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Chris Alford

New Orleans based, Mississippi born guitarist and composer Chris Alford keeps feet in the muddy roots with eyes looking beyond the horizon.

About Me

Mississippi native Chris Alford is a creative guitarist and composer who has performed in juke joints as well as concert halls around the country. Equally adept playing bebop, rock, free improvisation or blues, his unique guitar voice has no stylistic bounds, yet retains a distinctive personal approach. He is just as likely to galvanize an audience with peculiar, angular, electric flourishes as he is to allure with luscious, atmospheric harmonies. An openness to sound and collaboration, allows Alford to shape and guide the music in an organic flow. Since 2009, Alford has been active in a flourishing, creative music scene in New Orleans. Alford earned music degrees from The Chicago College of Performing Arts and Belmont University. Alford has had the opportunity to study with Henry Johnson, Regi Wooten, John McLean, Joe Morris, Hank Mackie and Chester Thompson. Chris Alford has performed with legends of jazz and popular music including: Cassandra Wilson, 2Face Idibia, Jerry Jemmott, Rhonda Richmond, Leslie Hunt, Ezra Brown, James Singleton , Tim Bern, John Sinclair, Reginald Veal, Algerbra Blessett, Jeb Bishop, Mino Cinelu, Simon Lott, Mike Burton, Tim Green, Mike Dillon, London Branch, Aurora Nealand, Rob Cambre, Hellen Gillet, Gregoire Maret, Robert Walter, Grayhawk Perkins, Matt Ulery, Michael Vatcher, Simon Berz, Dr. Jeff Albert and many more. Alford fulfills his passion for creative music education through his teaching, both in the community and at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was on the Jazz department faculty from 2007- 2019.