2009 Alyo Award for

Outstanding Service to the Arts

Dee Alexander

The Board of Directors of Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago is pleased to honor Dee Alexander as the 2009 Alyo Awardee for Outstanding Service to the Arts.

Dee Alexander is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B, from Blues to Neo-Soul. Yet her true heart and soul are experienced in their purest form through her performance of Jazz music. From a soft, sultry traditional ballad, to a contemporary Jazz-Funk groove; from a high flying swing, to a scat-filled romp, Dee Alexander delivers each style with a passion and love of music that comes across in each and every note, and with a style and grace that is truly her own.

Besides being a phenomenal headliner in her own right, Dee has shared the stage with David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Roy Ayers, Joshua Redman, and the O’Jays. Not being one to ever feel that the spotlight has to belong exclusively to her, Ms. Alexander has lent her considerable talents as a backup vocalist to the live performances of an array of many other well known artists i.e., Michael Manson, Michael Bolton, Phil Perry, Willie Clayton, and Zora Young and also performs with Douglas Ewart’s Inventions and Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth and Harambee Projects.

Internationally, Ms. Alexander has performed at the 2009 Sons d’Hiver Festival in Paris France – Sirens of Song – Tribute to Nina/Dinah, 2008 United Nations Conference on Global Warming – Sirens of Song – Tribute to Nina/Dinah, 2008 INNtöne - Jazz am Bauernhof Diersbach Austria with Ari Brown Quartet, 2008 Sons d’Hiver Festival in Paris, France with Ernest Dawkins’ Chicago 12 and AACM’s Great Black Music Ensemble “2007 and 2006 Made in Chicago Festival” in Poznan, Poland with Inventions, Maggie Brown, Evolution Ensemble and Nicole Mitchell’s Harambee Project; 2006 Le Labbra Nude Jazz Festival with Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble in Rome, Italy; Banlieues Bleues Festival 2004 in Paris, France with Douglas Ewart and Trio Inventions. She has toured extensively in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and France with Sue Conway and the Victory Singers, and in Singapore and Holland with the Art Porter Quartet at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Showing a limitless versatility, Ms. Alexander has performed with Muntu Dance Company’s “African Swing” and “46664” stage productions. Dee has been featured on various commercial spots, including Alpo, McDonalds, Pert Plus, the Illinois State Lottery, Diet 7Up, Pillsbury, Buick LeSabre, Commonwealth Edison, Dove, and Amoco. Ms. Alexander’s television performances include WBBM Channel 2 2005 Portraits in Color; WTTW Channel 11Check Please; WTTW Channel 11Chicago Tonite with Phil Ponce; WTTW Going Home Gospel with Sue Conway and the Victory Singers featuring Patti LaBelle; WTTW Arts Across Illinois 2001 with Malachi Thompson’s Freebop Band; and Bernie Mac’s HBO “Midnight Mac” Special.

Dee’s partial discography includes featured vocals on Orbert Davis’ “Blue Notes”; Corky McClerkin’s “Island of Dreams”; R. Kelly’s “Tp-2.com”and “U Saved Me/Happy People”; Brian Culbertson’s “Secrets”; Malachi Thompson’s “47TH Street”, “Rising Daystar” and “Blue Jazz”; Lines and Spaces’ “Shades of Brown”, Dennis Winslett’s “Soul Journey”, “Dee Alexander Live at the Hothouse” and “Dee Alexander – Unplugged” and Rogueart 2008 Blissful. Dee’s performance on the title track to “47th Street” was also released on the 2 CD set “Delmark Records, 45 Years of Jazz and Blues” featuring some of the best recordings from the company's rich jazz history. Ms. Alexander has also received the 2007 Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz Award and 2008 Jazz Entertainer of the Year by the Chicago Music Awards and UIC CCSB’s Black History Makers. Ms. Alexander is also a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). In January 2009, Dee Alexander’s CD “Wild is The Wind” will be released on the BluJazz Label.

The Alyo Award began in 1986 in memory of Muntu’s first Artistic Director Alyo Tolbert.

Previous Alyo Award recipients include:

Alvin Alassane Jackson (2008)

Nancy McKeever (2007)

Emil Jones (2006)

Evod Magek (2005)

MaryE Young (2004)

Julian Swain (2003)

Ari Brown (2002)

Kelan Phil Cohran (2001)

Dr. Woodie T White, Jr (2000)

Amina J Dickerson & Lester Goodwin (1999)

Geraldine Dehaas (1998)

Diedre Dawson, Joan Gray, & Efe McWorter (1997)

Oscar Brown, Jr. (1996)

Darlene Blackburn (1995)

Abena Joan Brown (1994)

Gwendolyn Brooks (1993)

Tommy Gomez (1992)

Lucille Ellis (1991)

Dr. Ulysses Duke Jenkins (1990)

Dr Harold Pates (1989)

Jimmy Payne (1988)

Dr. Carol Adams (1987)

Milton Davis (1986)