ALEX HAN: Fourteen

Alex Han

Fourteen

© 2002 Alex Han (642973722529)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Modern Jazz with traditional underpinnings on the debut release of this 14 Year Old Prodigy. Be among the first to own this simply amazing and historic recorded performance. SUPPLIES VERY LIMITED.

tracks

1 Sugar
2 The Nearness Of You
3 All TheThings You Are
4 Jamboree
5 One for Tom
6 Lover Man

notes

Saxophonist and composer, Alex Han, is widely regarded as the "Young Jazz Lion" of his generation. With performances at well over a dozen internationally recognized Jazz venues, countless musical awards, and a refreshingly original sound, he is fast becoming one of the most influential young players to enter the scene.

Han began his musical journey at the tender age of eight, when his parents encouraged him to study the alto saxophone. Soon thereafter, his innate musical ability began to emerge and by age twelve, he was one of two national recipients of the VSA arts, Young Soloists Award. Around the same time, he was invited by Grammy Award Winning saxophonist, Paquito D'Rivera, to "sit-in" with him at a Jazz at Lincoln Center performance for two nights.

A year later, he was asked to perform at the 2001 Festival de Jazz en Lapataia in Punta del Este, Uruguay. There, the thirteen year old student cut his teeth alongside such Jazz Masters as Paquito D'Rivera, Joe Lovano, Lewis Nash, Slide Hampton, Johnny Griffin, Kenny Barron, Jon Faddis, Nicholas Payton, Dave Valentin, Claudio Roditi and Antonio Sanchez. In the years to follow, he would go on to perform with such Jazz luminaries as Joey DeFrancesco, George Benson, James Moody, Rufus Reid, Ken Peplowski, Brian Lynch, Akira Tana, Gerri Allen, Shelly Berg and Walt Weiskopf.

By age 14, Han recorded his self-produced, debut release, "Fourteen" which received airplay from NPR and European Jazz stations. That same year, he was a recipient of the 25th Annual Down Beat Magazine, Student Music Awards. In the ensuing year, at the age of fifteen, he was selected as a semi-finalist for the White Foundation World Saxophone Competition (contestants were up to the age of thirty) held at the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

By age 17, Han won the 17th Annual Yamaha Young Performing Artists (YYPA) Competition for saxophone which is designed to provide early career recognition for outstanding young musicians in the United States. He was also selected for an alto chair on the 2005 Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Orchestra.

In May 2005, Han was once again a recipient of a Down Beat Magazine, Student Music Award. By the end of that year, he was selected for an alto chair on the 2006 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble and a few months later, won a 2006 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award.

In March 2006, at 18, Han signed with Rico Reeds (a division of J.D'Addario & Co.) as their youngest artist endorsee. A month later, he was awarded the Berklee College of Music Presidential Scholarship. Han's exciting journey continues at Berklee, where he hopes to "learn a lot and grow a lot as a musician and a person. I'm really looking forward to meeting and playing with a lot of exciting players. I've got so many ideas I'd like to explore with other people who are as totally committed to becoming the best musician they can be as I am."

NEWS: In July 2008, Han at age 20, embarked upon a 16 city, European tour as saxophonist for two-time, GRAMMY award winning musician, producer and composer, Marcus Miller.

reviews

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  • Excellent!
    author: Annette Pizzani

    Awesome music and great talent...and also inspirational, as I am studying to play the alto sax. I look forward to his other recordings.

  • Inspirational for kids

    I have a 12 year old son who plays sax well. He wanted to know what an exceptional young player could do so I bought this cd. Now my son practices twice as much trying to eventually come close to Alex. Alex's style is old school with a vengeance. I'm looking forward to the return of true jazz and I expect Alex Han to lead the way!

  • Pure jazz, pure pleasure to hear!
    author: Jerry

    I've been playing this CD every day since I got it. It makes me feel good, gives me jazz all inside, makes me play "air sax" same way Coltrane used to affect me. Alex Han has the touch, the gift, and he's got the chops -- you better believe it! I hope to see him in person someday.

  • This is a fantastic young man ... he will go to the top quickly!!
    author: Nancy Langford

    This CD is a wonderful example of Jazz today and the artist Alex Han will really to the top if he`s not already there! His musical ability superceeds many of the artists out there today. Good Luck !

  • Check this out!
    author: LG

    I played this for some friends and they couldn't figure out who it was. Then I told them it was a 14 y.o. kid and they totally freaked out! Especially being musicians ourselves, we know it ain't easy to improvise...that takes y-e-a-r-s to do, and even then, you know the deal. Anyway, if you want to hear something different, check out this CD. It's definitely worth the 15 bucks.

  • From a 14 year old? Incredible!
    author: Glenn

    I bought this CD and it jams. It sounds like Alex has been playing professionally for 20 years, but he is only 14 years old. I especially like the song "All the Things You Are", but the whole CD is very smooth. The band supporting Alex does a great job too. Looking forward to hearing from this kid for a long time.

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