About Alex Roddy

Picking up the clarinet at age 10, Roddy quickly fell in love with musical performance, which only heightened upon his discovery of jazz greats such as Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. In pursuance of higher education Roddy graduated from Texas State University with an undergraduate and master’s degree in jazz performance, receiving mentorship from both local and international greats such as his current mentor Joel Frahm, as well as Dr. Joey Colarusso and Dr. Russell Haight.

You can find Roddy playing a variety of sideman work such as jazz combos and big bands, Dixieland/early jazz ensembles on clarinet, Latin music ensembles, and Top 40s/Pop groups. This variety of work has developed Roddy into an versatile musician with the ability to fit any role required.

Outside of his work as a sideman, Roddy continues to work on his craft as a jazz musician and bandleader. He regularly works with his own small group within the local Central Texas area, providing high quality jazz that respects the traditions of bop and swing while continuing to push the boundaries of jazz into new sounds. Through his studies Roddy has crafted a sound that blends the technical tradition of bebop from the likes of Sonny Rollins and Johnny Griffin, the harmonic complexities of Thelonious Monk & Joe Henderson, and the artistic freedom and boundary pushing of Ornette Coleman.

Besides his goals as a performing musician, Roddy also has found importance in being an active educator. During his time as a graduate student, he had the opportunity to direct multiple ensembles, such as Texas State’s Jazz Lab Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Salsa Del Rio, as well as provide private lessons to students of various age levels in classical, jazz, and commercial music. Roddy continues to find fulfillment in education by providing private lessons and masterclasses to students and educational institutions of all levels and in a variety of styles.