Meet Alex Cazet | Saxophonist & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Cazet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
It has been a lifelong learning process and I’m sure it will continue to be that way. When you choose an artistic career, I think you have to accept that you are living to work, not so much working to live. Often the line gets blurred between what is “work” and what is “life,” so creating balance is challenging. I think I have gotten better at it with age. I now understand that self-care is actually part of my job. If I don’t take time for myself, my work suffers. So my quality of work depends on my quality of life. It can be tempting as an artist to just work all the time, and take every gig offer, because the work is fun… I find, though, that if I take on too much at once, there is a chance that the quality of each of my endeavors will suffer, so nowadays I try to take a step back and only take on as much work that I know I will be able to excel at. I do have high standards, and I believe in quality over quantity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Music is the discipline that I have spend the most time with. I started playing alto saxophone at age 11, and now at age 33 I am probably most known for playing the tenor sax. I have a rather eclectic musical background, and because of this I don’t feel like I fit neatly into one category or genre of music.

I first fell in love with jazz music, and got really invested in that throughout high school. I later studied classical saxophone at CU Boulder, and also developed a passion for electronic music during my time there. When I was a freshman in college I was introduced to the Ghanian artist Paa Kow and joined a west African/jazz fusion group which I performed with extracurricularly. I think that the diversity in my musical training comes through in my playing, and I think that now I am developing a voice on my instrument that I can be proud of.

I currently play with a number of bands playing original music. Mama Magnolia, an indie-soul band, Gold Leader, a groovy high-energy instrumental group, and Selasee, a reggae act with members from Ghana and the U.S., to name a few.

In 2020 I got seriously invested in electronic music composition and now I am beginning to experiment with performing that live as a solo act, along side my saxophone playing.

It has been a difficult journey partly because of how slow progress can be for an artist establishing themselves in a community and developing a product that other people find valuable. I have been on the verge of giving up numerous times. You have to pay your dues, to be sure. I have been gigging professionally since I was 19 years old, and started playing in bars before I could legally drink. As a freelancer I have had to learn how to work and get along with a very wide variety of human beings. I’ve learned it all by doing it, and I am proud of myself for that!

Things do slowly but surely get better if you stick with it. Last year my band Mama Magnolia recorded a full-length album, working with some incredible producers and engineers. We funded the album with a kickstarter campaign and raised enough money do do it justice. I am very proud of this work, and I think it serves as a beautiful marker of how far my career has come. It’s called “Dear Irvington,” if you would like to give it a spin.

I just want to keep growing as an artist and working with people who inspire me. I know that I have a lot more to say musically.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Great question! I would take them to see music at Red Rocks and the Mission Ballroom in Denver. We could go hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoy some french pastries at Jeannot’s Patisserie in Lafayette, which is the town I currently live in. I would invite them to my show on April 28th at Cervantes Ballroom to hear my band Gold Leader opening up for the funk band Orgone. I think we should also spend a couple days up in Steamboat, CO soaking in the hot springs.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ll dedicate this to my parents, Denys & Donna Cazet for their unwavering support of my creativity over the years.

Website: alexcazet.com

Instagram: instagram.com/alexcazetmusic

Facebook: facebook.com/alexcazetmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_EAKjkez7fPteTDqHJWBA

Image Credits
Grace Clark, Lauren Withrow, Charla Harvey