Jazz Articles about Alexander Hawkins

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 ...

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: All There, Ever Out

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, ...

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 ...

Alexander Hawkins Quartet at the Vortex, London

by John Sharpe
January 25, 2010

Alexander Hawkins Quartet The Vortex London, England January 5, 2010

A very respectable audience braved the cold temperatures (for London where since global warming kicked in it rarely falls below freezing for very long) and further impending snow for the debut of the Alexander Hawkins new quartet at the Vortex. Hawkins continues to make waves having in the last month of 2009 enjoyed a successful meeting with Joe McPhee and his first ...

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble at the Vortex, London

by John Sharpe
September 3, 2009

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble The Vortex London, England August 10, 2009

If you can judge a person by the company he keeps, then pianist Alexander Hawkins must be someone to watch given his musical associations, both actual and virtual. The packed house at the Vortex certainly thought so, confounding Hawkins' concern that the crowd might be a little light given a Monday night in the holiday season.

Hawkins has recorded as part of the ...

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: No Now Is So...

by John Sharpe
August 22, 2009

Both the enigmatic title and Red Planet sleeve photography of this debut recording by Alexander Hawkins' six-piece ensemble suggest something out of the ordinary. The feeling is confirmed by a glance at the distinctive instrumentation, which pitches the strings of cellist Hannah Marshall, guitarist Otto Fischer and bassist Dominic Lash against the percussion of Javier Carmona and the Hawinkins' piano, with the wildcard being vibraphonist Orphy Robinson's steel pans. Elsewhere Hawkins is fast making a name for himself, recording with ...

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: No Now Is So

by John Eyles
June 4, 2009

Pianist Alexander Hawkins is one of the brightest rising young stars of British jazz and improvisation, amply demonstrated by his work in Barkingside, the Convergence Quartet, and the Evan Parker Quartet. Hawkins has technique in abundance and a brain quick enough to make creative use of it. With no obvious stylistic antecedents, he excels in a variety of styles, seeming to relish his eclectic approach to improvisation, an approach fully in evidence here.

This sextet represents a bold departure from ...