JAZZ

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 6:30PM

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 9:30PM

New York’s premiere summer jazz series is back once again! Join us in celebrating the Smooth Cruises’ 13th year aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the Hudson River taking in fantastic views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline. This summer will feature ten of the world’s greatest jazz acts in an intimate setting, every Wednesday evening starting June 30th ending September 1st. The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

ALEX BUGNON
Alex Bugnon plays the piano with a white hot, slow burning mixture of contemporary jazz, funk, and R&B with a dash of gospel thrown in for good measure. Alex grew up in Montreux, Switzerland – home of the world renowned Montreux Jazz Festival – allowing him to soak up performances of jazz greats such as Aretha Franklin. Early influences on Alex include the music of Scott Joplin, Thelonious Monk, and Joe Sample. Alex continued his musical education at the Paris Conservatory of music, and at age nineteen, moved to the states to attend the Berklee School of Music in Boston. After finishing at the Berkelee School, Alex moved to New York City, where he worked as a session and touring musician, working with luminaries such as Patti Austin, Freddie Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire, and Keith Sweat. In 1989, Alex began his recording career on Orpheus Records releasing his debut Love Season. The album reached the pop charts and the Top 40 of the R&B charts, as did his follow up, 1990’s Head Over Heels. The 2005 release Southern Living, recorded in his self proclaimed “second musical home,” Atlanta, is a refreshing blend of exotic rhythms with haunting, soulful melodies and his signature Bugnon piano sound. Alex also released Free later that year. Just this past January, Alex brought us more great tunes with the release of his highly anticipated album Going Home.

MARION MEADOWS
Soprano saxophonist Marion Meadows was born in West Virginia and raised primarily in Connecticut. He got his start as a musician when he picked up the classical clarinet at age nine, and he later moved to the saxophone as a teen. Marion continued his musical education at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music where he studied composition and arranging. Meadows moved to New York City and built a successful career as a sideman with Norman Connors for three years, with only vague notions of eventually going solo. One day in Grand Central Station, those notions precipitated when Meadows was heard playing by noted TV composer Jay Chattaway. He was so impressed by what he heard that he put Marion in touch with legendary keyboardist Bob James. James promptly signed Marion to a deal with his Tappan Zee label, starting Marion on his road to success. He finally made his solo debut in 1991 with the RCA release For Lovers Only. He quickly became a staple of the smooth jazz genre with his subsequent recordings, which include Keep It Right There (1993), Forbidden Fruit (1994), and Body Rhythm (1996). Marion then moved from his home in Connecticut to Phoenix, AZ, where he subsequently signed with Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group. He released Another Side of Midnight in 1999, a contemporary tribute to city life. This release in considered by many critics to be his strongest work to date. Marion’s latest album , Secrets his sixth outing for Heads Up International, was released in May 2009 and continues Marion’s tradition of cool sophistication. Be a part of the cool this summer on the Smooth Cruise with Alex Bugnon and Marion Meadows.