In 2019 Neil Alexander & NAIL celebrated our 20th year in the music. Now in 2022 we are continuing our commitment to genre-smashing jazz-funk world fusion. We’re currently booking multiple shows for 2023. Check the Concert Calendar for updated info.
NAIL was originally formed in 1999 as a prog/punk outfit. With Dan Johnson on guitar, Keith Macksoud on bass and Scott Morehouse on drums, we played originals, covered King Crimson Tunes and featured extended improvisations. Over the next few years I sought to expand NAIL’s musical vocabulary to include Jazz, Electronica & Ambient music, which necessitated a change in lineup. The group continued to evolve, releasing our Ambient Jazz record “Galvanized” in 2003. We had our first foray into World beat in 2010. Then in 2012 I released my first solo piano CD, “Darn That Dream Solo Piano Vol. 1”. I put the band aside for two years and from 2012-2014 I travelled as a solo performer, playing in small venues and Farm Markets performing my transcription of Stravinsky’s “Rite Of Spring” (part of the “100 years of Spring” tour). After the tour I decided to get back to business. Our first show back was a stellar reunion set in April and an appearance at the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival in August of 2015. NAIL was back – and is once again thrilling audiences with high energy World Jazz Fusion with infectious grooves, catchy melodies and stunning musicianship.
And so we continue…
Listen to Neil Alexander & NAIL on SPOTIFY
Neil Alexander & NAIL FACEBOOK PAGE
Latest CD: “The Album That never Was”
Video Clip: “Time and Again”
About the Performers:
NAIL is a trio featuring Brian Mooney (Electric & acoustic bass), Nadav Snir-Zelniker (Drums & percussion) and Neil Alexander (Piano, Keyboards & Synthesizers). They almost exclusively perform as a quartet, with a variety of guest artists.
CORE GROUP
Brian Mooney – Bassist/composer/bandleader Brian Mooney founded the classic jazz rock fusion group Piktor’s Metamorphosis back in 2008 which is still active performing around North America. Brian also produced the first live album for Piktor’s Metamorphosis in 2011 which has received excellent reviews. Brian was also a member of the progressive rock group Advent performing on their 2015 3rd studio album release titled ‘Silent Sentinel’. Brian has performed live and/or in the studio and with many artists, most recently: Neil Alexandar & NAIL, Rob Paparozzi, Glenn Alexander Group (Jan Hammer/Stretch), Premik Russell Tubbs, Bernard Purdie, Ritchie “LaBamba” Rosenberg & Mark Pender (of the Conan O’Brien show), Shueh-li Ong, Monroe Quinn Trio, Marc Stasio Trio, Ray Levier Trio, and countless others.
Nadav Snir-Zelniker – Born in Israel in 1974, Nadav started playing drums at the age of 16. Soon he became involved with the local Israeli music scene, playing and recording with different Rock & Jazz artists. Throughout these years Nadav has absorbed elements and flavors of the local Mediterranean-music traditions. In 1999, after receiving several honorary scholarships, Nadav was able to move to the US and got his BFA degree in music-performance from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY-Purchase College. Soon after his arrival in New York, Nadav became highly involved with the local music scene. His versatility enabled him to perform & record with artists from different genres. Amongst the many artists Nadav has worked with are: Jon Faddis, Stella Mars, Arthur Lipner, Adam Rogers, Gene Perla, Ted Rosenthal, James Camack, Francois Moutin, Cameron Brown, Heather Cornell & Manhattan Tap, The Doug Ferony Show Band, Sal Scott & Gene Benson’s Big-Band, Dekel Bor Trio, MacTalla Mo’r, The Burr Johnson Band, Neil Alexander & NAIL, Herb Deutsch, Brian Dolzani, Debbie Friedman and Shirona.
