The Musical Treasure of Maestra Alexander.
Who
is Wynne Alexander? A Phenomenon! A Rare Treasure.
written by Maximillien
de Lafayette, Paris, France. October 26, 2003
Rating: 


One
of the best CDs of the Year!
Valerie Constand got a copy
of Ms. Wynne Alexander’s
CD. She asked me to listen to it and tell her what I think. Humbly,
I am requesting Ms. Alexander forgiveness for not being familiar
with her work, music and songs. Valerie insisted and defenseless,
I succumbed to her wish. Apparently Valerie was impressed by
the talent of Ms. Alexander. So I ordered one espresso, got comfy
and began to listen to the music of Ms. Alexander.
Usually, critics give a compliment to
an artist when they state: “ You
feel as if she (any artist) is singing or playing just for you!” That
is fine. I did not feel that way upon listening to Ms. Alexander’s
music. Instead, I felt as if Wynne and I were playing the piano
and singing together for the whole world to hear us. I wanted
so much to melt in her music, presence, magical virtuosic hands
escapade, and be part of each of her whispers, murmurs, stormy
voice and delicately elegant musicality.
Wynne calls her music “Cosmopolitan Rock”. I call
it a rosary of glittering beads of virtuosity, warmth, elegance
and beauty. Human, very human. Celestial in its musical evocation,
yet down to earth and explosive in its delivery. Her style is
a bouquet of refined sophistication and a mad volcano of emotions
and daring intimacy. I have never seen Ms. Alexander performing
on stage. However, I have the precognitive feeling that this
lady will embellish, revolutionize, caress, mesmerize the stage…and
will run with it.
Wynne Alexander is powerful!
THE INNER PERSONA OF WYNNE ALEXANDER. WHO IS THIS
MYSTERIOUS WOMAN?
“
She has been compared to Cole Porter, Bonnie Raitt, Gershwin
and Marlene Dietrich, even got B. B .King's endorsement.” This
is what you see and what you read every time you log on any of
Ms. Alexander’s sites or any site posted by fans and music
executives or distributors. On the surface, this analogy appears
to be a compliment or a stamp of recognition caused by critics
and music lovers. To me, this is a banal cliché.
Ms. Alexander should not be compared to
anybody. This woman is multi-dimensional and marvelously innovative
in her music
interpretation, musicality illustration, deep enigmatic voice,
piano elegant performance imbibed with personal experience and
daring look at the universe which surrounds her and which expands
to absorb the unseen. A metaphoric visualization of her own world.
Wynne lives in her own world, a “somewhere dimension” which
is not accessible to “common depiction” of a standards
performer. Being an intelligent woman, a lyricist, a piano virtuosa,
an existentialist thinker throwing her shadow on the streets
of Philadelphia, this woman comes strong and powerful on the
piano bar scene and cabaret nightspots. Alexander is one of the
most intriguing, intellectual, intelligent, honest, realistic
and truthful performers in America. It does not matter whether
she is famous to the masses or unknown to inhabitants of world
music. This woman is a monument. She is powerful. Once, you feel
the depth, the substance and bitter reality of life in her songs,
you will realize that Ms. Alexander is larger than life and you
need to be part of her expanding universe. Alexander is not Jennifer
Lopez or a Las Vegas vain superstar. Alexander is a woman who
knew and experienced life. And this is why we go to cabaret.
She is “real life”. She is the real thing in motion,
in poesy, in delightful madness and in music.
Maestra Alexander wrote: “I exist in myself”,
she agrees, “I’m more unfettered than most, yet I
have to live with everyone’s opinions. I’ve heard
people say I write male. I’ve heard people say I play like
a black man. And that’s an enormous compliment, but what
I think they’re talking about is strength. You don’t
have to be male to be strong...I know how intrigued men and women
are when they watch me play. When I’m up at the piano-
'attack, attack, attack'-I give the lie to the myth that female
players aren't compellingly strong.” In her words, you
can feel the poesy, the intellectual revolution, the free-spirited
explosive woman, the poetess and the delightful sentimental anarchist.
