Alec Haavik
Tenor and soprano saxophonist Alec Haavik, hailing from the New York City area, is now based in Shanghai, China. His urban, yet personable compositions fuse the multi-textured language of jazz with the raw energy of rock. The result is an array of tunes which cause listeners to both scream and reflect, laugh and grow quiet. This spectrum, made even wider by his new hometown, is captured on Alec's latest CD, Ye Shanghai.
Raised in the New York City area, Alec has performed internationally in a broad array of jazz and performance groups. During his eight years on the scene in New York City, he performed or recorded with such artists as Jane Monheit, Ronnie Burrage, Daniel Carter, Taro Koyama, Gregory Hutchinson, Shoko Nagai, and Eric Harland, among others. Alec's CD from this period, entitled "Rocks," features a quintet with not one, but two electric guitars. The video of his charged-yet-classic tune, "Instant Death, Part 2" (as recorded by a quartet) appears on his website.
Prior to Shanghai, Alec lived in Taipei, Taiwan, where he performed at top jazz and Latin music venues including The Blue Note, Brown Sugar, and The Stage. He also appeared regularly at Club 75, with local legends Roberto Zayas and Xiao Bai. In 2003, Alec performed in Seoul, Korea, as saxophonist and flautist for Musical: The Play, an original theatrical production.
During his Master's Program at the Manhattan School of Music, Alec studied with Dick Oatts and Mark Turner. More recently, Alec has studied with Ralph Bowen, Dave Tofani and George Garzone.
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