|
Alva
Nelson is a New York based pianist and composer dedicated to
challenging traditional artistic and cultural boundaries
through music. Currently his compositional interests lie in
examining and presenting aspects of African derived culture
as performance.
He has appeared at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, North Sea
Festival as well as the various New York City Jazz
Festivals. Alva has performed with Lightnin' Hopkins, Kirk
Whalum, Hubert Laws, David "Fathead" Newman, Arnett Cobb,
Phyllis Hyman, Billy Harper, Regina Belle, Montego Joe,
Hamiett Bluitt, Carlos Garnett, Eddie Harris, Steve Turre,
Kuumba Frank Lacy, and the Boys' Choir of Harlem.
Alva has performed internationally throughout Africa, Asia,
and Europe and he can be found on the recordings of Fred Ho,
Lonnie Plaxico, Robin Eubanks, Juanita Fleming and Charley
Gerard.
Alva Nelson has received awards from the National
Endowment for the Arts, the International
Association of Jazz Educators, the Thelonious Monk
International Jazz Piano Competition and several
Meet the Composer commissions. The most recent award
supported a performance of "West African Sweet" for the
Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival. "West Afrykhan Sweet"
as presented by the AFRYKHAN KNANECKSHUN is a
multi-disciplinary performance piece, which features
original music based on West African traditional dance
rhythms supported by original music composed for jazz band
and Djembe orchestra. This all evolved out of Mr. Nelson's
fascination with dance and his commitment to creating a
holistic performance experience where the elements of
theatre, dance and music are equally integrated.
Alva is a native of Houston, Texas and attended Sam Houston
State and Texas Southern Universities. He has participated
in the BMI (Broadcast Music Int’l, Inc.) Composers Workshop,
has studied acting and frequently appears in theatrical
productions.
|