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Eric Alexander: Dead Center
by Jack Bowers
Dead Center. What a marvelous title. If young tenor star Eric Alexander isn't “dead center" on his latest album for HighNote Records, it would take an especially sharp-eyed cat with a microscope to notice. Fact is, Alexander has been nailing the target with unerring accuracy for a number of years now, and people are starting to take heed. Not that it makes much difference to Alexander, a throwback to an earlier time when jazz musicians, eager to learn from any ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Dead Center
by John Kelman
Some albums take days, weeks, even months to record, and even then don't capture the essence of the artist. Not so with Dead Center by tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, who, while still in his mid-30s, is possessed of such self-assurance and pure intent that one day is all it takes to lay down and preserve everything that he is about. And while contemporaries like Joshua Redman and Chris Potter, fine players both, look for ways to push the tradition forward, ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Gentle Ballads
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
This CD offers classic fare from a well-oiled quartet. It's a satisfying sampler of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander's strong, burnished-copper tone, which is nicely balanced by pianist Mike LeDonne's elegant filigree. In a recent Downbeat interview, Alexander named Coleman Hawkins as a major influence because “he just puts the information on the plate, and more power to you if you can figure it out and make use of it for yourself." Alexander has a similar directness; even when he's blowing ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Nightlife In Tokyo
by Franz A. Matzner
"Nemesis," the opening track of Eric Alexander’s latest release, Nightlife in Tokyo, encapsulates within its twisting motif and exotic garb both the positive and negative qualities of the album. The motif is compelling, but only because it is so reminiscent of Coltrane tracks like “India” and “Naima.” The tune provides a utilitarian launching pad for Alexander’s skillful, well-developed, well-blown tenor improvisations, but fails to provide enough fuel to ignite truly burning runs. That said, it is certainly a well-crafted piece, ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Summit Meeting
by David A. Orthmann
A direct descendent of competitive, no nonsense titans such as Sonny Stitt and George Coleman, Eric Alexander plays the horn with a decidedly assertive temperament, as if he always has something to prove. Summit Meeting, his fourth release for Milestone, is arguably the tenor saxophonist’s finest recording as a leader in a prolific, decade-long career. No longer a series of brilliantly executed segments, his solos flow logically from beginning to end, exhibiting calculation and a quickness of mind that match ...
Continue ReadingOne For All: Live at Smoke, Volume 1
by David A. Orthmann
As anyone who frequents jazz clubs will attest, there are nights that live on in memory for years after the last note fades. Aside from basic details easily recalled (personnel, tunes, arrangements, etc.), what really matters is the way the music made us feel. On these rare occasions, the sounds were so potent that, for a time, nothing else mattered and all worldly concerns yielded to the happenings on stage. In search of another incredible experience, we keep coming back ...
Continue ReadingOne For All: Live at Smoke- Volume 1
by C. Andrew Hovan
Growing out of a weekly jam session that drummer Joe Farnsworth used to lead at a New York club called Augie’s, the hard bop ensemble One For All now encompasses a pool of leaders who still manage to get together and cultivate the kind of musical empathy that they’ve developed over the years. After two initial albums for the Sharp Nine label, the group jumped ship to Criss Cross Jazz where the majority of the guys cut records of their ...
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