Caribbean music was the last thing on Joe Alert’s mind as he grew up playing music on his saxophone.
Joe was born in the Grenadines, of St. Vincent in the Grenadines. His family moved to England when he was a small child. His whole family was musical. His father was a musician, and he recalls being a young child, playing with toy instruments with his four other brothers.
While England was a tough environment for a young black child navigating their way in the world, Joe still remembers the country fondly. He recalls fun times playing with his brothers, enjoying his tight knit family, and most importantly, playing music. “We’ve always loved music,” he said.
Alert originally wanted to play the bass, but his father encouraged him to pick up the saxophone, claiming the bass was, “too easy.” He practiced all the time, and that laid the foundation for his music career in the UK, and later, the United States.
When he was a teenager, he and his brother started a band known as the Alert Brothers. They played original songs, but after getting an agent, they renamed themselves, Galaxy, and began performing cover songs.
The band was wildly popular. While the brothers had a great time on the road with each other, Joe wishes they went a different direction – playing their original songs and perhaps, even going to London to tour in a big city.
Galaxy still had great success, opening for bands such as Heat Wave, and even Kool and the Gang. They toured all over England and Scotland, playing for big crowds.
Galaxy played funk and R&B. One of the first songs Joe wrote was called “Funky Soul 50.” But when Joe moved to the United States, he played with C. Joe of C. Joe and the Caribbean All-Stars, and his world expanded.
Joe remembers all the times he played music with his brothers. They pushed each other to play better, and when someone improved, they would all rise to the occasion and improve themselves.
His work ethic cam in handy under the instruction of C. Joe. He learned to practice scales, cords, and sight read music. They would practice into the late hours of the night, playing jazz, r&b, and of course – Caribbean music.
When C. Joe retired, Alert went on to play with Lambert and the Matadors, a popular Caribbean band in the US. When stars from the Caribbean came to the United States to play shows, they would book the band to back them up. “I got to meet quite a lot of them,” said Alert, “it was a nice experience.”
With C. Joe, and later, the Lambert band, he learned to play all different kinds of music, ranging from Spanish songs, to calypso, to African music. While funk music will always be his favorite genre, Alert will never take the opportunity to play with a band for granted. “You get to know each other… you develop the sound. Anyone can hear that sound and know who’s playing. That was great.”
While the Lambert band has disbanded, Alert still plays music. In his home studio, he plays and records music, even sharing it with his brother in England. “Just play it,” he said, “and let your mind wander. Explore, it’s like the universe.”
