Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Mr. Alvin revealed great promise as a musician at an early age. Moving to New York in 1983, Alvin became the first African American piano player to play for the Tony Award-winning production of “CATS” at the tender age of 16-years old. After a critically acclaimed 3-year run on Broadway, he returned to Houston and shortly thereafter earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Texas Southern University in Houston, the same prestigious program that produced Kirk Whalum, Yolanda Adams, and Lonnie Smith.
Alvin then embarked upon an international professional career, which allowed him to span the globe and share the stage with Jazz and R&B legends such as Ahmad Jamal, McCoy Tyner, Gerald Levert, and El Debarge. The philosophy of this man and his music is as simple as it is complex. He says, “In the scope of the inception of my music, my vision is based on love and passion.”
He poses the question, ”Why do what you do, without loving what you do?” He believes that he is… part of a generation that has placed passion apart from music. “But I believe that without passion and God – there is no music.”