Ralph Alessi
Ralph Alessi (born March 5, 1963 in San Francisco ) is an American trumpeter of avant-garde jazz .
Life
Alessi is the son of the trumpeter Joseph Alessi , who also taught him first, his mother Maria is a former singer of the Metropolitan Opera Company . He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area , studied from 1985 to 1990 at the California Institute for the Arts under Charlie Haden and James Newton and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in jazz trumpet and a Master of Fine Arts in jazz bass . From 1991 Alessi worked in the New York jazz scene with Steve Coleman , Uri Caine and Ravi Coltrane , among others , and he is often featured on the albums by Coleman and Caine. He was also a member of Don Byron 's Symphony Space Adventurer's Orchestra .
In addition to his work as a musician, Alessi also began teaching himself, initially at Five Towns College and the Eastman School of Music . Since 2002 he has been an associate professor in the jazz faculty of New York University . Alessi is also the founder and director of the School for Improvisational Music , which holds workshops on improvised music in Brooklyn .
Alessi has been publishing his own albums as a leader since 1999 and has expanded the classical jazz line-up on them with musicians such as cellist Hank Roberts , rapper Carl Walker and poet Julie Patton . In 2002 two recordings appeared on Ravi Coltrane's label RKM.
Alessi's brother Joseph Alessi Jr. is also a musician.
Discographic notes
- Hissy Fit , 1999
- This Against That , 2002
- Vice & Virtue , 2002
- Look , 2007
Web links
- Website of Ralph Alessi (English)
- MySpace page by Ralph Alessi (English)
- Ralph Alessi at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alessi, Ralph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz trumpeter and university professor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 5, 1963 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Francisco |