Alex Weitz
Saxophonist and composer Alex Weitz began his career in Arizona as a member of the award-winning Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Band, versing himself in the music of its namesake and the classic repertoire of Count Basie. This foundation in swing distinguished him early on as an artist who knows that, to architect a sustainable future, one must mine raw materials from the past. He then studied at the prestigious University of Miami Frost School of Music where he completed his undergraduate studies in Jazz Saxophone Performance and graduate studies in Studio Jazz Writing, gaining invaluable mentorship and experience as a member of the Henry Mancini Institute Jazz Septet under famed trumpeter Terence Blanchard.
eitz has been invited to appear at such topflight venues as the Kennedy Center with Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, the Monterey Jazz Festival with the Frost Concert Jazz Band, the Arsht Center with George Benson’s “Inspirations,” the Tucson Jazz Festival with Jimmy Cobb, Gusman Hall with Jeff “Tain” Watts and Dave Liebman, the Azamara Journey as a member of the Journey Orchestra, the Telluride Jazz Festival with the Telluride Youth All-Stars, and numerous other venues with his own group and as a sideman.
In recognition of his excellence, Weitz received DownBeat’s Outstanding Undergraduate Soloist award of 2013, as well as recognition from ASCAP as an outstanding young jazz composer, and in 2014 his original “Song for Peace” was featured as the theme song for the Swedish documentary Bettan’s Taxi.
ince graduating, Alex’s primary musical focus has been on performing, composing, and producing music with his ensemble, the Alex Weitz Group. March of 2013 saw their debut release Chroma, and after a long-awaited return his second record "Luma" was released in March of 2017.
