Alex Otey | |
---|---|
Born | 1959 (age 64–65) |
Origin | United States |
Genres | Jazz, Americana, Children's music, Classical, folk-rock |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter, producer, musician, composer |
Instruments | Trumpet, piano |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | Ionian Productions |
Website | www |
Alex Otey (born 1959) is a singer-songwriter, music producer, pianist, and trumpeter. He has performed with jazz musicians such as Richie Cole and Lew Soloff, and recorded with Grover Washington Jr. on the 1979 Skylarking album. [1] He has produced, arranged, and co-written five albums by children's singer-songwriter Miss Amy, and released the albums on his label Ionian Productions. The fifth of these albums, Fitness Rock & Roll, was nominated in the 54th Grammy Awards, and Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat was nominated the year before. He also appears on the 54th Grammy winning album, All About Bullies... Big And Small. [2]
He performs frequently with Miss Amy & Her Big Kids Band, and in 2013 released an album entitled Angels Riding Shotgun with Americana rock band Off the Map, which features the same line-up of musicians. Otey also performs popular vocal jazz as a soloist and with The Alex Otey Trio. [3]
Alex V. Otey [4] was born in 1959 in the United States. [5] His mother is Pat Wood, [6] and his father, Orlando Otey, was a Mexican-American concert pianist and composer. [7] His father was executive director of the Wilmington Music School in Wilmington, Delaware during Otey's childhood, which provided him with early formal instruction in music. [1] He was training in classical trumpet and percussion at age 7. [1]
As a teenager he began playing piano and singing, appearing in the Wilmington Symphony and competing in regional music competitions. He studied trumpet with Seymor Rosenfeld of the Philadelphia Orchestra until the age of 18. [1]
In highschool he began performing "piano man" style arrangements, and has cited singer-songwriters such as Billy Joel and Elton John as influences. According to Otey, his style was also shaped by Harry Connick Jr., Frank Sinatra's ballads, jazz standards, and hits from the Beatles, Van Morrison and Sting. [1] He graduated from Friends' Central School in Philadelphia in 1978. [6]
As a teen and young adult he formed a number of small ensembles such as the APO Jazz Trio, which performed around Philadelphia. [1] He performed with jazz musicians such as Richie Cole and Lew Soloff, and recorded with Grover Washington Jr. on the 1979 Skylarking album. [1] In 1984 graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia, with a degree in Physics and Atmospheric Science. [8] He has worked as a computer engineer as well. [5]
Otey met his wife, singer-songwriter Miss Amy, and they began playing in jazz, folk and rock bands together. [9] After the birth of their son in the mid-1990s the family moved to New Jersey, and Miss Amy began focusing on children's music, specifically of the sort to help children move and exercise. [10]
Alex Otey produced, co-wrote, and helped arrange Miss Amy's first album, Swimming, and handles trumpet, keyboard, and backup vocals in Miss Amy & Her Big Kids Band, founded in 2004. [9] Along with the band he performed at the White House 2010 Egg Roll event, [11] where other performers included Justin Bieber, [12] J.K. Rowling, and the cast from Glee . [11] He and Miss Amy & Her Big Kids Band also headlined Kidstock 2010. [13]
He has produced five albums with Miss Amy since 2004, [9] [14] handling, for example, collaborative arranging, engineering, production, keyboard, trumpet and back-up vocals on 2011's Miss Amy's Fitness Rock and Roll, which blended jazz, rock, pop, broadway, and lullabies. [15]
Fitness Rock & Roll was released on his label, Ionian Productions. [2] In November 2011 the album was nominated for a 54th Grammy Award in the category of "Best Children's Album." That year Otey also contributed the track "Keep Your Chin Up" to the Grammy-winning compilation [8] All About Bullies... Big And Small. [16]
Ionian Productions, Inc. | |
---|---|
Founded | 2003 |
Founder | Alex Otey |
Status | Active |
Genre | Various (classical, children's) |
Location | New Jersey, United States |
Official website | IonianProductions.com |
Otey is the founder and president of the audio/video production company Ionian Productions. The company has produced LPs such as A Gift To Be Free, releases by Miss Amy, and The Chopin of Mexico Plays Chopin 1&2. [3] Other artists include pianist and composer Leonardo Le San, Sue Tally, Pedro Ledezma, and Leticia Gómez-Tagle. [17]
