Howard Alden


Howard Vincent Alden is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. Alden has recorded many albums for Concord Records, including four with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps.

Early life

Howard Vincent Alden was born in Newport Beach, California, on October 17, 1958. He grew up in Huntington Beach, playing piano, harmonica, the four-string tenor guitar, and then four-string banjo at age ten. After hearing recordings of Barney Kessel, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and other jazz guitar greats, he got a six-string guitar and started teaching himself to play. As a teenager he played both instruments at venues in the Los Angeles area. He studied guitar with Jimmy Wyble when he was 16. In 1977–78 he studied jazz guitar at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood with Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, and Howard Roberts. At GIT he assisted Roberts in organizing and preparing curriculum materials. Alden then conducted some of his own classes at GIT.

Musical career

Alden made his first trip to the east coast in the summer of 1979, playing in a trio led by vibraphonist Red Norvo for three months at Resorts International in Atlantic City.
He moved to New York City in 1982 to play an extended engagement at the Café Carlyle with jazz pianist/songwriter Joe Bushkin. Soon afterwards, he was discovered by Joe Williams and Woody Herman. In 1983 he was already collaborating with Dick Hyman, when he appeared with him and a host of other musicians at Eubie Blake's one-hundredth birthday concert.
Alden formed the Alden-Barrett Quintet in 1985 with Dan Barrett, which played in the swing idiom, as he has done for most of his career. He also began partnerships with Ruby Braff, Kenny Davern and Jack Lesberg. He joined George Van Eps, innovator of the seven-string guitar, on tour and recorded albums with him, switching to the seven-string himself in 1992.
While in New York doing jazz guitar work, Alden sought out local trad jazz musicians to play tenor banjo with. He used banjo working with Dick Hyman, including a 1989 album of Harry Reser music. He also played in the New York Banjo Ensemble with Eddy Davis and Cynthia Sayer, and after moving to Arizona he performed and recorded with The Great Banjo Summit.

''Sweet and Lowdown''

Alden recorded the guitar performances for Sean Penn's character Emmet Ray in Woody Allen's 1999 film Sweet and Lowdown, and taught Penn how to mime the performances for the film. The score also featured Bucky Pizzarelli on rhythm guitar and arrangements by pianist Dick Hyman.
In 2015 Howard married dancer/costume designer Diane Garcia, and has happily made the southwest his home and base for their musical travels and adventures.

Awards

  • Best Emerging Guitar Talent, JazzTimes
  • Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, Down Beat
  • Guitar Player of the Year, American Guitar Museum
  • Top 75 Guitarists, ''Down Beat''

    Discography

As leader

  • Early Indications
  • Swing Street with Dan Barrett
  • Swinging into Prominence with Norris Turney, Jake Hanna
  • No Amps Allowed with Jack Lesberg
  • The Howard Alden Trio Plus Special Guests Ken Peplowski & Warren Vache
  • The ABQ Salutes Buck Clayton with Dan Barrett
  • Plays the Music of Harry Reser with Dick Hyman
  • Snowy Morning Blues
  • 13 Strings with George Van Eps
  • Misterioso
  • Hand-Crafted Swing with George Van Eps
  • Ken Peplowski and Howard Alden
  • Seven and Seven with George Van Eps
  • A Good Likeness
  • Your Story: The Music of Bill Evans with Frank Wess
  • Encore with Ken Peplowski
  • Concord Jazz Guitar Collective with Frank Vignola, Jimmy Bruno
  • Keepin' Time with George Van Eps
  • Take Your Pick
  • Full Circle with Jimmy Bruno, Joe Pass, Ray Brown
  • Love with Terrie Richards Alden
  • My Shining Hour
  • Soulmates with Butch Miles
  • In a Mellow Tone with Bucky Pizzarelli
  • Live in '95 with Dan Barrett
  • Live at Lewes with Geoff Simkins, Simon Woolf, Steve Brown
  • Pow-Wow with Ken Peplowski
  • I Remember Django
  • A Splendid Trio with Scott Hamilton, Frank Tate
  • Solo Guitar
  • The Happenings: Music of Herbie Nichols with Marty Krystall, Buell Neidlinger
  • ''The Great Banjo Summit and Other Things with Strings''

    As sideman or guest

With Ruby Braff
  • Me, Myself and I
  • Bravura Eloquence
  • Volume One
  • Volume Two
  • Cornet Chop Suey
  • As Time Goes By...
  • Braff Plays Wimbledon: First Set
  • Braff Plays Wimbledon: The Second Set
  • The Concord Jazz Heritage Series
  • Born to Play
  • Watch What Happens
With Kenny Davern
  • One Hour Tonight
  • I'll See You in My Dreams
  • Breezin' Along
  • The Jazz KENNection
With Barbara Lea
  • Hoagy's Children: Songs of Hoagy Carmichael Volume One
  • Hoagy's Children: Songs of Hoagy Carmichael Volume Two
  • Stardust Melody/Beloved and Rare Songs of Hoagy Carmichael
With Susannah McCorkle
  • I'll Take Romance
  • From Bessie to Brazil
  • Easy to Love: The Songs of Cole Porter
  • Someone to Watch Over Me: The Songs of George Gershwin
With Ken Peplowski
  • Sonny Side
  • Illuminations
  • Steppin' with Peps
  • Live at Ambassador Auditorium
  • It's a Lonesome Old Town
  • Grenadilla
  • Gypsy Lamento
With Flip Phillips
  • A Real Swinger
  • Try a Little Tenderness
  • Swing Is the Thing
  • Celebrates His 80th Birthday at the March of Jazz 1995
With Bucky Pizzarelli
  • A Portrait
  • Stringin' the Blues: A Tribute to Eddie Lang with Frank Vignola, Al Viola, Marty Grosz
  • Hot Club of 52nd Street with Johnny Frigo
With Randy Sandke
  • Calling All Cats
  • The Re-discovered Louis and Bix
  • The Music of Bob Haggart
  • Unconventional Wisdom
With Bobby Short
  • Swing That Music
  • How's Your Romance?
  • You're the Top: Love Songs of Cole Porter
With Warren Vaché Jr.
With others