By Adam Alonzo
Every year since the late 1960s, the city of Montreux, Switzerland, becomes the jazz capital of the world during its summer music festival. Thousands of people travel long distances to attend, but pianist and composer Alex Bugnon grew up in the center of it all.
After studying at prestigious European conservatories, Bugnon came to the United States and enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He then moved in New York City, where he drove a cab and taught French while establishing himself as a musician. During his early career, Bugnon performed southern gospel and rhythm and blues before narrowing his focus to jazz.
Bugnon now makes his home in Hudson Valley, New York, though he is often on the road for concerts. A frequent visitor to this area, Bugnon and his band will perform two shows at Gilly’s in downtown Dayton on Saturday.
“We’ve been booking Alex for about 17 years,” said club owner Jerry Gillotti. “He is one of our most requested artists. The audience is so familiar with him, and they enjoy his show to the max.”
Bugnon has toured and recorded with the same core group of musicians for many years. Vincent Henry plays electric guitar, saxophone and flute; Victor Bailey is on the bass; and Charles “Poogie” Bell is at the drums.
“I went to Berklee with Victor,” Bugnon said. “Vincent and Poogie and I met when we all got our first gig in 1986.”
Gillotti has seen countless bands perform on the stage of his club, but he considers Bugnon’s group to be among the best. “They are very tight,” he said. “No pick-up or jam sessions with these boys. They mean business.”
Bugnon is best known as a smooth jazz artist, and his studio recordings feature layers of electronic instruments, programmed percussion, catchy tunes and a throbbing beat. However, his live shows have a raw edge, as Bugnon pirouettes between multiple keyboards, drawing waves of improvisation from his trio of longtime collaborators.
“What I really love to do,” Bugnon said, “is to play as hard as I possibly can.” -
http://www.daytondailynews.com/entertainment/music/swiss-pianist-a-gillys-smooth-jazz-favorite--1266388.html?cxtype=ynews_rss
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