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Alex Nollan is an exciting jazz pianist, composer, and recording artist. Born in Memphis, he was steeped in the sounds and traditions of classical, rock, soul, and jazz from an early age. His music has earned international recognition, while his creative work and music activities are thriving. In 2020 Nollan’s composition “Obligatory” won a Top Ten award in the international Unsigned Only (UK) competition, and in 2024 the same song was a finalist in the Cannes, France Sync Awards.
An early band of Nollan’s, the SBA Ensemble, landed the 2007 Downbeat Magazine international award for Best Blues/Pop/Rock Band, performing and competing in Chicago, Orlando, and New Orleans. In high school and college Nollan immersed himself in both classical music and jazz. In July 2004 he was the personal guest of Alexandre Rachmaninoff, grandson of the famous composer-pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, at the Ravinia Music Festival in Chicago. To broaden his musical and cultural horizons, Nollan traveled internationally several times to Germany, Italy, and Russia.
Nollan has studied with Michael Jefry Stevens, Kate Stimson, Gerald Stephens, Stephen Lee, Tony Thomas, Donald Brown, and Bobby Lyle. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music in 2013.
He was accepted to the Jazz Studies program of the University of Tennessee, where he continued studying with Brown. Brown is the producer of his albums Stand (2019) and Mandatory (2023).
After his Master’s-level study at the University of Tennessee, Nollan relocated to Lubbock, TX to further develop his music activities in that state and on the Gulf Coast. He was based there for five years. During the Covid pandemic he formed a trio with drummer JT Paz and bassist Joe Phea called Jazz on the Grass, playing twice a month in outdoor settings. In Pensacola, FL he has performed with Steve Gilmore, Bob Maksymkow, and Jim Roebuck. After returning to Memphis in 2021, Nollan reintegrated himself into the Mid-South music scene.
In Spring 2023 Alex rehearsed the songs for his second album Mandatory in a septet. Recorded in Memphis, the album features Don Aliquo (saxophone), Neal Bowen (bass), Clifton Brady (saxophone), Charlton Johnson (electric guitar), Renardo Ward (drums), and Johnny Yancey (trumpet and flugelhorn). Mandatory was released in Fall 2023. Clips from both Stand and Mandatory are available on most streaming services. Alex’s current project is an Extended Play album, which will be finished in 2025. He is planning a tour of four southern states in the fall of 2025!
Winner of Multiple Awards
A Tale of Four Cities: Alex’s First Album
The Memphis-Lubbock Underground Trio
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