Jazz Articles about Alvin Queen

Miles Davis, Art Farmer & Sheila Jordan

by Joe Dimino
June 12, 2019

From a cat that was born with jazz in his blood originally from the Bronx and now living in Switzerland since 1979, that was drummer Alvin Queen with the cut Sushi off a very well received 2019 CD Tribute to OP. The album plays respects to his old friend and mentor Oscar Peterson. We go from there delving into stories and the music from his life from the legends like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Elvin Jones and Art ...

Alvin Queen at The Turning Point Cafe

by David A. Orthmann
July 14, 2009

Alvin Queen The Turning Point Cafe Piermont, NY June 22, 2009

A couple of minutes into Shirley Scott's “There's Blues Everywhere," Alvin Queen's medium tempo shuffle beat had a galvanizing effect on his band as well as the normally decorous audience at The Turning Point Cafe. Throughout the fifty minute set, which encompassed a brash rendition of Horace Silver's “Nutville," a ballad treatment of the standard “Old Folks," and a wickedly fast version of ...

Alvin Queen: Jammin' Uptown

by Jerry D'Souza
July 12, 2008

Back in 1985, drummer Alvin Queen put together a band of American musicians to record Jammin' Uptown for his Nilva Records label. Queen, who was living in Europe, visited the United States to play live concerts and to record. This band reflected his vision as he brought together young musicians Terence Blanchard (trumpet) and Robin Eubanks (trombone) along with veterans John Hicks (piano) and Manny Boyd (tenor, alto and soprano sax) with Ray Drummond (bass) as the bridge. ...

Alvin Queen: The Move, The Groove and The Beat

by Maxwell Chandler
October 2, 2007

There are two types of great drummers in jazz, the impeccable time keepers and the ones who bring something more to both the instrument and the pieces/groups in which they appear. Alvin Queen is of the latter group, possessing a casual grace and instantly recognizable sound. He is in a direct line of artistic descendants from other great skin-men including Billy Higgins, Elvin Jones and Max Roach. All About Jazz contributor Maxwell Chandler sat down with Queen to ...

Alvin Queen: I Ain't Looking at You

by Larry Taylor
September 2, 2007

Drummer Alvin Queen is a virtual dynamo. On I Ain't Looking At You, he generates an explosive fusion of down-home blues and dynamic straight-ahead arrangements from his ensemble of young jazz stars.

Joining him are stratospheric trumpeter Terrell Stafford and creative Bird-influenced alto player Jesse Davis. Making sure the soulful quotient is high, guitarist Peter Bernstein and Hammond B-3 organist Mike LeDonne round out the quintet.

Queen got his start in the sixties, playing ...