Guitarists, Saxophonists and other have joined us on our journey. Here are a few…
Steven Frieder – Saxophonist Steven “Steve” Frieder is a New York native. Since graduating as the valedictorian of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 2013, he has built a reputation not only as a fierce jazz tenor-man, but also as a versatile musical artist in the Blues, Funk, Rock, Classical and free improvising musics. Steven has performed at the Bern Jazz Festival, Jack Kleinsinger’s Highlights in Jazz and with his own original quintet at the Metropolitan Room. He has toured Greece with NYC funk singer Milo Z, and recorded with Jon Burr, Jerome Jennings, Mike Eckroth, and Bob Meyer. In concert, Steven has played with Cameron Brown, Judy Silvano, Alvester Garnett, Bria Skonberg, Billy Mintz, Bob Magnuson, Jim Cammack, Milo Z, Armen Donelian and Marc Mommaas. Currently he is a member of Walker Adam’s psychedelic funk band, Telepathic Moondance and Neil Alexander’s NAIL.
Peter Furlan – is a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator whose striking originality is demonstrated on his Peter Furlan Project release “Between The Lines,“ and Peter Furlan – Spy Glass Hill.” In addition to leading The Peter Furlan Project and The Peter Furlan Trio & Quintet, he co-leads two groups with Neil Alexander – Mr. Gone and Le Jazz Electronique. He has performed and recorded with Terumasa Hino, Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Henderson, Thomas Chapin, Don Alias, Frank Foster, Brian Lynch, John Hart, Mike Richmond, Terry Silverlight, Cameron Brown, Steven Bernstein, Duane Eubanks, Vinnie Cutro, David Budway, Roger Rosenberg, Ratzo Harris, Richie Morales, Mahavishnu Project, The Temptations, 10,000 Maniacs, The Four Tops and many others. The diversity of these musical experiences inform Peter’s comprehensive and eclectic creative palette.
Monroe Quinn – Monroe began playing professionally at the age of thirteen as part of a musical family that included his father, Joe, a drummer, and his brother, Alan, an exceptional trumpeter, whose own big band would rehearse in their living room. The youngest Quinn fell in love with the guitar when he heard Andrés Segovia play Bach and Eddie Van Halen thrill with his masterpiece, Eruption. He studied for over ten years with jazz guitar great Remo Palmier, who recorded with well-known artists such as Charlie Parker and Barbra Streisand. In addition to his work as arranger, studio musician, and solo guitarist, Monroe is a member of The Alan Quinn Orchestra, The Cast of Beatlemania (portraying the role of George Harrison), and the traditional jazz ensemble, Dr. Dubious, for which Monroe plays tenor banjo and acoustic guitar. Neil & Monroe perform together in Piktor’s Metamorphosis, playing jazz fusion classics from the 70’s and 80’s.
Tour Dates
Have a listen:
“All music is crossover”, says Neil Alexander, a self-styled “Jazz Synthesist” and composer from Newburgh, NY. He knows what he’s talking about having played thousands of gigs in about every style in 30+ years of making music. Neil Alexander & NAIL breaks rules and brings many different styles and worlds together. A remarkable quartet now featuring Brian Mooney (bass), Nadav Zelniker (drums) and Steve Frieder (saxophones), NAIL is a hi tech blend of Jazz, Rock, Funk, Ambient and Electronica, fused together into a truly original sound. Originally formed in 1999 by Neil Alexander to satisfy his diverse musical tastes, NAIL continues to thrill audiences with their unique and infectious sound.
It’s hard to categorize what he does, but Neil ties it all together through jazz, the original melting pot of music. “Jazz borrows from everything it co-exists with, and spawns new styles constantly.” With his experience, which includes playing rock, jazz, blues, funk, electronica, ambient, classical, composing for Modern Dance and Avant Garde Theater as well as teaching Master Classes in music technology, Neil has built a formidable musical vocabulary. Neil Alexander & NAIL is a tight versatile unit, easily shifting and combining the aforementioned styles with fierce musicianship. At the core is an emphasis on improvisation and a solid foundation in Jazz. True lovers of jazz, improvisation and an exhilarating sensory experience seek them out, knowing they will shatter boundaries and test limits.
Listen to our latest CD and download it for free!
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