Updated: September 2, 2024
Born: April 18, 1960
Keyboardist Neil "Nail" Alexander has been performing, composing and working professionally for 50 years. His musical craft extends from performance, compositon, arranging and production to live sound, modern dance and film.
Grants from NYSCA and Meet The Composer gave Neil the opportunity to continue building on his composing skills. In addition to teaching piano and keyboard lessons, Neil also teaches Master Classes in Synthesizer Programming and Music Performance Technology. He leads and composes for X Ensemble, a contemporary chamber ensemble.
As an active musician he has recordings and/or a performance history with a variety of groups and artists such as Joe Lovano, Bob Meyer, Rez Abassi, Corey Glover, Mike Keneally, Gunther Hampel, Karl Berger, Tony "Thunder" Smith, Tal Ross (P-Funk), Charles Haynes, Erik Lawrence, and many others.
His classical repertoire has included works by Stravinsky, Charles Ives, and John Cage. From 1996-2006 he held the keyboard chair for the notoriously succseful Pink Floyd Tribute "The Machine", where he was a driving force in the group’s success. In 2008 he joined Gregg Bendian's Mahavishnu Project. In addition, he does electronic and/or acoustic solo performances under the name "Nail Jung". Solo projects include “Scene Re-seen”, live electronic scoring of silent films.
In 1999, Neil Started his electric jazz ensemble Neil Alexander & NAIL. Now in their 25th year, NAIL continues their committment to the future of Jazz and improvised music. With a diverse stylistic palette and fierce musicianship, the ensemble skillfully blends modern and traditional forms with experimental concepts and electronic music. Although currently not touring, their latest release The Album That Never Was, a collection of live recordings from 2022. Neil's other projects include the improvising ensemble Supercluster with bassist Robert Kopec and drummer Dean Sharp; a jazz funk outfit called Cloudburst, founded by drummer Tony Parker; and "Mr Gone", a contemporary jazz fusion quartet led by Neil with saxophonist Peter Furlan. Mr Gone is currently on tour performing Herbie Hancock's "Headhunters" for the 50th anniversary.
Awards
Orange County Arts Council: Individual Artist Award (2015)
Gear
Yamaha C6 Grand Piano. Synthesizers & Keyboards: Moog Voyager, Minimoog Model D, Memorymoog, Moog Sub 37, Dave Smith Prophet 12, Pro 2 and OB6; Nord Electro 4; Korg Kronos 88, Wavestation/WavestationR and O/5RW; Honer Melodica; Ableton PUSH 2 Controller; Mac Book Pro running Ableton LIVE, Kontakt, etc; Etherwave Theremin; Custom pedal boards.
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Enrico Granafei: It's Hard to Say Goodbye
by Nicholas F. Mondello
With It's Hard to Say Goodbye, multi-talented Italian guitarist and harmonica player, Enrico Granafei and a group of standouts offer eleven Latin-flavored jazz selections. The effort, recorded over an extended period, also features two artists who have unfortunately passed--trumpeter Claudio Roditi and pianist, Mike Longo. Granafei has dedicated the album to them and to the memory of Granafei's mentor, Toots Thielemans. Claudinho," a Granafei original samba, opens the session. Upbeat in tempo, Granafei and Roditi make the ...
Continue ReadingRez Abbasi: Django-shift
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Talking about shifting. American guitarist Rez Abbasi seems capable of shifting shape and changing form from one project to the next like a creature from a J.R.R. Tolkien adventurealmost beyond recognition. If it weren't for the guitarist's inspired fret fingerings and rushed scale runs giving him his utterly unique spark. Between much praised quintet recording Unfiltered Universe (Whirlwind Recordings, 2017) and the Indian-infused collaboration Indo-Pak Coalition comprised of himself, Dan Weiss and Rudresh Mahanthappa releasing Agrima (Self Produced, ...
Continue ReadingRez Abbasi: Django-shift
by Karl Ackermann
Django Reinhardt's music is so ubiquitous that it's easy to forget his career was relatively brief. The gypsy guitarist/composer had recorded hundreds of 78s and acetates before he died of a stroke in 1953 at age forty-three. On many early sides, he played a six-string banjo-guitar hybrid tuned in the standard tuning of a guitar. Norman Granz produced the only full LP Reinhardt session two months before the artist passed. Along with over twenty posthumous compilation releases, Nuages (Verve, 1953) ...
