Alvin L. Fisher

Profile Information:

What instrument do you play?

Flute

Who influenced you to listen to jazz

Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman

How did you find out about the WDCJN?

website

My Website

http://www.thealvinfisherband.com

Official Facebook Profile

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Alvin-Fisher-Band/236352306411891

Where are you located?

Upper Marlboro Maryland

Tell us about yourself

In 2005, while working his “day job” at XM Satellite Radio as Director of Information Technology, Alvin Fisher was invited by a host of his musical friends to strut his musical stuff and play his flute before hundreds of people on a popular Smooth Jazz Cruise. All but stealing the show from A-list headliners Norman Brown, Michael Manson, Bobby Lyle, Candy Dulfer, Nick Colionne and Brian Culbertson, the Washington, DC born and raised musician rediscovered the early musical dreams he set aside when he launched a successful 30-year career as an IT manager.

Focused full time on his musical career since leaving XM in 2010, Fisher is gearing up to book local and regional gigs, then hit the road with an exciting new band of top DC musicians, including his son, Alvin Fisher II (guitar), has played for The Howard University Rankin Chapel Sunday Services in Washington D.C., while in college he played lead guitar for the University of Maryland Gospel Choir, he is also an in demand studio session musician. Michael Hawkins (bass), a native of Washington, D.C. and born to a musical family, Michael played drums, electric guitar then focused on bass guitar as a teen. Michael has played in various R&B, jazz, rock and gospel groups all over the country Jon Lewis (drums) a fresh new face on the scene, Jon has been playing all styles of music from Jazz, R&B, Funk and Rock. Michael Brookins (keyboards) Brookins has been providing 25 Years of Music Ministry in Chicago and the Washington Metropolitan Areas. He has been engaged in Cross-Cultural Music Ministries which included Spanish and Haitian speaking congregations, while also involved in the formation of several local bands which play a Gospel/Jazz fusion style.

“The good part about taking my 30 year detour in the world of IT is that I can now afford to produce and record my own music,” he says. “The flute is a beautiful, melodic instrument that has been part of the pop and jazz landscape for many decades. When I studied music, I listened to people like Frank Wess, who introduced the flute in a jazz context in the 1940s. I played bass as a teenager but something brought me back to the flute. No one was more influential in my development than the great Herbie Mann.” He adds, “When I left after working 9 years as Director of the IT department at XM, I was asked to co-host a political show on one of the stations called ‘Make It Plain with Mark Thompson.’ I did a nice tribute on the air to Herbie during that time, based on his classic song ‘Memphis Underground.’ It’s such a privilege to pay homage to legends of the instrument like him and Bobbi Humphrey.” His earliest childhood musical inspirations include legends Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

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