Big Alex started his musical activities at 14 years old when realized that his father, a “Seresta”* and “Samba-Canção”* admirer, kept a Di Giorgio, author type, no.34, nylon acoustic guitar without much use in the wardrobe. As a curious teenager with congenital musical tendency, he soon became interested in the instrument and with the Fernando Azevedo small method help, he learned how to tune and play his first songs.
During high school, he had contact with other nylon guitar players and started to learn more elaborated songs with the help of the “Violão e Guitarra” famous magazines.
As soon as he was introduced to Rock, buying an electric guitar was a matter of time. Rock groups such as Queen, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes and many others were at the top of their careers and influenced him a lot. He bought his first guitar, a Giannini Stratosonic, and his first amplifier, a 15W Oliver. His first group activities were basically informal meetings with some friends at some studios located at Tijuca suburb, where Rock classics started to be learnt.
His musical taste started to become more eclectic when a friend invited him to see an instrumental group called “Cama de Gato”. Since then he started to admire this music style and to become more interested in really learn his instrument. Self-taught, he started to read everything he could about musical theory and to learn songs by ear.
The Blues interest and fascination emerged when he realized that this music style was so simple and extremely complex at the same time. He started to go to every national or international blues show he could, with special relevancy to the famous Jam sessions that took place at the extinct “Conversa Fiada” bar, located at Vila Isabel suburb, where the guitar player Maurício Sahady used to receive other blues musicians to sit in, and really used to give a lesson on the style. Another Brazilian musical influences can and must be mentioned as Celso Blues Boy, Vitor Dias, Sérgio Rocha, among others. His International influences are basically Freddie King, Albert King, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter.
Although he always have been self-taught, he needed to enhance what he already knew and in 1995 he subscribed to a Blues workshop at the “In Concert” music school, under orientation of the great guitar player and teacher Fernando Clark. There he met Tavinho Rangel and they founded the “Blues & Beer” band where he played until November/2002. The “Blues & Beer” band had fundamental importance on his musical development, because stage and studio experience were gained and with them he recorded the “Até o Último Gole” CD.
From 2002 to 2005, in several opportunities, he acted as sideman of the great Bluesman Maurício Sahady (www.mauriciosahady.com). Meanwhile he joined a band called Kazoo gigging with them a couple of times.
Orkut Blues jam _ Me and Maurício Sahady ..
In October, 2004, he posted in the ORKUT BluesBR community asking for people to jam with. This started a series of Jams that are very popular today known as Rio ORKUT Blues Jams. More and more musicians continue to join the jams leading a primarily indoor event to be a well succeeded outdoor Jam.
In July, 2005 he was officially invited to join a band called The Mojo Society (www.mojosociety.com.br). The band has prime line musicians and is focused in Blues and southern rock besides several originals. His first gigs were the Itaipava Blues Festival that took place in Mistura Fina and the already famous Ibitipoca Blues Festival.
In 2006, Mojo Society recorded its first CD, Mojo Groove, with great acceptance from the specialized media. Since then, gigging is a constant activity.
Meanwhile, Big Alex assembled another Blues cover band called Miulhos Endrulhos. This band is more focused at the Blues Classics and has great public acceptance. Pure fun!
2008 has come and both bands are rockin’ pretty well!
* “Seresta” and “Samba-Canção” are popular regional Brazilian music styles usually played with a Classical acoustic guitar.
Hey, Big Alex, thanks for the kind words, you have a nice groove going as well.Nothing exotic in the amp department, just a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe!A good, tough amp for gigging.....Ken
Valeu,Big Blues Brother! Obrigado por tuas palavras, véio! Fiquei emocionado, mas não é isso tudo não, maluco! A propósito, assisti ao vídeo da jam no Néctar. Bons tempos, hein? You really got the blues, man!
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