Typhanie Monique and Neal Alger have formed a musical partnership that is organic and based on groove. In the five years that the duo has performed together, they've developed a repertoire that reflects their love for jazz standards, the rock and pop music they grew up with, and most importantly, R&B/Soul music, the flavor of which underlies every song the duo performs. Familiar tunes are recast with fresh arrangements while obscure gems are dusted off and brought to life again. A typical set by the duo might include "Riders On The Storm" by the Doors, the jazz classic "Song For My Father", and an original composition with a hip-hop flavor titled "I Don't Care". This kind of stylistic breadth has given the duo visibility beyond the conventional jazz audience and an appeal that crosses over to listeners of other genres of music. The vibrant and creative music made by the duo of Typhanie Monique and Neal Alger is truly intrinsic -- experience it on their debut release INTRINSIC.
TYPHANIE MONIQUE has established herself as a respected self-producing vocalist, songwriter and manager, immersing her talent in various genres including R&B, funk, acid-jazz, hip-hop, gospel, house and her true love, jazz. Over the past 7 years, she has fronted many successful projects; Peking Turtle, SUMO, T. Monique Quartet and lead vox for Mr. Egg Germ. A founding member of the band Peking Turtle, Monique sang lead, managed, and was the primary songwriter for the group. The release of their two albums, "Crossing" and "Airtite" brought them local as well as national success.
Although she focused her attention on Peking Turtle from '98 'til '02 Typhanie continued to sing/write with various projects. With Rick Gehrenbeck of Poi Dog Pondering, she continues to co-write and record house singles under the name "Mr. Egg Germ", which have been released on Love Slap, Fourplay and their latest release Bring me Love on EsNtion Records. Typhanie was also a proud member of the staple Chicago improv jam band, SUMO. Typhanie continued to grow as a jazz artist over the years performing with her jazz group, The T. Monique Quartet. Typhanie hired Neal for a gig with the quartet, and the rest is history.
Typhanie remains active recording jingles, hip-hop tracks and original soul music. She teaches Jazz Vocal classes at the highly acclaimed Old Town School of Folk Music.
NEAL ALGER has freelanced as a guitarist in the Chicagoland area for ten years. His jazz credentials include performances with Lin Halliday, Ed Thigpen, Howard Levy, and Fareed Haque. Neal's versatility has enabled him to play classic rock covers with Cast Iron Skillet, R&B/Soul with vocalist KFox (DefSoul records), and 20th-century classical music with HardArt Groop. Neal toured West Africa in 1999 as a Jazz Ambassador through a cultural exchange program sponsored by the State Department and the U.S. Government. Most notably, Neal has recorded and toured the U.S., Europe, and Canada with Blue Note recording artist Patricia Barber and is featured on her newest release "Mythologies." As if his sideman activities weren't enough, Neal has released a CD under his own name featuring his original compositions titled, "Here and Now, Then and Before".
