Nice to meet you

The Beginning
Alex developed his musical awareness at an early age. You would often find him listening intently for hours on many different genres of music while absorbing every unique and distinct nuance. He eagerly began taking piano lessons at the age of eight. This eventually “lit” his musical fire. Continuing with piano, he went on to learn guitar, clarinet, saxophone, flute, and the vibraphone. During his Junior and High School years, he joined the school’s band and competed annually at California Music Educators Association (CMEA) events for duets or quartets. Overall, the experience enabled him to understand better how each musical part compliments each other, arrangement and orchestration. He also joined the choir, further fulfilling his musical realization.

Family Affair
His early influences were his family. His late father, who was an established baritone singer, performed many operas and musicals (e.g., Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, etc.) in the Philippines. He also sang lead for his church ensemble. This encouraged many happy and memory filled performances at church and family events. Another influence was his talented aunts who furthered inspired his creativity. One was an organist performing bebop and swing and another taught and played classical and gospel compositions. Being involved with such a musical family made it quite easy for Alex to progress forward with his musical endeavor.

Performing
Alex began his stage career in the late 70’s in the San Francisco Bay Area as a rhythm guitarist for a Soul/R&B band. He eventually moved on to keyboards and played exclusively with the San Francisco based band performing covers. Over the years, he was spurred by the styles and sounds of Joe Sample, Jeff Lorber, David Benoit, Prince and The Time. Ultimately, Alex fused these styles and created his own unique sound. Moving to the Sacramento Valley area in 1988, he continued his musical venture by playing with Rock, R&B, Soul and Funk bands. In the mid 90’s, he took a 5-year hiatus to support his children’s sport endeavors. In 2001, he joined a Sacramento/Fairfield Acid Fusion and Jazz band.  Alex was able to open for the renowned Paul Jackson Jr. In 2005. Alex eventually departed the group and ventured out working with various Sacramento Valley groups performing Latin Jazz/Soul, Jazz Funk and Old School R&B bands. Alex also performs studio work for several solo artists and groups at Fantasy Records Berkeley and Nacnud Studios in Lodi. He has performed with great local and renowned artists such as Cecil Ramirez, David Kirkendall, Latoya Walton, Kim Waters, Tessa Evans, Patrick Lamb, Joel Del Rosario, Marco Montoya (The Smooth Jazz Alley), Otoe Mori, Tony Elder, Kevin Cain, Uriah Duffey, Eric Evans, Jeanette Harris and many more! Despite his involvement with these solo acts and groups, he continued composing and recording his own “tasty” and “head-bopping” Funk/C-Jazz songs.

Currently
In early 2014, Alex assembled highly talented musicians in the Northern California region to form “The Alex Dedal Project” performing originals and tasty cover remakes.