You cannot
stereotype her music. For its escapes from your heart…flirts with your daring thoughts and wishes
you sweet dreams…Here music is larger than life…
But this anarchy is an infusion, explosion and reunion of the
mystic and the blaze, the dramatic and the real, the esthetic
and the pragmatic. It is a delightful artistic, half divine half
human anarchy and I want to be part of it.
You cannot define the style
of Wynne. She is already beyond dogmatic definitions. She has
already traversed the bridge
of musical epistemology. She is glittering on the top of the
hill, and those who are still searching for words and fancy phrases
to describe her art are left far behind. Usually, we listen to
a certain kind or genre of music in virtue of our emotional needs,
state of mind and or to create a mood to sink in, to sail in
and to live from within. With Maestra and Diva Alexander, the
mood is already set for you. And you sit for long time listening
to her, for her interpretation of music is unorthodox, complex
but not complicated, romantic but not out of style, tender but
not weak….and all of a sudden, waves of powerful strokes
of music and unconventional, powerful and progressive musicality
avalanches roll in your direction and take you by storm. This
woman is delightful and musically dangerous!
And you become totally taken by her avalanche
of inner feelings, exploding emotions, yet, the very sophisticated
and tender Wynne
Alexander is gently sitting besides you, emanating affection,
tenderness and warm friendship. So, don’t ask me how would
I define or label her style. She is too noble to be classified
and indexed under titles and labels. Her music is transcendental
in modernism, liberalism, conservatism, existentialism and romanticism.
Wynne’s CD is a treasure. A rare treasure.
I
discovered a practical diva. Back in her hometown, not on mountain
Olympus but, where
she came from,
they still call her
Wynne Alexander…
I love a lot of things about
this mesmerizing lady. Firstly, her music. Secondly, her way
of life, the way she thinks,
illustrates the world on her tragicomic canvas, on the stretched
field of her universe… Read this. This is what she wrote: “We
could be talking about Black Folks in America, Armenians in Turkey,
Turks in Germany, Muslims in Sri Lanka, Jews in Europe, or Gays
anywhere. We have numerous examples throughout the history of
mankind of a majority imposing its opinion and will on a 'smaller'
community. The majority sets the agenda, then labels and hails
the heroes. And so today someone says 'she's so good, she plays
like a man'-and tomorrow they'll just say-'she's so good.'
“You can’t look at a person and know anything,” says
Wynne Alexander with a smile. “there’s no successful
shorthand in this world. You’ve gotta’ find out
for yourself.”
Wynne Alexander |
Romantic? She is! A deep
thinker? Most certainly! Practical and understanding? Read
what she said: “My father used to talk about Rome before
it fell and the addle-pated, syphilitic generals who oversaw
the demise,” she laughs. “At WDAS I learned about
the reality of how good music gets on the air, which doesn’t
exist anymore. I worked at a very special place. There were
actually talented people who cared about what they played.
And in their way they were nurturing. A lot of acts- hundreds
and hundreds over the years- came through that radio station
getting the breaks they needed. So I saw what it’s supposed
to look like, when you really have big talent. Doors are supposed
to crack open for you. That big undeniable talent used to mean
something. And unfortunately, I understand that’s just
about dead almost everywhere."
Wynne made friends everywhere. Some of
her buddies are world celebrities, to name a few: Muhammed
Ali, B.B. King, Coretta
Scott King, etc…Did I forget to mention that Wynne Alexander
is a soaring voice for justice, human dignity and fairness?!
She is ! And all these honorable virtues come to life in her
music.
Final
Thoughts: Wynne Alexander’s
CD is a music treasure. A trilogy of human depth, innovative
musicality
and a captivating mood setter. Buy it. You will enjoy it for
years to come. Two thumbs up!
Written by Maximillien
de Lafayette, Paris, October 26, 2003
"And Paris so
loved the Alexander Angles, Maximillien de Lafayette
was inspired to do an extensive interview."

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