In August 2012 Ionian Productions released Tenochtitlan 1325, which includes piano pieces composed by his father, Orlando Otey. [18] The album was well-received; according to Robert Schulslaper, "Orlando Otey played the piano with panache and considerable skill, reveling in music's capacity for passionate extroversion as well as lyrical reflection. His compositions reflect a genuine talent, curious about modern trends (but stopping short of atonality) and capable of fashioning diverse influences into a convincing artistic statement." [18]
Otey continues performs as a solo act [19] at venues in central New Jersey and Philadelphia. [1] He also performs with some West Trenton based bands, one of which is the Americana and rock group Off The Map, which Otey formed with the same lineup as Miss Amy The Big Kids Band. [3] Their first album, Angels Riding Shotgun, was produced by Otey and released on Ionian Productions. [4] Otey also plays standards, pop, and jazz with The Alex Otey Trio, and events with The Wild Rice Band. [3]
Year | Title | Artist | Label | Role |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Skylarking | Grover Washington, Jr. | Kudu, Motown, Elektra, Columbia | trumpet |
2004 | Underwater | Miss Amy | Ionian Productions | keyboards, trumpet, backup vocals, producer and engineer |
2005 | Wide Wide World | Miss Amy | Ionian Productions | keyboards, trumpet, backup vocals, producer and engineer |
2006 | My Precious One | Miss Amy | Ionian Productions | keyboards, trumpet, backup vocals, producer and engineer |
2007 | I Wanna Know How It Works! | Miss Amy | Ionian Productions | keyboards, trumpet, backup vocals, producer and engineer |
2007 | The Chopin of Mexico Plays Chopin | Orlando Otey | Ionian Productions | producer and engineer |
2008 | The Chopin of Mexico Plays More Chopin | Orlando Otey | Ionian Productions | producer and engineer |
2010 | Fitness Rock & Roll | Miss Amy | Ionian Productions | keyboards, trumpet, backup vocals, producer and engineer |
2013 | Angels Riding Shotgun | Off the Map | Ionian Productions | keyboards, trumpet, backup vocals, producer and engineer |
2017 | Love Matters Now | Alex Otey Trio | Winter Cat Records | vocals & piano, trumpet, producer and engineer |
Year | Song/album | Category | Role | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Healthy Food For Thought, Good Enough to Eat | Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children | Participant Producer, Artist and arranger | Nominated |
2012 | Miss Amy's Fitness Rock & Roll | Grammy Award for Best Children's Album | Producer, arranger, Songwriting and Participant Artist | Nominated |
2012 | All About Bullies... Big And Small Compilation (track "Keep Your Head Up") | 54th Grammy Awards | Participant Producer, Artist and arranger | Won |
Louis Thomas Jordan was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "the King of the Jukebox", he earned his highest profile towards the end of the swing era. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an "early influence" in 1987.
Dinah Washington was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She was also known as "Queen of the Jukeboxes". She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Stanley Clarke is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings reach gold status.
Herb Alpert is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, five of which became No. 1 albums; he has scored 14 platinum albums and 15 gold albums. Alpert is the only musician to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as both a vocalist and an instrumentalist.
Bill Chase was an American trumpeter and leader of the jazz-rock band Chase.
Donald Jay Fagen is an American musician who was the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. In addition to his work with Steely Dan, Fagen has released four solo albums, beginning with The Nightfly in 1982, which was nominated for seven Grammys.
Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions.
Sade are an English band, formed in London in 1982 and named after their lead singer, Sade Adu. The band consists of Adu alongside bassist Paul Denman, saxophonist and guitarist Stuart Matthewman, and keyboardist Andrew Hale. Founding drummer Paul Anthony Cooke left the band in 1984, while Dave Early, Cooke's replacement, left in 1985. Since Early's departure in 1985, the band has employed numerous session and touring drummers in absence of an official drummer. The band's music features elements of soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop. All of the band's albums, including compilations and a live album, have charted in the US Top Ten.
