Alex Hoffman just sort of fell into playing the tenor sax.
“An older kid was playing it and I though it was cool,” Hoffman said. Now the Churchill sophomore is one of a select group of students who will be playing in a jazz ensemble for Grammy nominees this week in New York.
The group, about 18 high school students, will play at several events through the week, including a reception for Grammy nominees on Saturday, and a show at the Apollo. “I’m excited about everywhere we’re playing,” Hoffman said.
They will then attend the award show on Sunday night. “Hopefully we’ll have some seats close to Britney Spears,” he said.
HOFFMAN IS no stranger to the type of large venues he’ll be playing in New York. Locally he’s played at the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley and the Smithsonian. Last summer he played at a reception for the International Olympic Committee when the district was making its bid to host the Olympics. In spite of his experience, the young man still has a bit of anxiety. “I still get stage fright. I guess you just have to keep playing,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman heard about the Grammy program from a friend who had done it last year. In order to be selected, Hoffman submitted an audition video of himself playing to the Grammy organization. He was required to play three songs. “I thought I’d do a variety,” he said. In addition to the required song, “Billies Bounce,” he played “Ceora” and “Night and Day.”
“It was a cool arrangement I had,” he said.
The program is open to high school students, and students may play in the ensemble more than once. “You’d just have to go through the audition process again,” Hoffman said.
HOFFMAN BEGAN his sax career about six years ago. He started playing in elementary school, and then took a few years off. “When he first started, it was just an instrument. … He wasn’t any kind of prodigy,” said Debbie Levy, Hoffman’s mother.
Then Hoffman heard some music by Charlie Parker.
“It totally changed what I thought about the sax,” Hoffman said.
He started playing more seriously – the 15-year-old practices two to four hours each day. “He had to ask for lessons for a year before I got him a private teacher. Then it turned out he was totally committed,” Levy said.
“I work with technical exercises, just like any other musician,” Hoffman said. But a lot of his practice involves just playing. “Practicing improv is kind of an oxymoron, but the more you do it, the better you get. The instrument becomes like your voice,” he said.
HE HAS OTHER interests, like reading Ray Bradbury’s novels and playing hockey, but the sax comes first. Last year, Hoffman injured his wrist in an ice hockey game and couldn’t play the sax for a while. “I wanted to concentrate really on the sax … I had to give up hockey,” he said.
His dedication is paying off.
“He’s immensely talented, combined with enthusiasm and a good work ethic,” said Paul Carr, Hoffman’s teacher. Carr has been teaching privately for about 20 years and puts Hoffman in the top five of his students. “Guys like Alex don’t come along very often,” Carr said.
For now, Hoffman’s future is still undecided. “I want to go to New York and play in clubs, but I still want to do well in school,” Hoffman said.