Alec Spiegelman

I was born and grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. From my father’s record collection, I learned to hear and to love jazz from the thirties and forties. I learned clarinet in the music program at Susquehanna Township School District, from trumpet player Bill Perbetsky. He connected me with great reed players, Dave Godshall and Tom Strohman. I learned lots playing for years in a youth band led by trumpeter/composer Ronnie Waters. Then, I got a physics degree at Harvard College, near Boston. But, while there, I couldn’t help diverting myself with music on campus and around town. After school I stuck around Boston for a while, teaching lessons and playing weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, bars, brunches, parades, and so on. And during the same I started hitting the road with scrappy touring operations all around the US. I learned guitar and started writing songs in a band called Cuddle Magic. I moved to Brooklyn in 2009. I kept playing (many instruments), and singing, and got to back up Anais Mitchell, Iris Dement. I learned audio engineering and started making records, for Ana Egge, Taylor Ashton, the David Wax Museum, and others. I played winds (sax, clarinet, & flute, and even a little brass) on television scores, commercials, films, and many records.