For the last two decades, keyboardist Alex Bugnon has been a romantic yet energetic force on the contemporary jazz scene - an ambassador from the last days of the Quiet Storm in possession of chameleonic skills befitting him as a straight ahead jazz piano leader and soul as a sideman. Born and raised in beautiful Montreux, Switzerland, world famous for a jazz festival that has hosted thousands, Alex was pre-destined to be a jazz man. 

Bugnon studied at a music conservatory in Paris before coming to America to continue at Boston’s famed Berklee School of Music. He spent a lot of time playing not only jazz but gospel, gigging on that time-honored southern circuit. Upon graduation he moved to New York. After spending a year driving taxicabs and teaching French at the Berlitz School, he found initial work backing R&B stars such as Patti Austin & James Ingram, Melba Moore, Freddie Jackson and Keith Sweat. It was through backing Najee that he made the contact at then-new Orpheus Records where he recorded his first two CDs Love Season (1989) and Head Over Heels (1991), making his deepest first impressions with R&B audiences as a soulful instrumentalist du jour. Love Season earned him a Black Radio Exclusive Best new Jazz artist award. A switch to Sony’s Epic Records family yielded 107 Degrees in the Shade (1991) and another Soul Train Award. After the release of the best-selling This Time Around (1993), he jumped to RCA Records for Tales from the Bright Side (1995). From there he segued into the four albums he did for Narada Records, an associated label that specialized in smooth jazz and new age.

After recording his sixth thru ninth albums for the Narada label (2000’s As Promised, 2001’s Soul Purpose, 2003’s Southern Living and 2005’s Free), Alex knew his next move would not be another album along those lines. In 2007, he lucked out when Michael Cuscuna approached him to do a comprehensive Ultimate Alex Bugnon compilation – including something from every one of his albums and even allowing Alex a hand in approving and suggesting selections. The Ultimate Alex Bugnon was released on the Mosaic label. This bought him some crucial creative incubation time while also giving him something fresh to sell during his never-ending touring. 2008 brought a year of intense soul searching and led him to record and release Going Home ( 2010) under his own label, Xela Records, in a traditional sextet format, adding trumpet, saxophone and trombone to his trio, featuring drummer Poogie Bell and bassist Victor Bailey. Alex will release "HARLEM" this year (2013), his 12^th album and second on Xela.

Beyond his recordings, Alex has built a loyal fan base through constant touring on the club and jazz festival circuits. He has played Washington, D.C.’s Blues Alley for 17 consecutive Thanksgivings weekends, passing the great Dizzy Gillespie’s record of 12 times. He constantly practices piano, listen to and writes music. Alex lists Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Red Garland, Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, George Duke, Joe Sample and Keith Jarrett as his biggest influences.