Ralph Alessi
American jazz trumpeter and composer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ralph Alessi (born March 5, 1963) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and ECM recording artist.[1][2] Alessi is known as a virtuosic performer[3] whose critically-acclaimed projects include his Baida Quartet, with Jason Moran, Drew Gress, and Nasheet Waits,[4][5] and This Against That, his quintet with Andy Milne, Gress, Mark Ferber, and Ravi Coltrane.[6][7][8] Alessi has also recorded and performed with artists including Steve Coleman, Uri Caine, Fred Hersch, and Don Byron.[9][10]
March 5, 1963
Ralph Alessi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Background information | |
| Born | Ralph Peter Alessi March 5, 1963 |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Jazz musician, composer |
| Instrument | Trumpet |
| Labels | ECM, RKM |
Alessi is known for his work as an educator,[11] and in 2001 he founded the School for Improvisational Music in Brooklyn, New York.[1] He has taught at the Eastman School of Music, NYU, NEC,[12] the University of Nevada, Reno,[13] Siena Jazz University,[14] and University of the Arts Bern.
Early life and career
Alessi was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.[15] His parents met as performers at the Metropolitan Opera: his mother, Maria Leone Alessi, sang in the chorus; his father, Joseph Alessi Sr., was principal trumpet for nearly 15 seasons.[16] His brother, Joseph Alessi, is a trombonist with the New York Philharmonic.[16]
Alessi also began as a classical musician, and performed with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera in his teens.[17] He later attended the California Institute of the Arts, studying with Charlie Haden while earning a BFA in jazz trumpet performance and MFA in jazz bass performance.[15] In 1986, he met fellow CalArts student Ravi Coltrane, who became one of his longest-standing collaborators.[7] JazzTimes describes their "musical bond" as "arguably developing into a rapport on par with the highest echelon of trumpet/tenor combinations";[6] Coltrane once gave an interview with NPR focused entirely on his favorite song, Alessi's "Who Wants Ice Cream".[18]
Select discography
As leader
- Hissy Fit (1999, Love Slave)
- This Against That (2002, RKM)
- Vice & Virtue (2002, RKM)
- Look (2007, Between the Lines)
- Open Season (2009, RKM)
- Cognitive Dissonance (2010, CAM Jazz)
- Wiry Strong (2011, Clean Feed)
- Only Many (2013, CAM Jazz)
- Baida with Jason Moran, Drew Gress, Nasheet Waits (2013, ECM)[5]
- Quiver (2016, ECM)[9]
- Imaginary Friends with Ravi Coltrane, Andy Milne, Drew Gress, Mark Ferber (2019, ECM)
- It's Always Now with Florian Weber, Bänz Oester, Gerry Hemingway (2023, ECM)
As sideman
With David Ake
- Bridges (Posi-Tone, 2013)
- Humanities (Posi-Tone, 2018)
With Don Byron
- You are #6 (Blue Note, 2001)
- Ivey Divey (Blue Note, 2006)
With Michael Cain
- Circa (ECM, 1996)
With Uri Caine
- The Sidewalks of New York: Tin Pan Alley (Winter & Winter, 1999)
- Gustav Mahler in Toblach (Winter & Winter, 1999)
- The Goldberg Variations (Winter & Winter, 2000)
- Gustav Mahler: Dark Flame (Winter & Winter, 2003)
- Shelf-Life (Winter & Winter, 2005)
- Uri Caine Ensemble Plays Mozart (Winter & Winter, 2006)
- The Othello Syndrome (Winter & Winter, 2009)
- Rhapsody in Blue (Winter & Winter, 2013)
With James Carney
- Fables from the Aqueduct (1994, Jacaranda)
- Offset Rhapsody (1997, Jacaranda)
- Ways & Means (2009, Songlines)
With Steve Coleman
- A Tale of 3 Cities (Novus/BMG, 1994)
- Myths, Modes, and Means (Novus/BMG, 1995)
- The Way of the Cipher (Novus/BMG, 1995)
- The Sign and the Seal (BMG, 1996)
- Genesis (BMG, 1997)
- The Sonic Language of Myth (BMG, 1999)
- Lucidarium (Label Bleu, 2003)
With Ravi Coltrane
- Moving Pictures (RCA/BMG, 1998)
- From the Round Box (RCA, 2000)
- Spirit Fiction (Blue Note, 2012)
With Scott Colley
- Architect of the Silent Moment (CAM Jazz, 2005 [2007])
- Empire (CAM Jazz, 2010)
With David Gilmore
- Ritualism (2000, Kashka)
With Drew Gress
- 7 Black Butterflies (Premonition, Koch, 2005)
- The Irrational Numbers (Premonition, 2007)
- The Sky Inside (Pirouet, 2013)
With Fred Hersch
- Leaves of Grass (2005, Palmetto)
- Live from the Jazz Standard/ Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra (2009, Palmetto)
- Trio plus 2 (Palmetto)
- Songs Without Words (2009, Nonesuch)
With Jason Moran
- Artist in Residence (Blue Note, 2006)
With Enrico Pieranunzi
- Proximity (2015, CamJazz)
With Lonnie Plaxico
With Sam Rivers
- Inspiration (1999, RCA)
- Culmination (1999, BMG France/RCA)
With Yelena Eckemoff
- Better Than Gold and Silver (2018, L&H)
- I Am a Stranger in This World (2022, L&H)
With Others
- Peter Epstein, Polarities (2014)
- Tomas Fujiwara Trio, Variable Bets (Relative Pitch, 2014)[19]
- Florian Weber, Lucent Waters (ECM, 2018)[20]
- Tony Malaby, "Novela" (Clean Feed, 2011)[21]