Biography
Alexander Zonjic, a jazz flutist admired for his smooth playing style, has written and performed his own original material on solo albums beginning in the mid-1980s. Raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, he first became captivated by guitar and worked professionally in an R&B band while still a teenager. At age 21 he bought a flute on impulse, and within twelve months he had developed strong command of the instrument, soon earning a spot at the University of Windsor where he trained under the second flutist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Although he continued performing guitar in nightclubs for income, flute quickly became his central pursuit, guided by the examples of Hubert Laws and Herbie Mann. After finishing college, Zonjic appeared regularly at Detroit-area jazz clubs until one evening when keyboardist Bob James heard him play and immediately invited him to join his band, an offer Zonjic accepted.
Recording dates with Earl Klugh, Kirk Whalum, Harvey Mason, and Angela Bofill followed, as did concerts across Japan, England, the Philippines, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, plus engagements at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Apollo Theater. Solo albums have appeared since the late 1970s, among them the self-titled 1978 debut, 1982’s Elegant Evening, 1987’s Romance with You, 1988’s When Is It Real?, 1990’s Neon—a project uniting Bob James, Earl Klugh, vocalist Angela Bofill, and producer/saxophonist Kirk Whalum—and 1993’s Passion. Additional collaborations with early flute teacher Ervin Monroe yielded 1981’s The Classical Album, 1995’s Piper’s Holiday, and 1997’s Christmas and Night. Reach for the Sky arrived in 2001, Seldom Blues in 2004, and Doin’ the D in 2009. Zonjic also hosts a weekday morning program on Detroit’s WVMV-FM, Smooth Jazz V98.7, from 5:30 to 9:00 a.m.
Recording dates with Earl Klugh, Kirk Whalum, Harvey Mason, and Angela Bofill followed, as did concerts across Japan, England, the Philippines, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, plus engagements at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Apollo Theater. Solo albums have appeared since the late 1970s, among them the self-titled 1978 debut, 1982’s Elegant Evening, 1987’s Romance with You, 1988’s When Is It Real?, 1990’s Neon—a project uniting Bob James, Earl Klugh, vocalist Angela Bofill, and producer/saxophonist Kirk Whalum—and 1993’s Passion. Additional collaborations with early flute teacher Ervin Monroe yielded 1981’s The Classical Album, 1995’s Piper’s Holiday, and 1997’s Christmas and Night. Reach for the Sky arrived in 2001, Seldom Blues in 2004, and Doin’ the D in 2009. Zonjic also hosts a weekday morning program on Detroit’s WVMV-FM, Smooth Jazz V98.7, from 5:30 to 9:00 a.m.
Albums
Singles
