CD review: Alex Tremblay – Thoughts & Images 2022: Video, CD cover

Born and raised in North Providence RI, Alex Tremblay found his passion in music at a young age. He came from a family of musicians which enabled him to hone his craft at a young age and would eventually lead him to further his studies at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, where he was a student of the schools renowned jazz department that was founded by the legendary Jazz Saxophonist/Composer, Jackie McLean.

It was there that he met an studied with one of his bass heroes, Professor Nat Reeves. After completing his studies in 2013 he moved to New York City to continue to study, grow, and perform. Since moving to New York his most recent teachers have been Larry Grenadier and Gregg August. He currently resides in Brooklyn and is an active member of the music community in and around New York City.

He has performed at many well known New York venues as well as venues abroad such as, The Cotton Club (Tokyo), Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Iridium, BB King’s, Minton’s, The Cutting Room, Shanghai Jazz, The Kitano, Smoke Jazz Supper Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Fat Cat, Sleep No More, Bar Next Door, SubCulture, and Terra Blues.

He has also performed with the likes of Jerry Dodgion, Bennie Wallace, Lew Tabackin, Jonathan Barber, Jovan Alexandre, Gary Smulyan, Johnny O’ Neal, Larry Willis, Donald Vega, Pete Malinverni, Shawnn Monteiro, Steve Davis, Winard Harper, David Schnitter, Lawrence Clark, Philip Dizack, Jumaane Smith, Khalili Kwame Bell, Antoinette Montague, Josh Evans, Solomon Hicks, Highline Chamber Ensemble, Billy Drummond, Don Hahn, John Mosca.

This is an easy one. The Band. I have put together a band for this record that I knew was going to sound great playing the music but has even exceeded my expectations. Every gig we play goes by and it feels like 5 minutes. A couple of the shows that we’ve played our sets have run an hour and forty-five minutes long and we all look at each other in disbelief afterwards when we realize it. I’m super fortunate to have such a great band, all of which are great people and bandleaders/songwriters as well. Today I’m currently working on releasing another record with a longtime friend and guitarist Dan Liparini, whom I’ve known and have been playing with for nearly 20 years. We used to play duo all the time in Rhode Island as kids and we ended up going to college together. We recorded this duo record in two days and we each contributed some new compositions to it. For the Thoughts and Images Band, we have a couple shows coming up at Smalls and The Django in the new year and I plan on writing and recording a second album with this band in the new year as well. I’m also working on planning some tours and such.

I selected all of the musicians on the record based off people I thoroughly enjoy playing with and being around. I feel like its so important to the music and how I want my music to sound, that I feel comfortable and able to trust the musicians I’m working with. Pretty much everyone on the record I’ve worked extensively with over the years and I love them all as people which to me makes a big difference in the music. We’ve all had so much fun playing with this group so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the music continues to develop over time. I love the idea of creating a band vibe and an overall band sound. That collaborative nature is how we ended up with great bands like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Coltrane’s quartets, and Miles Davis’ various projects. Its important to me to continue in this tradition and to continue to provide opportunities to young artists to continue to hone their sounds in environments with this collaborative mindset,- an interview with me said Alex Tremblay.

A wonderful album, a new revelation for me. I advise you to listen to it and have it at home, so that you can introduce it to all guests, and recommend it to your acquaintances, especially jazz and classical music lovers, innovative and impulsive people.

City of Angels;
Moral Dilemma;
Karma;
Yellow Rose;
The Sun God;
Helen’s Waltz;
Resurgence;
Hymn for the Early Departed.

Alex Tremblay: bass;
Nicholas Biello : saxophone, alto;
Taber Gable: keyboards;
Tony Davis: guitar;
Evan Hyde : drums;
Vanisha Gold: voice / vocals.

New CD – 2022 – Buy from here