Tenor and soprano saxophonist Alec Haavik, from New York City, performs internationally in a broad array of jazz and creative improvisation groups. He has performed or recorded with Jane Monheit, Ronnie Burrage, Daniel Carter, Taro Koyama, Gregory Hutchinson, Shoko Nagai, and Eric Harland, among many others. In New York City, Alec has appeared in such key venues as the Iridium Jazz Club, Detour, the 55 Bar, the Knitting Factory, and Cleopatra's Needle.
Currently based in Shanghai, China, Alec performs his original jazz-rock music every Tuesday at JZ Club with his band Friction Five, comprising an international roster of some of the finest musicians from around the world who are now based in Shanghai.
Alec Haavik Friction Five performed in 2006 Fuxing International Jazz Festival, a major event in jazz in China, which was headlined by Miles Davis' protégé Wallace Roney. They also performed in the 2007 Jazzy Shanghai Week, as well as a performance at 1918 ArtSpace as part of the JazzArt concert series. Most recently, Alec Haavik Friction Five played a spectacular opening set for Chinese pop star Xu Wei.
After his May, 2005 appearance at The Riverside in Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan Fun Magazine described him as, "ripping up the place with some experimental, funky and hot jazz with a rock bent." He has also performed at such top Taipei venues as the The Blue Note, Brown Sugar, and Club 75 -- often with local legends Roberto Zayas and Xiao Bai. In Seoul, Korea, Alec has appeared in such locales as Club Evans, Once In a Blue Moon, and All That Jazz. In 2005, Alec traveled to Tokyo, performing at the highly-regarded jazz club, Ginza Swing, with the Junko Moriya Sextet, featuring Osamu Koike.
Alec completed his Master's Degree at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Dick Oatts and Mark Turner. He has also studied with Ralph Bowen, Dave Tofani and George Garzone.
Alec's first CD as bandleader, "Rocks," showcases his original compositions in a style he calls "jazz with a rock-and-roll edge." The CD blends the styles of Led Zeppelin, Steve Lacy, and John Coltrane and is orchestrated for a quintet featuring two electric guitarists. Alec Haavik Friction Five's new CD, "Ye Shanghai" will be released in January, 2008.
Photo Credit: Background image and Profile image: photos copyright Alice Jagtman.
