Alex Bugnon in Jazz Meets James is must-see event

Meet jazz pianist and composer Alex Bugnon from Montreux, Switzerland! Alex is one of the primary keyboard elements of the Jazz Meets James event for this year’s Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival. He joins Nick Colionne, Rick Braun, Steve Cole, Eric Darius, Matt Marshak, Art Sherrod Jr. and Kim Waters in this electrifying tribute to the Godfather of Soul.

As the nephew of the late crossover champion trumpeter Donald Byrd, Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. But what better place to grow up than in the shadow of the Montreux Jazz Festival! He attended the Paris Conservatory of Music for two years, then moved to the U.S. to attend Berklee School of Music. His spare time was spent as an accompanist to gospel groups. He spent four years working as a session musician in New York, backing urban and jazz performers such as Patti Austin, Freddie Jackson, James Ingram, and Keith Sweat. Signed to Orpheus Records, he released his debut album, Love Season, in 1989. It reached the pop charts and the Top 40 of the R&B charts, as did its ‘90s follow up, Head Over Heels.

Subsequent releases, such as the groundbreaking 107 Degrees in the Shade (1991), This Time Around (1993), and Tales From the Bright Side (1995), placed in the R&B charts and cemented this pianist and composer forever in the annals of jazz history. The title single from 107 Degrees in the Shade features Bugnon’s languid and unforgettably haunting piano style.

Don’t miss Saturday’s celebratory tribute to James Brown, ably performed by Nick Colionne, Rick Braun, Alex Bugnon, Steve Cole, Eric Darius, Matt Marshak, Art Sherrod Jr. and Kim Waters at 10 p.m. at the Baycenter at Ruddertown in Dewey Beach.