It's all that jazz with Alex Madeline.
We meet up in the bustling streets of New York City and immediately I’m thinking to myself …
It’s not every day that you have a rendezvous with a sexy sax player.
And Alex Madeline is all that jazz.
Behind the calm and compassionate demeanor of this true French gentleman, there is a passion for life oozing from his being. And you can not help but to be captivated by his love for music, desire to create and inspire unique and intricate art journeys in the world, and by his humor.
It’s infectious.
Alex was born in France and moved to New York City in his 20’s on a scholarship from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. And since then his career has just flourished with multiple awards, cool opening acts for artists like Iggy Pop and sharing stages with incredible musicians at festivals around the world.
Not only is he a musician but also a composer with a unique artistic voice. So, we sat down together to chat about his debut album “Unexpected Direction” and get a glimpse into this deeply creative soul.
Tell us a bit about your journey! What inspired you to become an artist?
I knew when I picked up the saxophone at age 14 that this would be my life. I found a way to translate feelings into tangible experiences - in a way that I feel words can’t. I could transport myself, and whoever wanted to listen, into a space beyond this world. That’s why I love making music. I can travel through places that don't exist on earth and speak a language that isn’t made with words. It’s where I feel free.
Your album's first two releases are live! What is this album about?
I wrote most of these songs 7/8 years ago while I was studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I was in my second year of being in the USA and I had a lot of emotions. I was living my dream. Furthering my passions in a prestigious school, in a new country that had brought Jazz to the musical table and speaking a new language while meeting people from all around the world,
I had a great gig at that time, touring with an Azeri artist, the piano player Emil Afrasyaib. We played in Azerbaijan, France, Switzerland, the USA (Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center of performing Arts) and it was a time of experiential learning for me through that project. And via different ensembles at Berklee which took us on journeys where we could travel and perform.
Each song on this album was born from a different inspiration. Each an unexpected journey and each taking me in an unexpected direction - within myself and in the music.
The three songs that have released so far - Balance, Direction and Dream... Well, for 'Balance', I was inspired by the great saxophonist Wayne Shorter. I really wanted to write something that has Shorter’s “ harmonic vibe” but was true to my style. I stumbled upon the ¾ time signature - hanging in the balance of his progressions and created what felt true from there. I then wrote some lyrics, about the balance in life.
'Direction' started with a chord change on the piano. As I usually sit down when I compose - improvising from the key centre and seeing where the music leads me, the movement of the bass line took a specific direction. It showed me what it wanted to be and what story wanted to be told. Co-creation is truly a magical thing in music and so I passed it onto my friend Russel Johnson. He wrote the most beautiful lyrics - he wrote a love story.
For 'Dream', I drew inspiration from a dream I had where I was flying. When you listen to the first notes, you can really feel the emotion. The mix of piano and vibraphone gives it a dreamy vibe, and the long melody feels like flying through the air.
Not only do you play the sax, but you are the composer of each song on the album! Each arrangement, each instrument and all of it from scratch. Truly incredible! Tell us a little about your creative process.
When I compose I am in another world. It is not really so much of a process than an experience of moments of who I am. It is like being the public to myself. I have to go away from me to see me. You have to be your own audience - the listener and player.
I like improvising. I usually record myself playing the piano, then listen back to it and if I really like it, I'll write it down. It's the start of the song which will then continue - extending and transforming. The arrangements and orchestration of each instrument follows and during all of this process, I’ll be producing in my head at the same time.
Sometimes it doesn’t take too long (a of couple months) but sometimes it takes years. My skills evolve, my inspiration changes, influenced by the people I meet and the sound I feel around them and ultimately I see and create stories.
What fills your creative energy cup in order to create?
When I write music, there are no rules. There are of course technical rules but I am not focusing on that when I am writing. I am thinking about the feeling and I get inspired differently depending on whether I am happy or sad. Listening to other artists is a wonderful source of emotion and therefore inspiration.
What is it about jazz? What is unique about what you are creating?
Jazz is not really trying to be anything that it is not. It's just about freedom through the art. Freedom, Truth and Honesty.
It is unique because I am being myself. Through the music, I am free. My mouth is unique, my muscles are unique, the way I apply the pressure is always different. The same instrument can be given to a different artist and it will not be the same jazz. It's really a style of being “Jazz-influenced”.
What was your favorite performance you ever did? And why?
Probably the one at the Culture lab in 2022. We performed my new project and I was awarded the New Work Grant from the Queens Council on the Arts. This enabled me to pay for all the musicians and the writing process so I could bring the full band on stage to play, including the strings.
What is your message to your audience? To other artists?
Music is a mission. An invitation to the world - Be open to discover. I want them to understand, for those that do not know, that you can open yourself to things. Beyond the song is there is the technicality of it - the experience, to open yourself, to not judge, to enjoy the music and understand the story behind it.
And as an artist, it is about being selfish. The best gift you can offer to someone is your honesty. When I play, I put the audience in the position to make a decision for themselves. I offer who I am and then the exchange of energy can keep going.
If your music was a person, who would it be?
My wife. No, I'm just kidding. It is me. It can not, not be me. The music is me but it is not the one you are going to see through the earthly lens.
What can we look forward to from the Alex Madeline Music experience?
A world tour is in the works....I'm mostly performing in New York City now but I'm always writing, and another album, Unexpected Direction 2.0, could be on the horizon.
You featured on RadioFrance a while back and shared your insights on Bebop - the intricate swanky style of jazz developed in the 1940's. What a great show! We stumbled across this photo (screenshot below) from the article - you in the middle next to your fellow musicians, Christophe Dilys (trumpet) and Timothée Bakoglu (piano).
So, that hairstyle.... we are loving the old-school vibes you had going there. How did it feel to manage that comb-over?
Hahaha... that was in the middle of lockdown!
Alex, we have just loved working with you! What a honour for Swartkat to have walked this release and press production journey with you. We are most excited for everything to come as you share your light and love for music with the world. You are an inspiration as solopreneur, artist and authentic human.
- Nicole Karmine
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