• Fats Waller's Review

  • Evening With Alvin Waddles
    and Friends

ALVIN WADDLES

Pianist, singer, composer, director, Alvin Waddles began studying the piano at the age of eight in his hometown of Detroit. He continued his studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University Of Michigan School Of Music. After returning home to Detroit he immediately immersed himself in the rich musical culture of the city, benefiting from the diverse influences that would eventually shape his own unique style.
Mr. Waddles has worked in the Detroit and Ann Arbor Public Schools and currently serves as Musical Consultant/Musical Director for the Mount Vernon Public Schools, Performing Arts Dept in New York. He has also served as Music Ministries of several churches; among them, the historic New Bethel Baptist Church, Hartford Memorial Baptist and Hope United Methodist in Southfield, Michigan where he has served as the Director of Music since 1995
He has been musical director and/or pianist for numerous theatrical productions including: The Wiz, The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, Chorus Line, West Side Story, Sophisticated Ladies. He served for a decade as Musical Director for The Three Mo’ Tenors, aka Cook, Dixon & Young and their touring productions and recordings.

He received rave reviews as a featured performer in the Detroit Music Hall's long running production of Ain't Misbehavin'. During the 2010-2011 season his diverse gifts were on full display when, within a two week period, he sang the role of Crown for Bolling Green University's production of Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess' and played the composer's 'Rhapsody in Blue' with the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra.

Mr. Waddles has delighted Detroit music lovers with performances in a variety of musical events including the international Detroit Jazz Fest and the Detroit Festival of the Arts. He is the featured piano soloist in the often-sold-out annual productions of "Too Hot to Handel" in both Detroit and Chicago and can be found performing wherever music is celebrated from festivals to jazz clubs, and performing arts venues. Waddles received the 2010 Excellence Award from Detroit Musicians Association and the Detroit City Council's 2015 Spirit of Detroit Award. This year he was the 2018 Artist in Residence at the Tuba Bach Festival in west Michigan.

Mr. Waddles' engagements as a soloist and featured artist have taken him to a variety of destinations including Barbados, Beijing, Paris, Barcelona and Ghana, West Africa. He has been blessed to work with some of the world's finest musicians including Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, Brazeal Dennard, Minister Thomas Whitfield, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Placido Domingo, George Shirley, Marcus Belgrave, Jack Jones, Haley Westenra, Stephanie Mills and Tramaine Hawkins.

Alvin Waddles

Evening With
Alvin Waddles



Date to be Announced



Get ready for a truly unique concert experience conceived
and produced by a true Detroit Original, Alvin Waddles.
Classical, Opera, Jazz, Blues and Gospel.

Fats Waller's Review



Initially performed in 2004 to celebrate the centenary of Thomas "Fats" Waller's birth, Alvin Waddles' Fats Waller Review has continued, bypopular demand, to play to capacity crowds ever since. This tribute to the late, great 'King of Harlem Stride Pianists' features Mr. Waddles' signature pianism and rich baritone voice and draws from over 50 songs written and / or recorded by Fats Waller.

Audiences in Detroit, Chicago, New York and Dallas have delighted to hear such favorites as "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Feets Too Big" and "Handful of Keys" all performed with a wit and panache reminiscent of the legendary entertainer.

Gene Parker - saxophone, Alvin Waddles - piano, Djallo, Djakate - drums, Marion Hayden - bass.

Upcoming tours

  • January 19, 20

    Chicago, IL
    Auditorium Theater

    Show:
    Too Hot to Handel

    With Artists:

    Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke. Karen Marie Richardson, Marion Hayden, Dave Taylor and others


    January 26

    Detroit, MI
    Palmer Woods Music in Homes

    Show:
    Mardi Gras Celebration

    With Artists:

    Marion Hayden, Djallo Djakate and John Douglas


    February 5

    Detroit, MI
    Metropolitan United Methodist Church

    Show:
    African-American Month Music Series

    With Artists:

    Marion Hayden and Djallo Djakate


    June 14

    Detroit, MI
    DJF Jazz at DTE's Beacon Park

    Show:
    Bernstein Tribute

    With Artists:

    Marion Hayden, Dave Taylor, Shahida Nurullah


    June 21 - 23

    Big Rapids, MI


    Show:
    Tuba Bach Fundraiser

    With Artists:

    Alfreda Burke, Rodrick Dixon, Ed Mallett


    August 1

    Grosse Pointe, MI


    Show:
    Music On the Plaza

    With Artists:

    Djallo Djakate and Friends


    August 2 - 25

    Walled Lake, MI
    JET

    Show:
    Ain't Misbehavin'

    With Artist:

    Lauren LaStrada


Other Tribute Shows

Stay in Touch

  • Booking

    Alvin Waddles

    klavierkatt@alvinwaddles.com