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Alex Kontorovich

Twenty six year-old clarinetist and saxophonist Alex Kontorovich was born in Russia and currently resides in New York City. He has worked alongside musicians such as Frank London, Brad Shepik, Steven Bernstein, Mike Sarin, Theodore Bikel, Paul Shapiro, Paul Brody, Peter Apfelbaum, Reuben Radding, Chris Washburne, Curtis Hasselbring, Dan Weiss, Aaron Alexander, Brandon Seabrook, Matt Darriau, David Krakauer, Margot Leverett, Alan Bern, Christian Dawid, Sanne Moricke, Michael Alpert, Henry Sapoznik, Peter Sokolow, Fima Efron, J Granelli, Alicia Svigals, and many others.

He has performed all over the world at venues such as the Lincoln Center and Birdland in New York; the Royal National Theatre in London; the National Arts Centre in Ottawa; Planet Music in Vienna; the Hackesches Hoftheatre in Berlin; the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow; and the Beer Festival in Tel Aviv.

Numerous ensembles have requested his talents onstage and in the recording studio, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra; Jamie Begian's Big Band; ska superstar King Django; Serbian brass legend Boban Markovic; DJ SoCalled; and a slew of klezmer and world music groups such as the Klezmatics, Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars, the Klez Dispensers, Aaron Alexander's Midrash Mish Mosh, and Beyond the Pale.

Alex's newest project, Deep Minor, features all of his original compositions and experiments with an improvisatory harmonic and structural interplay between jazz and klezmer genres.

Alex is on the faculty of the KlezKamp, KlezKanada, Yiddish Summer Weimar, the Westchester Klezmer Program, the Klezmer Heritage Cruise and International Klezmer Festival Furth, and produced a recording of the late legendary Moldavian clarinetist German Goldenshteyn. In his spare time he is a math professor at Brown University.

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242
Album Review

Alex Kontorovich: Deep Minor

Read "Deep Minor" reviewed by Jim Santella


With his program of eight original compositions, clarinetist and alto saxophonist Alex Kontorovich combines klezmer with modern jazz on Deep Minor, his debut as leader. While expressing the exotic nature of his quartet's unique sound, the title also reflects the spiritual feelings evident in the music. Progressive in concept, the album soars with genuine emotion, a sincere combination of the acoustic tradition and more contemporary textures. The leader's clarinet floats aloft like a human voice and his ...

240
Album Review

Alex Kontorovich: Deep Minor

Read "Deep Minor" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni


Twenty-six year-old, Russia-born/New York-based clarinetist/saxophonist Alex Kontorovich is a phenomenon. He's a martial arts black belt, math professor at Brown University, “Bird-head" by his own definition, but one that is also well versed with John Coltrane's legacy. He's also a key member of Klezmer and Ska bands including Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars, The Klez Dispensers, Aaron Alexander's Midrash Mish Mosh, KlezSka and King Django's Roots and Culture band. A resourceful and disciplined musician, he integrates his Jewish musical heritage ...

321
Album Review

Alex Kontorovich: Deep Minor

Read "Deep Minor" reviewed by Troy Collins


The Radical Jewish Cultural movement, spurred into existence by avant-garde composer John Zorn, is already in its second decade and steadily progressing into the future. Russian-born saxophonist/clarinetist Alex Kontorovich is part of a new generation embracing the wild and wooly rhythms and primal harmonic inflections of an ancient ethnic subculture.

Co-founder of the Klez Dispensers, Kontorovich is a well-regarded member of the Klezmatics and Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars. This solo outing features a slightly different side of ...

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77

Performance / Tour

Deep Minor at Drom (NYC) on August 18th at 8PM

Deep Minor at Drom (NYC) on August 18th at 8PM

Source: Michael Ricci

Dear friends, I hope this message finds you well, and that you're enjoying the summer. Please mark your calendars for a rare NYC appearance by Deep Minor. We're playing at Drom in the lower east side, a week from today. Details: When: Tues, August 18th 8 PM Where: Drom, 85 Ave A b/w 5th and 6th, NYC dromnyc.com/

Who: Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor Gregg Mervine (drums) Jay Vilnai (guitar) Reuben Radding ...

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Performance / Tour

Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor to play the Knitting Factory April 23

Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor to play the Knitting Factory April 23

Source: All About Jazz

Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor at The Knitting Factory, in the Old Office: Sunday, April 23th, 2006 at 6:30pm New York, NY: The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard Street). The performance of Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor will begin at 6:30pm. Dive into the rambunctious rhythmic grooves and lose yourself in the intimate improvisations of Deep Minor--the latest project of all original compositions from reedman/bandleader Alex Kontorovich. To create this high energy quartet, Kontorovich joins forces with three premiere world jazz musicians: Brandon ...

137

Performance / Tour

Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor Premiere Performance at MAKOR March 7th, 2006

Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor Premiere Performance at MAKOR March 7th, 2006

Source: All About Jazz

Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor MAKOR March 7th, 2006: 9:30pm New York, NY: Makor (35 West 67th street) Beginning at 9:30pm the evening will include the premiere performance of Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor. Dive into the rambunctious rhythmic grooves and lose yourself in the intimate improvisations of Deep Minor--the latest project of all original compositions from reedman/bandleader Alex Kontorovich. To create this high energy quartet, Kontorovich joins forces with three premiere world jazz musicians: Brandon Seabrook (guitar/banjo), Reuben Radding ...

Alex Kontorovich is one of the young rising stars on the NYC and international klezmer, classical and jazz scenes. Born in Russia before Glasnost, Kontorovich brings to his music early vivid memories of Jewish repression and scarcity of necessities. Perhaps these recollections are partly responsible for his ability to blend the freedom of jazz with klezmer's Eastern European identity in such an elegant way. In addition, his overall persona differentiates him from the stereotypical "twenty-something." A martial arts black belt, math professor at Brown University, and classically trained musician, Kontorovich represents the best of his cohorts diversity

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Deep Minor

Chamsa Records
2007

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