Alexander Zonjic

Jazz flutist Alexander Zonjic is known for his smooth playing style, in addition to composing and performing his own original songs on solo albums since the mid-'80s. As a youngster growing up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Zonjic was first enraptured by guitar, as he played professionally in a R&B band as a teenager. At the age of 21, Zonjic purchased a flute on a whim, and within a year had become quite proficient at the new instrument, leading soon after to a successful audition for the University of Windsor (where he studied with the second flutist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra). Although Zonjic continued to play guitar at nightclubs to make ends meet, flute soon became his main interest, influenced by the likes of Hubert Laws and Herbie Mann. After college graduation, Zonjic often played at jazz clubs in the Detroit area and one evening, renowned jazz keyboardist Bob James caught Zonjic's act, which led to an immediate invitation into his own band, which the young flutist accepted. Recording sessions with such jazz greats as Earl Klugh, Kirk Whalum, Harvey Mason, and Angela Bofill soon followed, as well as performances throughout the world, including Japan, England, Philippines, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, as well as appearances at some of the U.S.' most esteemed venues: Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Apollo Theater. Since the late '70s, Zonjic has been issuing solo albums, including such titles as 1978's self-titled debut, 1982's Elegant Evening, 1987's Romance with You, 1988's When Is It Real?, 1990's Neon (the latter a collaboration with Bob James, Earl Klugh, vocalist Angela Bofill, and producer/saxophonist Kirk Whalum), and 1993's Passion. Zonjic has also been part of different projects with his early flute mentor, Ervin Monroe: 1981's The Classical Album, 1995's Piper's Holiday, and 1997's Christmas and Night. In 2001, Zonjic released Reach for the Sky. He kept busy throughout the next decade releasing Seldom Blues in 2004 and Doin' the D in 2009. In addition to his recording and performing career, Zonjic has his own morning radio show on WVMV-FM, Smooth Jazz V98.7 in Detroit, which he hosts during the week from 5:30 to 9:00 in the morning. ~ Greg Prato