Alexa Tarantino & Steven Feifke
Alexa Tarantino and Steven Feifke present “Happy Birthday, Bird!” as part of their Quarantine Concert Series. Celebrating Charlie Parker’s centennial, the duo takes on some of their favorite Bird tunes. To donate and view past and future duo livestreams, head to: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/happy-birthday-bird
DONATIONS DIRECT TO THE BAND
https://venmo.com/alexaetarantino
https://www.crowdcast.io/stevenandalexa
ABOUT
“[Alexa is] a one-woman wrecking crew, […] an indomitable force for expression, education, and absolute excellence.” – Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artist Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Alexa Tarantino is an award-winning, vibrant, young jazz saxophonist, woodwind doubler, composer, and educator. Alexa’s “lovely, ardent way of improvising,” and “sharply plotted but gracefully unencumbered straight-ahead jazz [compositions]” (The New York Times) establish her individual voice which shines through as a dynamic performer and educator. Tarantino was recently named one of the “Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019” by the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll. Her debut album, Winds of Change, peaked at #15 on the JazzWeek Charts and landed at #79 for JazzWeek’s Top 100 records of 2019.
She has performed regularly as a leader and sidewoman in a wide variety of ensembles and genres including the Cecile McLorin Salvant Quintet, Cecile McLorin Salvant’s OGRESSE Ensemble, Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y, LSAT (quintet co-led with baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian), Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Sherrie Maricle & the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, the Alexa Tarantino Quartet. Tarantino is an artist on the Posi-Tone Records label. Her debut quartet record on Posi- Tone, Winds of Change, released late-May 2019, followed by Clarity in June 2020. Her most recent record features Steven Feifke (piano), Joe Martin (bass), and Rudy Royston (drums).
Tarantino is currently on faculty for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Youth Programs (High School Jazz Academy, Let Freedom Swing/Jazz for Young People) and represents the organization as a Clinician and Educator for various schools, festivals, and workshops. She holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School and Bachelor’s degrees in Jazz Saxophone Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. Alexa is Founder and Director of the Rockport Jazz Workshop in Rockport, Massachusetts and Co-Founder of A Step Ahead Jazz virtual workshop with pianist Steven Feifke.
Alexa Tarantino is a Vandoren Artist and Yamaha Performing Artist.
Steven Feifke, born June 21st, 1991, is an award-winning pianist, composer and orchestrator with degrees from New York University and the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with true luminaries of composition and orchestration, Gil Goldstein and Jim McNeely. His big band music has been featured by the Malmo Band in Switzerland, and his orchestral music was debuted in August 2019 at the New Generation Festival in Florence, Italy. Feifke has also written original works for television and film media; his music can be heard on Jerry Seinfeld’s hit Netflix show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” He’s a two-time semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano competition and has been featured as a piano sideman on over 20 recordings, notably albums by Ulysses Owens, Jr., Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Danny Janklow and Alexa Tarantino. In 2018 he received an Arts Mid- Hudson “Pros Meet Pupils” grant for his curriculum designed to teach students jazz history through performance, and has given guest artist appearances at educational institutions around the US like Yale University, Williams College, Moravian College, Northern Illinois University, and more. He currently sits on faculty at The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he teaches composition and arranging. He is the recent winner of the 2020 David Baker Prize in composition from the Ravinia Festival for his composition for piano trio and string quartet, “The Promised Land.” His 2015 septet debut, Peace in Time, will soon be followed by his debut big-band recording featuring Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Veronica Swift. Feifke is a Yamaha Performing Artist.