John
Alexander 
Woodwind artist John Alexander, a native
of Gastonia, NC, received his Bachelor of Arts degree
in Music from Erskine College, and his Master of Music
degree in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami (FL).
His military service includes tours of duty with the 282nd
Army Band at Fort Jackson, SC, and the 8th Army Band in
Seoul, South Korea.
John
has performed with Ira Sullivan, Louis Bellson, Curtis
Fuller, Gap Mangione, Matt "Guitar" Murphy,
Jack Jones, Woody Herman, Eddie Higgins, Astrud Gilberto,
The Spinners, The Four Tops, K.C. and the Sunshine Band,
and Lou Rawls. He has appeared at the North Carolina Jazz
Showcase on two occasions, the Mammoth (CA) Jazz Festival
with vocalist Beth Chorneau, the 2000 Piccolo Spoleto
Festival, the 2002 Pawley's Island Festival of Music and
Art, as the season opener for the Gastonia Community Concerts
Association, Jazz Charlotte, the Charlotte Symphony, in
Okinawa, Japan, and in Gotha, Germany. He is the recipient
of two Regional Artist Grants from the Arts and Science
Council of Charlotte, NC, one on 2000 and the other in
2006. He has been a contributor of transcriptions and
articles to Jazz Improv magazine since 2004.
John's
recording credits include contributing his original composition
"Stargazer" to drummer Les Demerle's On Fire
recording for Pablo Records; the title tune for the south
Florida big band Atlantean Driftwood's Melts In Your Mouth
recording; compositions, arrangements, and performance
on Ira Sullivan: With Strings Attached; Atlantic Blue
for Earth Songs; Out Of Nowhere by vocalist Toshiko Watabe;
and Brothers with pianist Gary Marcus; You Need 'Dis,
released in December of 2001 and including all original
compositions; and Debt To Heaven, including jazz arrangements
of traditional hymns. His latest release, Big Octave with
the bassist Ron Brendle and drummer Chris Garges is an
adventurous collection of original compositions, jam tunes,
and works by Ornette Coleman and the Beatles.
John
and his family make their home in Gastonia, NC.
