Roland Alexander

Roland E. Alexander ( born September 25, 1935 in Boston, † June 14, 2006 in Brooklyn, New York City ) was an American musician ( tenor and soprano saxophone, harmonica, piano ) of the Modern and the Creative Jazz.

Life and work

Roland Alexander studied music at the Boston Conservatory and moved to New York where he played with musicians such as John Coltrane Hardbopszene, Philly Joe Jones, Mal Waldron, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Blue Mitchell and Sonny Rollins in 1958.

In 1969 he joined the group 360 Degree Music Experience of Beaver Harris and Grachan Moncur III and turned to the free jazz. Under his own name he played two albums a Pleasure Bent (1961 ) with Marcus Belgrave and 1978 Live at the Axis with Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and Malachi Thompson. He continued to work in the Brooklyn Repertory Ensemble. Alexander was also on recordings by Eddie Gale, Charlie Persip, Dollar Brand ( Abdullah Ibrahim ) (African Space Program, 1973), Paul Chambers, Howard McGhee ( Dusky Blue, 1960), Teddy Charles, James Spaulding ( "Songs of Courage", 1991) and Sam Rivers involved and accompanied the singer Frank Minion and Betty Blake.