The Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet features composer/co-leader Alex Coke on woodwinds and composer/co-leader Carl Michel on guitar, Austin Symphony’s principal harpist Elaine Barber, Liminal Sound Series producer and composer Bob Hoffnar on pedal steel, first call jazz bassist Dr. James Suter, and popular Austin percussionist Carolyn Trowbridge on vibes.
This unique ensemble is an outgrowth of Coke and Barber’s popular weekly Driveway Concert Series that ran from April 2020 through June 2021 in response to music gigs and gatherings being curtailed as a result of the pandemic. The Monday night concerts made way for rehearsals, new composition/arrangements, and the formation of an unusual and very accomplished performing and recording ensemble.
The Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet has released two albums, “The Emissary (2021) and “EMERGENCE” (2023), that features original compositions along with unique arrangements of compositions by Paul Motian, John Coltrane, Hildegard, Leadbelly and Valentin Silvestrov. A third album will be released later in 2024.