Alex Black

Alex Skolnick is a true guitar hero. At sixteen years old, he joined a group of twenty- somethings who'd formed a thrash metal band called Testament. Alex stayed with the band through five critically acclaimed albums and countless tours with, among others, Slayer, Megadeth, Judas Priest, and White Zombie. After hearing and seeing one of Miles Davis electric bands on TV, Alex relocated to New York City to play and study jazz.

Bass great Marcus Miller brings the influence of modern urban music to his trademark sound on his highly-anticipated, genre-defying new album Laid Black, which will be released June 1 on Blue Note Records. It’s been three years since Miller’s last album, Afrodeezia, which The New York Times called “vibrant and expressive… music that frames his playing beautifully.” Miller says: “Afrodeezia was like a musical voyage through my history. I followed the journey of my ancestors by collaborating with musicians along the African Slave route – musicians from West Africa, North Africa, South America and the Caribbean. With Laid Black, I decided to bring the music right up to the present - using elements from what’s happening in urban music today. So you’ll hear hip-hop, trap, soul, funk, R&B and jazz on this album.