Photo by Erica Ayala
Born and raised in Dallas, TX, to Cuban and Jewish parents Alex Blade Silver is turning heads with his genre-defying sound. For the past few years while living in New York, you can hear Alex performing at NYC jazz clubs, Brooklyn dive bars, high-end events, and live theater performances.
At age 11, Alex began playing the saxophone with the help and mentorship of his father, a great sax player in his own right. At 14, he was accepted into the famed Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, with notable past alumni Roy Hargrove, Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, and many others. Over the years, Alex has performed throughout the United States at festivals and events including the Monetary Next Generation Jazz Festival, the Vancouver Jazz Festival, the Jazz Educators Network, North American Saxophone Alliance, and the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival. He has shared the stage with greats such as Bob Mintzer, Snarky Puppy, Rich DeRosa, Keith Anderson, Michael Palma, Earl Eugene Toon, Jr. of Kool & the Gang, and many more. He won 5 Downbeat Music Student Awards while in college and high school for his playing in jazz, R&B, Funk, and Latin music categories. He graciously received the George Michael Music Scholarship and prestigious JCF Diversity of Music Scholarship in support of his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
Currently, he works with many singers, instrumentalists, producers, and directors in New York. Just recently, Alex played sax on multiple tracks on Marlon Craft’s debut album “Funhouse Mirror”, as well as on his recent track “Gang Shit”, where the music video has received critical acclaim. The Alex Blade Silver Trio he started had a residency for close to a year at the Knickerbocker Hotel's Charlie Palmer lounge and St. Cloud Rooftop located in the heart of Times Square. In addition, he co-leads the bands Civilians, who released their first record “Look Cool” and are currently recording their second record. A new project he co-leads is a high energy brass band called Flowmingos, who has most recently released their first EP, “Day 1”.
