Saxophonist & Composer Alex Han has been recognized as one of the most promising musicians of his generation. He identifies as more than just a jazz musician – while giving a nod to the jazz tradition, his music is deeply inspired by many genres with the goal of bringing contemporary instrumental music to broader audiences. His refreshing style & passion are what he uses to bring his vision of where music can go into reality.
By age 12, Han was one of two national recipients of the VSA arts, Young Soloists Award. Around the same time, he was invited by Grammy Award Winning saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera to sit-in with him at a Jazz at Lincoln Center performance. A year later, young Han was asked to perform at the 2001 Festival Internacional de Jazz de Lapataia in Uruguay. There, he cut his teeth alongside many Jazz Masters, including Joe Lovano, Kenny Barron and Antonio Sanchez.
By age 17, Han won the 17th Annual Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition for saxophone and was selected for alto chairs on the 2005 Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Orchestra and the 2006 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble. A few months later, he won a 2006 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award. At 18, he was awarded the Berklee College of Music Presidential Scholarship.
By age 20, Han embarked upon a European tour as saxophonist for two-time, GRAMMY award winning musician, producer and composer, Marcus Miller. Today, Han still works with Marcus Miller and in June 2017 released his debut album entitled Spirit, produced by Miller. A true labor of determination, Spirit stands out as a remarkable exhibition of Han’s abilities not only as a performer but additionally as a composer, having written 7 out of the 10 compositions on the album.