Roy Anthony Hargrove was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles of jazz in 1998 and 2002. Hargrove primarily played in the hard bop style for the majority of his albums, but also had a penchant for genre-crossing exploration and collaboration with a variety of hip hop, neo soul, R&B and alternative rock artists. As Hargrove told one reporter, "I've been around all kinds of musicians, and if a cat can play, a cat can play. If it's gospel, funk, R&B, jazz or hip-hop, if it's something that gets in your ear and it's good, that's what matters."
Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork in Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and SideOneDummy. The band has been noted for its strict DIY work ethic, such as engineering, producing, and releasing their own albums and videos and self-promotion of their own shows.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans jazz band founded in New Orleans by tuba player Allan Jaffe in the early 1960s. The band derives its name from Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. In 2005, the Hall's doors were closed for a period of time due to Hurricane Katrina, but the band continued to tour.
Randal Edward Brecker is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B.
William Henry Cunliffe Jr. is an American jazz pianist and composer.
Phil Driscoll is a trumpeter, singer, composer, and producer. He performs in varying music genres and styles which include rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and patriotic music, and is best known for his work in Christian music and his longterm Christian ministry. In 1985, Driscoll won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance – Duo/Group for a duet with Debby Boone on "Keep the Flame Burning", and he has been nominated for three additional Grammys, two for Best Gospel Performance – Male and one for Best Gospel/Pop Album. He has also won three Dove Awards for his music, and the 1999 Christian Country Music Association Award for Best Musician.
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, or simply The Big Phat Band, is an 18-piece jazz orchestra led by Gordon Goodwin that combines the big band swing of the 1930s and 1940s with contemporary music such as funk and jazz fusion. Since its origin, the Big Phat Band has received several Grammy Awards and many Grammy nominations.
Santana is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1966 by Mexican-born guitarist Carlos Santana. The band has undergone various recording and performing line-ups in its history, with Santana being the only consistent member. After signing with Columbia Records, the band's appearance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 increased their profile, and they went on to record the commercially successful and critically acclaimed albums Santana (1969), Abraxas (1970), and Santana III (1971). These were recorded by the group's "classic" line-up, featuring Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve, David Brown, and José "Chepito" Areas. Hit songs of this period include "Evil Ways", "Black Magic Woman", "Oye Como Va", and the instrumental "Samba Pa Ti".
Troy Andrews, also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is a musician, most notably a trombone player, from New Orleans, Louisiana. His music fuses rock, pop, jazz, funk, and hip hop.
Alexander Junior Grant, professionally known as Alex da Kid or by.ALEXANDER, is a British music producer from Wood Green, London. He has gained recognition for producing several hit singles for artists of multiple music genres, such as Dr. Dre, Nicki Minaj, B.o.B, Eminem, Matthew Koma ("Stars"), Diddy, Imagine Dragons and Cheryl.
Amy Otey, known as Miss Amy is an American musical fitness entertainer, singer-songwriter, and author. She focuses on the themes of health and activity for children, though her genres also range to country, folk-rock and pop. She has released 5 albums, the fifth of which, Fitness Rock & Roll, was nominated in the 54th Grammy Awards. Miss Amy also appears on the 53rd Grammy nominated album Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat, and the 54th Grammy winning album, All About Bullies... Big And Small.
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles being broadcast on CBS honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011. LL Cool J hosted the show. It was the first time in seven years that the event had an official host. Nominations were announced on November 30, 2011, on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night", a one-hour special broadcast live on CBS from Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live. Kanye West received the most nominations with seven. Adele, Foo Fighters, and Bruno Mars each received six nominations. Lil Wayne, Skrillex, and Radiohead all earned five nominations. The nominations were criticised by many music journalists as Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy missed out on a nomination for Album of the Year despite being highly critically acclaimed and topping many end of year charts. West's album went on to win Best Rap Album.