New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



Alex Bugnon - WBGO Presents All That Jazz at Hamilton Stage

Saturday, April 19, 2025 @ 8:00pm



Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)
360 Hamilton Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065

WBGO presents All That Jazz, a unique series showcasing some of the genre’s most talented and respected performers! This month features smooth jazz pianist Alex Bugnon. This series is a partnership between UCPAC and Smooth Jazz NJ.

Enjoy an evening of smooth jazz, beginning in the WBGO Piano Lounge. Come early to enjoy cocktails and live piano music from the phenomenal Leonieke Scheuble on the Fazioli piano before the performance – doors open one hour before showtime.

About Alex Bugnon

Jazz pianist Alex Bugnon has been a prolific, energetic force on the contemporary music scenefor more than two decades. A renowned musician/composer/bandleader, Bugnon hales from the picturesque town of Montreux, Switzerland – site of the world famous Jazz Festival.  No doubt, the annual convergence in his hometown and in his own home, of some of music’s most illustrious names played a role in his decision to pursue a musical career, as did his early friendship with Herbie Hancock.  The fact that his uncle was the legendary Donald Byrd only served to further his decision.

Bugnon left Montreux to continue his training at a music conservatory in Paris before landing in Boston to further hone his skills at the famed Berklee School of Music. It was here in the U.S. that his exposure to a diversity of musical styles – from R&B to gospel and funk, began to shape and influence his personal sound. He toured the south playing with Gospel Leviticus and after graduation from Berklee, had the opportunity to play in bands backing R&B greats Patti Austin, James Ingram, Melba Moore, Freddie Jackson, and Keith Sweat. In between gigs he drove cabs and taught French at the Berlitz School as a means to support his musical career. But it would be his encounter with saxophonist Najee that would ultimately turn the tide for him.  Signed to Orpheus Records, Najee would make the introduction that would result in Alex’s first recording

contract.

His first album, Love Season (1989), with the fledgling record label, catapulted the virtual unknown to prominence and set him on his musical course.  The album rocketed to number 2 on the R&B charts and was nominated for best jazz album at the Soul Train Awards. In 1991, Alex released his second album for Orpheus, Head Over Heels, and like the first, it became a chart topper cementing his position as a radio and fan favorite on the R&B and smooth jazz circuit, earning him Black Radio Exclusive’s Best New Artist Award.

It was no coincidence that Alex was embraced by an R&B/soul audience; after all, his love of music was rooted in an appreciation and understanding of classic jazz and soul-based artists, from Memphis Slim and Bill Evans, to Herbie Hancock, Thelonius Monk, Art Blakey and Earth, Wind and Fire. This was his inspiration, and it easily translated into his own compositions and in his delivery of the standards.

In 1991, he parted ways with Orpheus Records and signed with Epic to record his award-winning third album, 107 Degrees in the Shade (1991) for which he received a Soul Train Award. He would release one more album under the Epic label, the bestselling, This Time Around (1993), before signing with RCA for Tales from the Bright Side (1995), before taking a five-year hiatus from recording.

As the new century began, Alex was also beginning anew. Signed to the Narada/EMI label he resurfaced, with the first of four albums for the label; As Promised (2000) followed by Soul Purpose (2001), Southern Living (2003) and Free (2005). Then in 2007, a chance meeting with award-winning producer and label founder, Michael Cuscuna, resulted in a comprehensive compilation album, The Ultimate Alex Bugnon, featuring cuts from each of his past recordings, and giving Alex a taste of what he had always been in search of – control. The Ultimate Alex Bugnon was released on Michael Cuscuna’s Mosaic label and provided Alex the time needed to give thought to his creative process and allowed him to return to what was important to him as an artist, as a composer and as a musician.

Bugnon continued touring, but used the in-between time to reflect and re-evaluate every aspect of his personal and career journey.  The result of this introspective period was his 2010 release, Going Home, recorded under his own label, Xela Records. The album incorporated a traditional sextet format, with trumpet, saxophone and trombone added to his trio, and featured old friends, drummer Poogie Bell and bassist Victor Bailey.

Over these past few decades, Alex Bugnon has built a strong and loyal fan base across the country and around the world.  His tour schedule has never eased, even besting the great Dizzy Gillespie’s record of appearances at Washington, D.C.’s Blues Alley.  He makes it a point of never missing a day of piano practice or of writing. If he is not composing, he is listening to his favorite artists and biggest influences: Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Red Garland, Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller and Keith Jarrett.

As the year comes to a close, Alex has released his 12th album – HARLEM, the second on Xela. HARLEM is a mix of original compositions and his personal take on beloved and well-known songs including the classic A Night in Tunisia, Curtis Mayfield’s Pusherman, Stevie Wonder’s Summer Soft and Burt Bacharach’s A House is Not a Home. Alex makes his home in the historic village of Harlem, New York, and maintains his connection to his beloved Montreux.




For information on how your event can be listed, click here



 

Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month,
click here for info

FEATURED EVENTS

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


OCC

OCC Jazz Band

Wednesday, May 07, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Hollywood

Hollywood Nights - A Tribute to Bob Seger

Thursday, May 08, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Kelli

Kelli Baker Band

Friday, May 09, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

OCC

OCC Faculty and Guest String Quartet

Friday, May 09, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Ocean County College, Gateway Lecture Hall (Building 101)
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Knuffle

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical

Saturday, May 10, 2025 @ 4:00pm
The Historic Palace Theatre
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJ 07857
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month,
click here for info


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

James

James Dalton presents "Harmonica Lesson: The Show" at Ocean County Library Long Beach Island Branch

(SURF CITY, NJ) -- Ocean County native James Dalton’s harmonica artistry takes him around the world, and each stop on the way creates memorable moments. Join James for stories from the road and learn some mouth harp magic during "Harmonica Lesson: The Show" at the Ocean County Library Long Beach Island Branch on Saturday, May 31, 2025. The event begins at 2:00pm.



The

The Newton Theatre presents Direct From Sweden - The Music of Abba

(NEWTON, NJ) -- Direct From Sweden - The Music of Abba comes to The Newton Theatre on Friday, September 5, 2025. Doors are at 7:00pm, showtime is 8:00pm.



Algonquin

Algonquin Arts Theatre's Annual Bash Brings Natural Wonder: The Ultimate Stevie Wonder Experience to the Stage on June 7th

(MANASQUAN, NJ) –- Algonquin Arts Theatre invites the community to its biggest fundraising celebration of the year—Algonquin's Motown Magic Bash—on Saturday, June 7, 2025, featuring two electrifying performances of Natural Wonder: The Ultimate Stevie Wonder Experience.



SOPAC

SOPAC Celebrates: Share the Love - A Fundraiser Celebrating Art, Community & Love

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) presents SOPAC Celebrates: Share the Love, a fundraising event that features Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend Darlene Love and celebrates the power of the arts as a medium to inspire, unite, and uplift local and global communities. On June 12, 2025, SOPAC Celebrates: Share the Love honors SOPAC's role as the cultural anchor of South Orange, Maplewood, and beyond, and reaffirms its commitment to presenting world-class performances, providing transformative arts education programming, and facilitating meaningful community connections.



New

New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra presents Our City, Our People, Our Music

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- On Friday, May 16, 2025, the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra presents Our City, Our People, Our Music at Nicholas Music Center. Come celebrate the rich musical tapestry of our area at this full orchestral concert highlighting local cultures. Showtime is 7:30pm.




 

Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month,
click here for info