Ralph Alessi Baida Quartet at Yardbird Suite

Jazz Times magazine says Alessi has "drop-dead trumpet chops" and calls his music "as clean and airy and sophisticated and disciplined as post-modern progressive jazz gets." Ralph Alessi was born in San Francisco, the son of classical trumpeter Joe Alessi and opera singer Maria Leone. He studied under the late Charlie Haden at CalArts and then moved to New York where he swiftly became a ubiquitous presence on the downtown scene.

He's been a frequent collaborator with such notable musicians as Steve Coleman, Jason Moran, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Fred Hersch, Uri Caine and Dafnis Prieto. Alessi has recorded several albums of original compositions which draw on everything from post-bop to neo classical music. Jazz Times named This Against That's debut outing one of the ten best recordings of 2002. His album "Cognitive Dissonance" received a 4 star review from Downbeat magazine and was included in The New Republic's top ten list of records of 2011. In 2013, he released "Baida", a quartet CD on ECM Records which was a top critics' pick for that year in Jazz Times and "Only Many", a duo recording with pianist Fred Hersch on CAMJazz....

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Jazz Times magazine says Alessi has "drop-dead trumpet chops" and calls his music "as clean and airy and sophisticated and disciplined as post-modern progressive jazz gets." Ralph Alessi was born in San Francisco, the son of classical trumpeter Joe Alessi and opera singer Maria Leone. He studied under the late Charlie Haden at CalArts and then moved to New York where he swiftly became a ubiquitous presence on the downtown scene.

He's been a frequent collaborator with such notable musicians as Steve Coleman, Jason Moran, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Fred Hersch, Uri Caine and Dafnis Prieto. Alessi has recorded several albums of original compositions which draw on everything from post-bop to neo classical music. Jazz Times named This Against That's debut outing one of the ten best recordings of 2002. His album "Cognitive Dissonance" received a 4 star review from Downbeat magazine and was included in The New Republic's top ten list of records of 2011. In 2013, he released "Baida", a quartet CD on ECM Records which was a top critics' pick for that year in Jazz Times and "Only Many", a duo recording with pianist Fred Hersch on CAMJazz.

Joining Alessi for his Yardbird Suite engagement will be two of the musicians who performed on the "Baida" disc, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Nasheet Waits, as well as the outstanding pianist Gary Versace.

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