The saxophone - it's considered by many to be music's sexiest instrument. Its versatile sound, so like a great singer's voice — sweetly seductive one moment, growling and blustery the next — has become virtually synonymous with the entire genre of jazz. Saxophone prodigy Alex Laurenzi performs original compositions and jazz standards with the legendary Lew Del Gatto and his band. You will not want to miss this concert as different generations of jazz come together in Naples!

Alex Laurenzi is a saxophonist and composer from Mountain Lakes, NJ. He grew up listening to classical and pop music played and sung in his house, but after beginning alto saxophone at the age of 9, he quickly found his way to jazz. A current student of African-American history at Princeton University, he has performed with major artists, including Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Archie Shepp, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Gerald Clayton, Walter Smith III, Danilo Perez, Billy Childs, Joe Lovano, Andra Day, David Sanborn, Wycliffe Gordon, Jose James, Al Jarreau, Sheila E. and many more. He was a member of the Jazz House Kids program for six years and the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Jazz Program for three years. Alex was a member of the 2015 Grammy Jazz Session Big Band, the award-winning Jazz House Kids Big Band for three years, and toured Peru in April 2016 with a select group from Jazz House Kids on behalf of the U.S. Embassy. His awards include two Downbeat Student Soloist Awards, 2016 for High School Best Soloist and 2013 for Junior High School Best Soloist, two honorable mentions from YoungArts Foundation, and two soloist awards from the Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival. He has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Lima Jazz Festival, Somerville Jazz Festival, Montclair Jazz Festival and many other venues in the Tri-State Area, both with his own groups and as a member of various bands. Alex spent this past summer traveling around Europe, first composing in northern Italy and then both performing and studying the history of jazz in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Paris. Leading his own groups since he was 14, Alex is focused currently on composing and performing original music. He sees his compositions as observations and reflections of both the musical and non-musical worlds around him. Incorporating his love for jazz, pop, rhythm and blues, and classical music into his compositions and improvisation, he strives to present honest music that emotionally connects with his audience.