Howie Alexander

JAZZ HEADLINER PRESENTED BY THE PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

5:30 p.m. | Return to Lineup Page

With a sprawling repertoire that ranges from jazz and gospel to funk and blues, Howie Alexander’s live performances as both sideman and headliner have taken him from Pittsburgh to Monaco.

He hails originally from the Blackridge area of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, growing up in a home filled with jazz, rhythm and blues, and funk.

Alexander cites a trio of mentors: Dr. James Johnson Jr. of the Afro-American Music Institute in Homewood; guitarist Jimmy Ponder, with whom Alexander had his first professional gig at the age of 17; and Nelson Harrison, former trombonist with the Count Basie Orchestra.

Alexander took up the piano when he was 15, and 27 years later, has filled his resume with performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Poogie Bell, Ciaro, and Stanley Turrentine among others. The Duquesne University graduate has taught piano at the Afro-American Music Institute since 1994 and is now its Artistic Director.

Alexander is also the 2024 B.U.I.L.D. Artist-In-Residence at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center/Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival.

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