An excellent drum set player and percussionist, Gil Alexander has emerged as a musician who is as well versed in jazz or classical drumming as he is in West African, Middle Eastern, steel drumming, or Brazilian music. After a very musical childhood, Gil received a percussion degree at the University of Illinois, and then moved to Brooklyn, NY. While in New York, Gil played at Carnegie Hall, Blue Note Jazz Club, and Symphony Space, and performed with Ethos Percussion Ensemble, Martha Graham Dance School, Brian Lynch, Drum Cafe, and countless small jazz groups. Through Drum Cafe Gil had a chance to perform with many of the top West African drummers in the US, including Mbemba Bangoura, Fode Bangoura, Mamadou Dembele, Pablo Dembele, and Mangue Sylla.
     In 2006, Gil moved to Chicago, and while earning his masters in jazz from DePaul University, quickly began playing around Chicago. He has performed with Chicago guitar great Bobby Broom, has subbed the drum book for the musical Wicked, and has played at the Green Mill, Congress Theater, and Millennium Park. Gil’s own jazz quartet, Kosher Curry, features Mike Pinto on guitar, Andrew Zallar on keys, and Corbin Andrick on sax, and plays much of Gil’s original jazz. He also performs with Toque Chicago, Bangers and Mash, Bulbul Ensemble, and Gone 2 Paradise, and maintains an active teaching schedule. To learn more about Gil, or to contact him, go to www.gilalexander.com