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Alex Wilson (musician)
Encyclopedia
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, and educator. He is a respected British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
recording artist and composer.
Biography
Alex was born in the UK and was brought up in Sierra Leone, UK, Austria and Switzerland.In 1993, after gaining a degree in electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
from the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
, he embarked on a professional career as a pianist, performing and recording with Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine CBE is an English jazz musician. At school he studied the clarinet, although he is known primarily for his saxophone playing. Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the flute, clarinet, bass Clarinet and keyboards...
, Jazz Jamaica
Jazz Jamaica
Jazz Jamaica is a jazz/reggae music group formed by musician Gary Crosby in London.-History:In 1991, inspired by the rhythms of traditional Jamaican music and the largely improvisational nature of jazz, original Jazz Warrior, jazz double bassist, and nephew of veteran Jamaican guitarist Ernest...
, Sandra Cross, Adalberto Santiago
Adalberto Santiago
Adalberto Santiago is a world famous salsa singer.He was born in barrio Pozas of Ciales, Puerto Rico. Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are amongst the best in salsa, and for over two decades he has sessioned as a coro singer on countless New York recordings. His early influences...
and Jocelyn Brown
Jocelyn Brown
Jocelyn Lorette Brown is an American R&B and dance music singer...
, Wynton Marsalis, Hugh Masakela & Ernest Ranglin quickly being signed to the Candid label. He won the Rising Star award at the 2001 BBC Jazz Awards
BBC Jazz Awards
The BBC Jazz Awards were set up in 2001 and had the status of one of the premier jazz awards in the UK. There were awards for Best Musician, Best Vocalist, Rising Star, Best Album, Jazz Innovation, Radio 2 Jazz Artist, Services to Jazz, Best of Jazz amongst others....
.
To date, he has released eight solo albums in a Latin Jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
and salsa vein; he also composes commissions, produces Latin hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, runs a 12-piece salsa band, works as a session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
keyboard player and works in educational institutions. His commissions include NITRO (a British black theatre company), the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, the Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Northern College of Music
The Royal Northern College of Music is a music school in Manchester, England. It is located on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock, at the western edge of the campus of the University of Manchester and is one of four conservatories associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music...
, and several library music companies.
He also works with in schools in London such as Essex Primary School.
Wilson is Special Lecturer in the Department of Music at University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
.
Discography
- Anglo Cubano (Candid RecordsCandid RecordsCandid Records was founded as a subsidiary of Archie Bleyer's Cadence label in New York City in 1960. The jazz writer and civil rights activist, Nat Hentoff, worked as the label's A&R director, aiming to create a representative catalog of the jazz of the day...
, 1999) - Afro-Saxon (Candid RecordsCandid RecordsCandid Records was founded as a subsidiary of Archie Bleyer's Cadence label in New York City in 1960. The jazz writer and civil rights activist, Nat Hentoff, worked as the label's A&R director, aiming to create a representative catalog of the jazz of the day...
, 2001) - R&B Latino (Candid Records, 2002)
- Aventuras (Alex Wilson Records, 2005)
- Inglaterra (Alex Wilson Records, 2007)
- Salsa con Soul (Alex Wilson Records, 2008)
- Mali Latino (Alex Wilson Records, 2010)
- Alex Wilson presents Salsa Veritas (Salsa Veritas GmbH 2011)
Selected Discography as sidesman
2008 Transition in Tradition Courtney Pine
2008 Afropeans Courtney Pine featured guest
2007 Boulevard de l’Independence Toumani Diabate
2007 I Love Louis Gwyn Jay Allen musical director, arranger, producer
2005 Motor City Roots Jazz Jamaica pianist / arranger
2005 Tears of Joy Antonio Forcione
2004 Massive Jazz Jamaica pianist / arranger
2001 Victory’s Happy Songbook Cleveland Watkiss
1999 Just a Dream Sandra Cross
1998 Dreams Come True Sandra Cross
1997 Migrations Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop