Ahmad Alaadeen Tickets

Ahmad Alaadeen
Ahmad Alaadeen is a famous jazz saxophonist and educator from Kansas City. He was born on July 24, 1934 and his career spans over five decades.Alaadeen is equally skilled and exhibits his talent on tenor and soprano saxophones.

His unique style has helped him create a major impact on the Kansas City jazz scene, since the time he settled in K.C. in the early 1970s.

The beauty of his skill is that he manages to create melodies that are warm and unique and he is always willing to try new tunes and discover larger horizons.The best of his performances can be seen on his recent 'ASR release And the Beauty of It All.

Early Life and Childhood
Since a very young age, Alaadeen grew up around music. According to him he listened to all types of music styles. He went to Philharmonic concerts, loved Lester Young, liked T-Bone Walker and was crazy about Eddie Cleanhead Vinson.

He began playing the saxophone since the time he was in sixth grade. At that time he also started mastering flute, clarinet and oboe. Alaadeen took important lessons from Leo H. Davis, a well-respected music teacher.

Alaadeen debuted as a professional with Davis' band when he was 14 and his first major job was playing baritone sax with the great pianist-bandleader Jay McShann. In the years that followed, he rejoined McShann on tenor.

Education
Alaadeen studied at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music (studying flute since the educators did not think of the saxophone as a legitimate instrument), St. Mary's College (where he studied oboe) and DePaul University.

He served in the military during 1957-59, being the jazz saxophonist and principle oboist with the 4th Army Band. After his discharge, Alaadeen spent time in Chicago, playing in a program led by pianist-composer Richard Abrams that was the beginning of the AACM.

Initial Working Experience
Alaadeen gained plenty of experience living and playing in big cities such as Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Antonio, New York and St. Louis.

Teaching Jazz
After returning to Kansas City, Alaadeen not only played music locally but also became a very famous educator, teaching jazz in schools and privately.

He would always tell his students that playing jazz is a hard life, where it is important to always study and stay up-to-date and never be afraid to make mistakes. His skills as a teacher were recognized when he was inducted into the RT Coles/Lincoln High School Outstanding Alumni Hall Of Fame.

Working Opportunities
Alaadeen worked with local big bands and the City Lights Orchestra. During 1990-91, he won songwriting competitions sponsored by Billboard for his songs Big Six and Blues for R.C.

Along the way, he recorded scores with Jay McShann, Crown Prince Waterford, the City Lights Orchestra and the Joe Cartwright Quartet. He led the Deans of Swing in the 1990s and the ensemble was picked in 1996 as Musician Magazine's Best Unsigned Band.

Launching the ASR Label
To document his music, Alaadeen started the 'ASR label. Each of his CDs, which include Blues for RC and Josephine Too, Time through the Ages and New Africa Suite, features him with any of Kansas City's top young jazz players.

In The Beauty of It All you can see him heading a quintet that includes pianist Harold O'Neal, bassist Seth Lee, drummer Brandon Draper and percussionist Ray Stewart.

About the Album The Beauty of It All
The album titled, The Beauty of It All is a set original ballads. While the emphasis is on ballads, some of the selections are taken at a medium-tempo pace, including the opener, Michel Legrand's The Summer Knows, which has Alaadeen taking a passionate soprano solo.

The melancholy When Love Has displays the beauty of Alaadeen's soprano while Free Man was written for O'Neal, who is originally from Nigeria. Detour Ahead, a song long associated with Billie Holiday, is a warm tenor-piano duet while the closing They Say It's Wonderful is given a warm unaccompanied tenor statement.

Award Winner
Alaadeen has now turned 73 but you can still see him around music like when he was younger. In the recent years, he received the Jazz Heritage Award, the Missouri Humanities Council's Community Heritage Award, and the Missouri Arts Award. In 2006, he was presented the Kansas City's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Conclusion
Alaadeen looks towards the future with enthusiasm. Having created a strong musical legacy that inspires younger generations, Alaadeen is ready to create further musical milestones.