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Alex Boneham

Bassist Alex Boneham is one of the most in demand musicians of his generation, known for his versatility and relentless creative drive. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Alex has worked extensively worldwide with a wide array of artists from across the musical spectrum.

After graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium with a bachelor’s degree in music in 2009, Alex spent several years performing, recording and touring in Australia and New Zealand with a who’s who of Australian artists and international touring acts including James Morrison, Mike Nock, Bernie McGann, Dale Barlow, James Muller, Greg Osby, George Garzone, Mike Moreno, Joel Frahm, Will Vinson, Sarah McKenzie, Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, and co-led group The Vampires.

In 2014 Alex was accepted into the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Ensemble (now the Herbie Hancock Institute), a selective masters program where a group of musicians is hand-picked by a panel of living legends including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Heath, Kenny Burrell, James Newton and Herb Alpert.

During his two-year stint with the Monk Institute Alex performed with Herbie Hancock and Dee Dee Bridgewater in Morocco, headlined the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl with Hancock and Wayne Shorter, and performed at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama during International Jazz Day celebrations. In addition to studying, performing and teaching with many legends of jazz, Alex also completed a Masters of Music from UCLA in 2016.

Alex’s musicianship has been recognized throughout his career having been awarded the James Morrison Generations in Jazz Scholarship in 2007, named the Bell Awards Young Jazz Musician of the Year in 2012, and runner-up in the 2015 National Jazz Awards. He was also a featured performer on Sarah McKenzie’s 2012 ARIA award winning album “Close Your Eyes”.

Alex has toured and recorded with a extensive range of artists worldwide including Billy Childs Quartet/Trio/Jazz Chamber Ensemble, Walter Smith III, Sara Gazarek, Josh Nelson, Gerald Clayton, James Morrison, James Muller, Tommy Emmanuel, Passenger, David Weiss, Theo Croker, Sarah McKenzie, Denise Donatelli, Rosario Giuliani, Roberto Tarenzi, Alice Ricciardi, Josh Johnson, Daniel Rotem, Michael Mayo, and The Vampires.

He appears on over 30 studio albums including four releases with co-led group The Vampires - Chellowdene (2010), Garfish (2012), Tiro (2013), and Pacifica (2019).

Alex has performed at many of the world’s major festivals including Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), Melbourne International Jazz Festival (Australia), Bangen Jazz Festival (Sweden), Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel), AngraJazz (Portugal), as well as iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Kennedy Centre, Dolby Theatre, Blue Note Tokyo and Ronnie Scott’s.

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4
Album Review

Brendan Eder Ensemble: Cape Cod Cottage

Read "Cape Cod Cottage" reviewed by Gareth Thompson


When the new owners of a Cape Cod saltbox house went to insulate their attic, they found photos, manuscripts and TEAC tapes left by the previous occupant. His name was Edward Blankman, a retired dentist from Pennsylvania, who moved to Cape Cod after his wife's death. These newly uncovered recordings were sent to Jazz Dad Records who took on the task of restoring them for release. Mostly a tribute to Blankman's late wife Natalie, they reveal an old soul who ...

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Album Review

Dan Schnelle: Shine Thru

Read "Shine Thru" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Dan Schnelle is a drummer on the Los Angeles music scene who has played in a lot of contexts. That is reflected in his first album which delves into different shades of jazz-rock with traces of exotica and electronic music in the margins. “Unknown Territory" and “Spaceman Spiff" are angular pieces that spotlight the atmospheric keyboards of Jeff Babko and the electric guitar of Anthony Wilson with the ethereal vibe of a vintage science-fiction soundtrack. “Shine Thru" ...

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Album Review

Dan Schnelle: Shine Thru

Read "Shine Thru" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


This debut album from one of the West Coast's go-to drummers delivers an empyrean escape while offering a clear look at the impressive inner workings of a beautiful mind in motion. Those who know Dan Schnelle as a sideman will recognize his master musicianship right off the bat as he lays the foundation for this absorbing music, but they'll probably also come to realize that there's far more to the man than his stick work. In crafting a program built ...

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Album Review

Josh Nelson: Live At Bluewhale, Volume 1

Read "Live At Bluewhale, Volume 1" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Pianist, composer and--maybe most importantly--conceptualist, Josh Nelson must be a big reader. For his album Exploring Mars (Origin Records, 2015) he drew from, in part, Ray Bradbury's fantastical science fiction story collage Martian Chronicles. And he took a deep look into science and science fiction (H.G. Wells, Jules Verne) for his Discoveries (Steel Bird Music, 2011). Live At Bluewhale features recordings from Nelson's Discovery Project originally performed at the Bluewhale jazz club in Little Tokyo in downtown Los ...

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Album Review

Josh Nelson: The Discovery Project: Live In Japan

Read "The Discovery Project: Live In Japan" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


In the golden age of television commercials, one commercial distinguished between a product that was popular because it was associated with good taste and one that was popular because it tasted good. The Discovery Project Live in Japan has nothing to do with canned food but it demonstrates pianist Josh Nelson's excellent taste in repertoire and that his performance of that repertoire with bassist Alex Boneham and drummer Dan Schnelle sure lands deliciously in your ears. Nelson's lovely ...

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Album Review

Josh Nelson Trio: The Discovery Project: Live In Japan

Read "The Discovery Project: Live In Japan" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


When pianist Josh Nelson's name surfaces in conversation, the art of the trio isn't typically a topic that comes up. A first-call accompanist and collaborator for the vocal elite, and a conceptualist who's crafted smartly arranged musical love letters to everything from steampunk sci-fi to the City of Los Angeles as part of his ongoing Discovery Project, Nelson is a creative force to be reckoned with. You just don't really hear much about triangular pursuits in his portfolio. That's what ...

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“Brilliantly inventive, cleverly developed and of primal force.” - SMH 2011

“Boneham’s solos were a lesson in how vigour may be harnessed to sensitivity.” - Sydney Morning Herald 2011

“The Vampires play with wit, soulful melody and invention”
**** – 4/5 stars – Sydney Morning Herald

Primary Instrument

Bass, acoustic

Location

Los Angeles

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Shine Thru

Outside in Music
2022

buy

Cape Cod Cottage

Worried Songs
2022

buy

Live At Bluewhale,...

Steel Bird Music
2021

buy

The Discovery...

Steel Bird Music
2020

buy

Beyond Images

Wonderbird Music
2020

buy

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