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 Thursday, 29 July 2010 |
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Dee Alexander Quartet at the Green Mill in Chicago, July 31 - August 1 |
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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Sunday, 26 July 2009 |
 Dee Alexander
Billed as a Chicago Jazz Fest preview, the Dee Alexander Quartet featuring Dee Alexander on vocals, Miguel de la Cerna on piano, Junius Paul on bass and Ernie Adams on drums will perform a the Green Mill on Friday, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st. Dee Alexander is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B, from Blues to Neo-Soul. Yet her true heart and soul are experienced in their purest form through her performance of Jazz music. From a soft, sultry traditional ballad, to a contemporary Jazz-Funk groove; from a high flying swing, to a scat-filled romp, Dee Alexander delivers each style with a passion and love of music that comes across in each and every note, and with a style and grace that is truly her own. Some of her recent career highlights include the 2008 Hope in Action – Homage to Nelson Mandela with Orbert Davis and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic at Millennium Park and the 2007 Sirens of Song – Tribute to Nina Simone and Dinah Washington at Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion.
Besides being a phenomenal headliner in her own right, Dee has shared the stage with David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Roy Ayers, Joshua Redman, and the O’Jays. Not being one to ever feel that the spotlight has to belong exclusively to her, Ms. Alexander has lent her considerable talents as a backup vocalist to the live performances of an array of many other well known artists i.e., Michael Manson, Michael Bolton, Phil Perry, Willie Clayton, and Zora Young and also performs with Douglas Ewart’s Inventions and Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth and Harambee Projects.
Showing a limitless versatility, Ms. Alexander has performed with Muntu Dance Company’s “African Swing” and “46664” stage productions. Dee has been featured on various commercial spots, including Alpo, McDonalds, Pert Plus, the Illinois State Lottery, Diet 7Up, Pillsbury, Buick LeSabre, Commonwealth Edison, Dove, and Amoco. Ms. Alexander’s television performances include WBBM Channel 2 2005 Portraits in Color; WTTW Channel 11Check Please; WTTW Channel 11 Chicago Tonite with Phil Ponce; WTTW Going Home Gospel with Sue Conway and the Victory Singers featuring Patti LaBelle; WTTW Arts Across Illinois 2001 with Malachi Thompson’s Freebop Band; and Bernie Mac’s HBO “Midnight Mac” Special.
Dee’s partial discography includes featured vocals on Orbert Davis’ “Blue Notes”; Corky McClerkin’s “Island of Dreams”; R. Kelly’s “Tp-2.com”and “U Saved Me/Happy People”; Brian Culbertson’s “Secrets”; Malachi Thompson’s “47TH Street”, “Rising Daystar” and “Blue Jazz”; Lines and Spaces’ “Shades of Brown”, Dennis Winslett’s “Soul Journey”, “Dee Alexander Live at the Hothouse” and “Dee Alexander – Unplugged” and Rogueart 2008 Blissful. Dee’s performance on the title track to “47th Street” was also released on the 2 CD set “Delmark Records, 45 Years of Jazz and Blues” featuring some of the best recordings from the company's rich jazz history. Ms. Alexander has also received the 2007 Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz Award and 2008 Jazz Entertainer of the Year by the Chicago Music Awards and UIC CCSB’s Black History Makers. Ms. Alexander is also a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). In January 2009, Dee Alexander’s CD will be released under the BluJazz Label.
The Green Mill is located at 4802 N. Broadway; set times and information at www.greenmilljazz.com; 773-878-5552.
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Chicago 
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