Alex Anest’s Electric Four

Alex Anest is a lifelong guitarist and musician who is fascinated with the endless possibilities of improvisation. He has been teaching, performing, and recording in the Southeast Michigan area since 1996. Over the years he has been a founding member of various jazz oriented groups including the Ann Arbor Guitar Trio and Nomad. Since 2018 he has played with Gayelynn McKinney in her McKinney Zone project, which won a Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Recording. Alex has studied with Miles Okazaki, Chris Buzzelli, Benny Green, Mark Kirschenmann, and Ellen Rowe. He has also appeared on over 30 albums, mostly recorded in Michigan. This latest iteration of his quartet features world class drummer Gayelynn McKinney, renowned organist Jim Alfredson, and Alex‘s musical brother, bassist and longtime musical collaborator John Sperendi. John and Alex have played in countless projects over two decades, most notably (from a jazz perspective) Giraffe and Never Nebula.

Alex Anest‘s Electric Four is dedicated to finding exciting repertoire for the group. Original tunes as well as works by the likes of Duke Pearson, Emily Remler, Ernie Krivda, and Herbie Hancock have found their way into the set list. The focus is on working together and connecting with the audience through improvisation, groove, and feel. Music should be fun to listen to as well as to play, and this trio is all about enjoying the music. This is a relatively new group made up of seasoned players:

Gayelynn McKinney – Drums

Jim Alfredson – Organ

John Sperendi – Bass