Alexander Doren Martin-Blanken 
(b.1975)

Alex was born on September 13, 1975 into a poor dysfunctional family in rural Jamaica. His parents were unable to care for him and at 9 months old he was rescued by a Dutch missionary nurse, who had arrived in Jamaica a year earlier to work amongst children.  He therefore grew up with a single, European mom right here in Jamaica.  Alex was born with a unique musical gift and later on he found out that his grandfather, who lived in London, played background music in pubs.

Childhood and teen years
From a very early age, Alex would easily hum songs that his ear caught. He began somewhat accurately to ‘finger’ tunes on the piano when he was 4 years old.  He then began weekly lessons with Mrs. Paulette Bellamy.  The official system of reading notes however, was frustrating for all involved: he himself, his teacher and his mother. Due to this difficulty, Alex would learn the item by heart in no time, then dutifully look at the book, adding a bit of variation here and there.  He was therefore not deemed ready for any piano exam.  This did not change until Alex started high school, when he met up with Jon Williams who at that time was a music teacher at Excelsior Community College.  Jon saw raw potential and took Alex under his wings as his protégé. 

Alex’s weekly lesson would take place during lunch break, with their schools being 1 mile apart and facilitated by Alex’s mom. During that short half hour, Jon would record the lesson and homework on cassette tape and Alex would go home and learn scales and progressions, all by ear. This approach was successful, and he made great strides.  He would then sit beside Jon, his teacher, at church and at other occasions, playing along with him and other musicians. In no time he was being asked to play on his own at occasions.

During his early teen years Alex was part of the Jamaican Circle Square Team, a Children’s ministry that developed in response to the weekly Canadian children’s program being aired on local TV. This group of 15 children were trained in song, dance and drama and would be asked to perform in various events and settings throughout the country.  They also travelled to Canada in 1988, where they performed at the TV studio of 100 Huntley Street, where Alex sang a solo.

During this time, Alex also did voice training with Mrs. Fay Ennever-Robotham, and mastered 4 levels of the UK Royal Schools of Music exams.
In 1991, Alex participated in the Oral Roberts Annual National High School Competition in Tulsa, USA. Thirty-four high schools and 1,300 participants competed. Alex represented his high school, Covenant Christian Academy.  He played Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’, which he had learnt by ear, under the training of Mrs. Dorothy Dwyer, a classical pianist in her own right. Though he lost points as the piece was too long, he came 5th in his category. 
Alex entered the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) annual national Festival competition in 1993 in the category of Classical & Semi-classical pieces (song), where he earned a silver and a bronze medal. 
To broaden his experience, Alex spent one year as an honorary student at Christian Fellowship School, Lakewood, CA, where he received weekly piano lessons from Lisa Downing, using both book and ear. 

Mid-90’s – Alex’s continued growth and development
On his return to Jamaica in 1994, Alex was determined to pursue his love for music. He took a Midi training course with Don McDowell to help him in his efforts to record music. Alex then began working fulltime with Jon Williams at his studio, Almond Productions.  He worked as an in-house producer/engineer and learnt to record for Radio and TV. During that time, Stella Lewis (a Jamaican jazz singer) relied on Alex to accompany her as she performed her wide variety of jazz songs. They would spend many hours together learning and perfecting, and then performing in Kingston hotels, to the delight of jazz lovers. 

1995 – 2015
During the next 15 years, Alex became a much-appreciated pianist and keyboard player, becoming involved in Father Ho Lung’s annual Theatre productions; played jazz with his own trio as well as with others; produced tracks for a wide variety of clients; did Jingles for Radio and TV, and performed regularly with the group ‘Touch of Elegance’ (Jon Williams and Paulette Bellamy).  

Alex’s main influencers are Jon Williams (Almond Productions) and Paulette Bellamy. They have instilled in him high standards and encouraged him in developing his unique talent.  Alex continues to work with both regularly, on specific assignments and shows.

Jon Williams A.C.R.M, Dip. R.C.M, A.R.S.M, L.R.S.M says of Alex: 
‘Alex’s abilities span many genres including Jazz, Reggae, Latin, Hip Hop, Gospel, Adult Contemporary and many other Caribbean, Latin and American styles.  His major strength is interpreting music according to the style and feel of the artiste. He has an extensive repertoire, ranging from Classical, Jazz and many of the pop songs. Alex would be an asset to the film industry, as he has an innate ability to capture emotions and translate these into sound and music’.

Paulette Bellamy O.D., ATCL, LTCL, LRSM, FTCL says: 
‘Alex is adaptable to different styles.  He knows my style and I can depend on him to give me what I want.  Alex is easy to work with.  His gift is like a seed, sown by God; and given opportunity, will continue to flourish’.

Film and Media
Over the years Alexander’s desire to compose for film and media has grown.  He admires and is influenced by John Williams, the famous US film composer of major movie productions. 

When asked by Jamaica’s Wayne Benjamin to compose the music for 3 consecutive short films, Alex was in his element. Wayne Benjamin says of him: 

“I have worked with Alexander Martin-Blanken on many film and TV projects, from TV shows, short films, international documentaries, to eSports features etc. Alex has proven to be a master of his art. He is perhaps the easiest person on my team I have worked with, with high professionalism and work ethic. I can easily vouch for Alexander as an asset to any musical project he undertakes or is a part of. See my website to peruse many of the projects we have worked on together: ‘The Lab Video Game TV’, 
‘I am African: The Year of Return’, 'The Croft’ and many others”.

Alex has composed Jingles for 1-800-Go Gaspro, Barita Investments Ltd, Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and the National Housing Trust (NHT) to name a few and currently continues to compose for Film and Media. 

Alex married in 1999 and the marriage produced 2 musically gifted children.  He works from his modest home studio in Kingston, Jamaica, and uses Logic Pro X (10.4.8) software. His motto remains: ‘Stay humble, and God will lift you up!’