Alvin Atkinson

Alvin Atkinson’s earliest exposure to music was gospel, learned in his family’s church, but once he discovered a Stan Getz and Elvin Jones album, he was hooked on jazz. He was fortunate to have the encouragement of the Marsalis brothers, putting him on a track that led to the Lincoln Center, the Drummer Hall of Fame in Vail, Colorado, the White House, and Jazz Ambassadors’ tours all over the world. Alvin Atkinson balances performing and touring with his group, The Sound Merchants, with teaching Jazz Language and Rhythm Studies at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy. Alvin last performed at the NCJF in 2019.