Continue ReadingTake Five With Neil Alexander
by AAJ Staff
Meet Neil Alexander: Jazz musician Neil Alexander was performing, composing and arranging by age 14. In 2007 he released Tugging At The Infinite, his fourth CD with his contemporary electric/acoustic jazz ensemble NAIL. As well as managing his own electric and acoustic ensembles, he does sessions as both player and programmer, and works with a variety of Modern Dance and Experimental Theater companies. He has received grants from Meet The Composer & the NYSCA; performed works by ...
Continue ReadingPianist Neil Alexander releases"100 Years Of Spring"
Source:
Neil Alexander
Stravinsky Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) Centennial Tribute 100 Years of Spring with pianist Neil Alexander Imagine a quiet morning in a food market. A place Anthony Bourdain or Jamie Oliver might visit while jaunting around the globe. Strategically placed, among vendors setting up their stalls, is a piano. When the market opens people trickle in, or pour in, and some may notice the unusual addition and wonder. Then, as people are chatting, procuring, rushing or strolling, ...
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Neil Alexander & Nail Present "A 400 Year Musical Journey"
Source:
Michael Ricci
Aug 4th 2009 - Newburgh resident Neil Alexander and his stellar Jazz-Fusion trio NAIL will bring a one of a kind performance to the Newburgh Free Library on September 13th at 2 pm. Entitled “A 400 Year Musical Journey”, the performance will feature Keyboardist/Composer Neil Alexander, drummer Nadav Snir-Zelniker and bassist Dan Asher with guest musicians violinist Zach Brock and woodwind master Premik Russel Tubbs. The ensemble will perform music from each century (1609, 1709, 1809) including arrangements of Bach ...
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Neil Alexander and Nail Performs Live at Beanrunner Cafe
Source:
PublicEye
NEIL ALEXANDER & NAIL at the BEAN RUNNER CAFE Saturday May 16th @ 7:00PM Free and open to the public
A BLEND OF RED HOT JAZZ, BURNING FUNK GROOVES AND SOARING SOUNDSCAPES
Peekskill, NY-- NAIL returns to Peekskill NY at the brand new Bean Runner Cafe, playing their unique blend of jazz, jam, rock, funk and ambient music Saturday May 16th at 7:00p.m. This show will feature Neil Alexander on Keyboard, with Thierry Arpino (Jean luc Ponty, Bill Evans) on ...
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Robert Aaron / Chronogram Hudson Valley – August 2013
Ever-active Hudson Valley keyboardist Neil Alexander seemingly does it all—playing jazz fusion synth and electric piano in NAIL, the Mahavishnu Project, and Mr. Gone; out-there acid rock with Pink Floyd tribute band The Machine; and, at Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center on August 10, a centennial-celebrating performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. But it wasn’t until the recording of Darn That Dream that Alexander at last realized his own dream, of making a solo acoustic piano album. And, just a few seconds into the opening version of the Jimmy Van Heusen / Eddie DeLange title standard, it becomes crystal clear that the wait has been more than worthwhile. In fact, one could say that that track, “Darn That Dream (Version 1),” makes a fine encapsulation of the approach Alexander displays throughout this disc: that of twinkling touches recalling his classical training and the freewheeling, impressionistic flights of his predominant postbop influences of Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Bill Evans, as well as the shimmering, stride-into-bop runs of the great Art Tatum. But despite the album’s many moody interludes, the hammering hands of Alexander’s hard-fusion background aren’t brushed aside completely; see the thundering “A Question Of Energy,” which is full of frantic passages and brings to mind Cecil Taylor dive-bombing Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Pristinely captured over two dates at the Falcon in Marlboro, Darn That Dream is a delight for admirers of exemplary jazz piano.
Primary Instrument
Piano
Location
Beacon
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
Private instruction in Jazz Piano, Synthesizer Programming, Music Software and production including sampling/looping, etc. Late afternoons prefered; $70 per hour.
Clinic/Workshop Information
Lec/Dems in Technology for Musical performance; Improvisation Clinics; Master Classes in group performance, music technology. Ableton LIVE a specialty. From 2015-2018 led a once a month Electronic Music Production workshop at the Newburgh Free Library, 124 Grand St Newburgh NY.