Dr. Alex Fraile (A.B.D.)
Saxophone
Alex Fraile was born in Miranda de Ebro, Spain. At the age of 9 years old, he started to play the saxophone at his hometown’s conservatory. His career as a professional musician started when he moved in 2005 to Barcelona to pursue his undergraduate degree in Jazz Performance at the Conservatori del Liceu, getting the opportunity to study with some of the best Spanish jazz musicians, such as Perico Sambeat, Llibert Fortuny, Jon Robles, David Mengual, Horacio Fumero, and Mariano Diaz.
During his time in Barcelona, he was part of different jazz and hip-hop projects, such as the Roc Calvet quartet, Flowklorikos, Rafael Lechowski, Banda Ancha, and his own jazz quartet where he mixed all of these influences to produce an innovative sound. He has played in many different Spanish festivals and clubs throughout Spain and Europe. He recorded with Rafael Lechowski (Flowklorikos) for Spanish National Television as well as multiple albums with a wide range of groups. In 2009 he recorded his first album, Días en Barcelona.
Since he moved to the United States, he has performed in multiple festivals and clubs throughout the country, sharing the stage with a wide array of professional musicians in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as well as international jazz artist such as Mike Stern, Bobby McFerrin, John Clayton, Peter Erskine, Terrell Stafford, and Andy Narell among others. He is currently based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where he teaches and performs regularly. All of these experiences have contributed to his formation as the accomplished, well-rounded musician that he is today.
Paul Lees
Piano
He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas, and he is currently working on his Masters degree in Jazz Studies at UNT.
Gavin Kelso
Bass
Within his first year of playing the electric bass, he progressed from playing along with recordings in his basement to playing in school ensembles and becoming a sought-after professional in the Four State Area. In his high school jazz ensemble, Gavin developed a love for jazz giants like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, and Bill Evans. It was also during this time that he discovered the double bass, the instrument that would become his true musical voice. Upon graduation, Kelso moved to Denton, Texas, where he enrolled in the largest double bass program in the world and immersed himself in the study of the bass and of classical music under the tutelage of world-renowned pedagogue and performer Jeff Bradetich. In May 2011, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Double Bass Performance.
From 2012-2013, Gavin served as the touring bassist for the critically acclaimed Quebe Sisters Band. In June of 2013, he was one of ten semi-finalists from around the world in the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition, at which he received an honorable mention and a special commendation for an original piece composed especially for the competition Gifted with a powerful dexterity on the bass, a lively imagination, and a selfless dedication to the music and to the groove, Gavin continues to emerge as a standout performer in his generation. A resident of Dallas, Texas, he currently maintains a busy schedule performing and recording regionally, nationally, and internationally with many artists in a wide variety of genres, as well as teaching private lessons. Gavin’s playing has been featured on radio, television, and film.
John Sturino
Drums
Drummer and vibraphonist John Sturino (“stu-Re-no”) began making music at a remarkably young age and hasn’t looked back since.
Sturino began his studies at the University of North Texas in 2012, where he quickly established himself as a versatile musician. His experience at UNT includes performing in the Grammy-Nominated One O’Clock Lab Band on Drumset and Vibraphone, the Downbeat-Award winning Two O’Clock Lab Band, the Downbeat-Award winning UNT Latin Jazz Lab Band, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban Ensembles, with Arthur Barrow (alumni and Clonemeister of Frank Zappa’s band) performing the music of Frank Zappa, and a multitude of student-led small group and degree recital performances during the school year. Sturino studied primarily with Ed Soph.
Sturino has also established himself as an emerging music educator, most notably through his association with Stanford University by way of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. During his summer tenures at Stanford, Sturino worked closely with students from a multitude of countries, as well as teaching along side a robust faculty that included Donny McCaslin, Ndugu Chancler, Tootie Heath, Allison Miller, Anat Cohen, Jimmy Heath, and more. Sturino also co-founded the Kenosha Jazz All-Stars, an annual summer youth program in his own hometown that brings jazz education and performance experience to middle and high school age students.
In 2010, Sturino was selected as one of two finalists in the “Jazz” category of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) International Drum Set Competition adjudicated by Jeff Hamilton, Matt Wilson, and Stanton Moore.