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About Alexander Hawkins

Extended Analysis

Alexander Hawkins: Step Wide, Step Deep

by Phil Barnes
April 4, 2014

The effortless and precocious ability shown by British pianist Alexander Hawkins to step between the jazz tradition and music more associated with free improv makes for a heady brew on this thrilling collection. While it is arguable that the genres are far from mutually exclusive the ability to make accessible music from that which is often viewed as 'difficult' is rare and deserves to be better known outside of his homeland. This album retains only guitarist Otto Fischer ...

Album Review

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: Step Wide, Step Deep

Read "Step Wide, Step Deep" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 31, 2014

British composer, pianist Alexander Hawkins possesses the goods to be a world-beater in avant-jazz circles. He's collaborated with legendary drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo (Brotherhood of Breath) and co-leads the Convergence Quartet amid his concurrent 2014 solo piano release Song Singular and other notable endeavors for this UK-based record label. Hawkins' compositional prowess takes center-stage on this high-flying sojourn, showcasing a superfine band that communicates extraordinary synergy, coupled with towering solo spots and a penchant for zooming in for the kill, while ...

Album Review

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: Step Wide, Step Deep

Read "Step Wide, Step Deep" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
March 29, 2014

As he did on his fine solo piano release Song Singular (Babel, 2014), Alexander Hawkins takes his newly formed ensemble on a path that blurs the perceptions of composition and free improvisation. Step Wide, Step Deep floats free of implications and becomes its own entity. The ensemble establishes a rich and unique setting, sometimes disquieting, sometimes melodic but in all cases providing a dialog that resonates in content and in how that content is conveyed. Despite the ...

Album Review

Alexander Hawkins: Song Singular

Read "Song Singular" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
February 27, 2014

The concurrent releases of pianist/composer Alexander Hawkins solo and ensemble recordings demonstrate the up-and-coming artist's exceptional range of compositional skills across dissimilar formats. The young Oxford, UK native has been a much sought after sideman, working with free jazz sax legend Evan Parker, saxophonist Joe McPhee and renowned South African drummer, Louis Moholo-Moholo. Hawkins is also a co-leader of the Convergence Quartet featuring cornet virtuoso Taylor Ho Bynum, drummer Harris Eisenstadt, and double bassist Dominic Lash. Hawkins' solo ...

Interview

Alexander Hawkins: Retaining The Sense of Discovery

by John Sharpe
January 15, 2013

One of the fastest-rising stars of the UK jazz scene, pianist Alexander Hawkins is remarkable in that he shines equally in both the further reaches of free improvisation and the creation of ingeniously crafted charts. Indeed, Hawkins' particular talent might be in bringing the two so close that it's hard to distinguish between them. At times on his two acclaimed Ensemble releases, No Now is So (FMR, 2009) and All There, Ever Out (Babel Label, 2012), there seems to be ...

Album Review

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: All There, Ever Out

Read "All There, Ever Out" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
June 13, 2012

It has been the Holy Grail of jazz since its inception: to carve out the perfect balance between the written and the spontaneously invented. While All There, Ever Out may not be the definitive statement, English pianist Alexander Hawkins has taken a bold stab at a new version of the equation, combining composition and improvisation in exciting and unpredictable ways. A rising star on the London scene, oft times in the company of saxophonist Evan Parker or drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo, ...

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Live Review

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: London, UK, April 5, 2011

by John Sharpe
May 12, 2011

Alexander Hawkins EnsembleCafé OtoLondon, UKApril 5, 2011 What do you do when two mainstays in your band leave? Tonight's gig was the first outing for the new line up of pianist Alexander Hawkins' group, necessitated by the loss of regular bassist Dominic Lash to New York City for a year, and drummer Javier Carmona's return to Barcelona. There was a lot to live up to: the old aggregation was a cohesive unit ...