Jamming at Trick Shots on April 16, 2009 with Tony Perrino on keyboards, Rob Beaulieu on guitar, Tom Pirozzi on bass, and Joe Pucci on drums
Photo by Don Wilcock
This page was last updated: November 11, 2011
Born in 1996 and gifted with perfect pitch, Jared Alpern has been called a musical prodigy by many.  When he started playing the piano at five years old, his innate skill of improvising was immediately apparent:  he'd learn a song as written and then start playing his own "jazzy version."  At the age of nine, Jared began wowing audiences in local cafes with his own versions of "Melissa" and other classics that he performed on his electric keyboard.  That same year, his dad, Matt Alpern, took him to see the Allman Brothers at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  Little did anyone know what a seed the Allman Brothers planted in Jared that day. . .
 
Jared was enthralled by the guitar wizardry and masterful improvisations of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.  His wish for his tenth birthday quickly switched from a new camera to a new guitar.  That wish came true and he soon began learning guitar basics from Jim Wilson of Parkway Music in Clifton Park, NY.
 
In April 2007, Jared began studying with Charlie Smith, the Albany-based blues guitar legend who has heated up the stage for acts including B.B. King, Roy Buchanan, and Led Zeppelin.  A big proponent of  "less is more," Charlie carefully schooled Jared in the art of making every note count.
 
In April 2009, Jared discovered a musical mentor to help him develop his piano, keyboard, and organ artistry and to teach him about all aspects of the music business:  Saratoga-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer Tony Perrino.  Tony is a true musical genius who collaborates regularly with Allman Brothers associates Dan Toler and Kristine Allman-Webb. 
 
In June 2010, Jared and Tony released All Conjured Up.  The album includes a song co-written by Jared and Tony, as well as contributions by Kristine Allman-Webb and local guitar great Joe Mele.  Click here to check out a review and listen to samples of this four-track CD.
 
In May 2011, the Jared Alpern Band gave its debut performance at the Linda Norris Auditorium in Albany.  A natural-born performer who possesses not an ounce of stage fright, Jared has also shared the stage with talented bands and artists including Killer B, Groovenomics, the Charlie Smith Blues Band, Right Coast Soul, Nite Train, E.B. Jeb, Tas Cru and The Slow Happy Boys, Matt Mirabile, Jeremy Walz, Chris Wroblewski, Tommy Love, and Deep Blue Storm.
 
Jared proudly participates in benefit concerts, including three fund-raising concerts for local musicians with medical issues, the Center for Disability Services Telethon which was televised on FOX-TV, and a benefit performance for The United Way.  Most recently, Jared performed at the Celebration of Life of David Frankie Toler, a drummer with the Allman Brothers Band, and donated money to the Toler family.  Both the Spotlight Newspapers and The Troy Record have featured full-length articles about Jared.
 
Jared performs using Gibson guitars with Fender amplifiers and Fulltone pedals.  He also plays one of the last Steinway Model B grand pianos built by the original Steinway-trained mastercrafters, and a vintage 1978 Hammond B200 organ with an HL-722 Leslie.
 
In addition to excelling in music, Jared also excels academically.  He is a high honor roll student entering tenth grade at Shaker High School in Latham, NY.  When he's not playing or listening to music, Jared researches, builds complex habitats, and cares for his other passions:  turtles and other aquatic animals.
 
With the Charlie Smith Blues Band at Savannah's
Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009
Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009
Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009
Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009
Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009
Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009
Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009Playing "Ramblin' Man" during the Center for Disability Services Telethon on Jan. 25, 2009
Photo by Jason Townley
Photo by Brandon Segal
Doing good at a benefit concert for Tony Perrino at Jay's Bar and Grill in Saratoga on Nov. 14, 2010
Photo by Jenn Newman