Fighter Planes & Praying Mantis (OutNow, 2012), with Rick Parker , Eyal Maoz , Dmitry Ishenko, Ches Smith, Mark Hodos

Web links

• Alex White at Discogs (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Note from All About Jazz
2. ↑ Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed July 25, 2020)