AlEX CONDE

Alex Conde, a vibrant Spaniard from Valencia, was born to be a flamenco jazz pianist, improviser, and composer. In Spain, Conde garnered degrees in classical music from the Jose Iturbi Conservatory of Music in Valencia and in jazz piano from el Liceude Barcelona. A scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston brought him to the U.S. Jazz continued to mesmerize him and provoke him to earn a Master’s in Piano Jazz Performance at the Aaron Copland Conservatory in New York.

Conde’s pursuit of jazz ignites his passionate retreat to his flamenco roots. Alex has studied with contemporary jazz luminaries including George Garzone, Danilo Pérez or Dave Santoro, and Grammy Award-winners Joe Lovano, Maria Schneider, Antonio Hart and Michael Mossman. He has appeared with renowned flamenco companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the country, including Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco, with whose performance he was nominated for an Izzie (Isadora Duncan Dance) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Text in 2011. Additionally, he performed with Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe Aspen Ballet, in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Aspen, Colorado, and most recently with Flamenco DNA and The Flame Foundation in Dallas, Texas.

He has collaborated with many great flamenco artists including Diego el Cigala, Nino de los Reyes, José Luis Rodríguez, Kina Mendez, Bandolero, Ramon Porrina and others. Alex has performed in international jazz and world music festivals, along with top artists such as Marcus Gilmore, Jamey Haddad, John Patitucci, Eddie Palmieri, Conrad Herwig, Luques Curtis, Chucho Valdés, The Bad Plus, Vicente Amigo, Dave Samuels among others. Some of the festivals include: Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Eurojazz Festival in Mexico, Yoshi’s San Francisco JazzFest, Cowell Theatre in San Francisco, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Panama Jazz Festival, Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston, and in Canada the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival, Halifax Jazz Festival.

Alex’s albums to date include: Jazz and Claps, recorded with international artists from Greece, Japan, Spain and the U.S.; Barrio del Carmen, a fusion of flamenco, jazz and classical Spanish music blended with a string quartet and “cante jondo” (flamenco deep song); Descarga for Monk, a tribute album to the late, great Thelonious Monk; and Origins in 2018

‘‘... [Alex’s] Thelonious Monk is rock solid. Its rhapsodic elegance is informed by all of the mystery and majesty of Monkish-ness. The young Spaniard has mastered the elemental irreverence of Monk-music. He worships at the altar of originality, as Thelonious Monk did, pouring his twisting duendeinto molten chords. His phrases make for lines that erupt with volcanic brilliance and a viscosity that is unlike anything that has been sung of Thelonious Monk in a very long time.” - RAUL DA GAMA, LATIN JAZZ NETWORK

At an early age, Alex demonstrated to have perfect pitch. His parents bought him a piano and he learned all of his father’s repertory (his father is a renown copla singer in Spain). Alex’s foundation of musical studies and performance experience has led him to possess fluid technique and an innovative colorful musical palette. His extensive repertoire and passionate playing fortunately make Alex a “high in demand” pianist for world- class concerts and studio recording.

As an educator, Alex has taught workshops at Queens College, San Francisco Jazz Center, Crowden Center, Oberlin College, San Francisco Community Music Center, Oakland School for the Arts and California Jazz Conservatory among others.

For more info log on https://www.alexconde.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/alexcondejazzflamenco/.