Since his move to Los Angeles from San Francisco in 2005, Alex Budman has been in heavy demand as a session musician and soloist, recording on a wide variety of albums, TV shows and movies. His command of the saxophone, clarinet and flute keeps him busy playing in the top tier of LA's musical community. Known for his jazz clarinet playing, Alex is included in Hal Leonard’s solo transcription collection Clarinet Omnibook. He can also be found playing lead alto sax in many of the top big bands in Los Angeles.

As a bandleader in the San Francisco Bay Area, Alex directed his 16-piece Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, playing more than 300 shows and recording two albums. The second, Instruments of Mass Pleasure, was released in 2005 to critical acclaim. In 2012, he and trombonist/composer Jeremy Levy released the Budman/Levy Orchestra's debut album From There to Here, featuring a top-flight group of young Los Angeles musicians, solos by Alex, and Jeremy's original compositions and arrangements. In 2017 they collaborated with vocalist/songwriter Spencer Day on his Angel City project, an album of originals about Southern California. Their most recent collaboration (under Jeremy’s name) The Planets: Reimagined, was nominated for a 2021 Grammy™ Award in the instrumental arranging category. Alex co-produced the album and is featured on lead alto sax.

TV credits include: The Simpsons, Glee, Family Guy, Arrested Development, Empire, Pushing Daisies, CSI, Animaniacs, Loony Tunes, Tiny Toons Looniversity, Aquaman, Be Cool Scooby Doo, Scorpion, Bob’s Burgers, The Middle, No Ordinary Family, Godfather of Harlem, Tangled, Warehouse 13, The Great North

Movie credits include: Minions, The Bob’s Burgers Movie, Burlesque, Get Hard, Luke Cage, Epic, Sing, Tower Heist, The SpongeBob Movie

On camera: Alex can easily be spotted in the iconic opening freeway scene of “La La Land” as well as background appearances in “Babylon” and TV shows “Perry Mason,” “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “Why Women Kill,” “Grotesquerie,” and “Mob City.” 

Performing/touring credits include: Christopher Cross, Barry Manilow, Danny Seraphine and CTA, Robby Krieger, Jamie Cullum, Boz Scaggs, Seth MacFarlane, Wendy and Lisa, Erykah Badu, Bettye Lavette, Wayne Brady, Melissa Etherage, Al Stewart, Engelbert Humperdinck, Liza Minnelli, Clare Fischer, Poncho Sanchez, Wayne Newton, The Funk Brothers, The Temptations, The Rascals, Cheap Trick, Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein, Ana Gasteyer, Jinkx Monsoon, Luann de Lesseps, Silvana Estrada, Glide Memorial Church, Pasadena Pops, Long Beach Pops, Glendale Pops, Budman/Levy Orchestra, Clare Fischer Big Band, Alan Chan Jazz Orchestra, Bernie Dresel’s BBB, Chris Walden Big Band, Pacific Jazz Orchestra, Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra, Geoff Stradling’s Stradband, Max Weinberg Big Band, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Dave Richards Big Band, Tim Davies Big Band.