tap/click for bioCarlton Alexander, known in musical circles as “Zanda,” has established a strong name in his native country of Trinidad and Tobago where he enjoys being a pan jazz piano player and steelpan arranger. Zanda’s musical genius was acknowledged at an early age. As a teenager, he was the pianist at his church as well as the musical coordinator for the Siparia Best Village Group, all before migrating to Canada to pursue his studies in architecture and design. Five years later, he was privileged to study under the world-renowned bebop legend and four-time Grammy Award winner, Barry Harris. In 1990, Zanda founded the Coalpot Band while living in Toronto, which served as the catalyst for other Canadian-based Caribbean jazz outfits such as Kalabash. Since 1995, he has continued the band in Trinidad using talented local musicians. Zanda is a much-sought-after jazz clinician lecturing on various topics ranging from steelpan awareness to the fundamentals of improvisation. Over the last thirty years, he has performed at jazz festivals in the Caribbean and in Canada.
Source: Jazz Artists on The Greens press kit
