Alexis Cole
Teaching is Creating
Called "one of the great voices of today," by Jonathan Schwartz, Alexis Cole has been compared to classic jazz singers such as Sarah Vaughan and Anita O'Day. She's performed with the Boston Pops and New York Philharmonic on stage at venues from Avery Fisher Hall to the Kennedy Center. She records for Motéma Music, Chesky Records, and Venus Records.
Her eleven recordings, which feature musical luminaries such as Fred Hersch, Eric Alexander, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Matt Wilson, have received high praise in the jazz press and are spun on radio world-wide. In addition to her many performances on great stages, Alexis can be seen at top jazz venues like Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, The Jazz Standard, Blues Alley, and Cotton Club, Tokyo. Cole is the recipient of a Swing Journal Gold Disk award, and was a winner of the NY Jazzmobile and Montreux Jazz Festival vocal competitions. Alexis is an alumnus of University of Miami, William Paterson University and Queens College.
As head of the jazz vocal program at SUNY Purchase College in New York, Alexis is always finding new ways to help students find their voice. With her unrelenting focus on tone and technique, and a driving passion for honesty and communication, Alexis is a demanding and compelling teacher for the singer who truly wishes to connect with their audience. She comes to the task with over ten years of technical training in western classical and also Indian classical vocal techniques, and a full understanding of jazz style and swing interpretation as well as theater training and years of performing. "Professor Cole is tough, in the best way," is a comment that encapsulates her work ethic.
Alexis is an in-demand performer, clinician, and recording artist. The New York Times called her voice "exquisite." For Alexis, teaching is part of the creative process. "Just like I would write a song or sing a line, working with my students to create their own authentic interpretations, is making art.”
