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About Eric Alexander

131

Album Review

Eric Alexander: It's All In The Game

Read "It's All In The Game" reviewed by Nic Jones

by Nic Jones
April 22, 2006

"I'm trying to have the whole horn sing clearly and relatively evenly," Eric Alexander says in a quote in the booklet notes which accompany It's All In The Game. There's ample evidence here of how successful he's been with that aim, but he neglects to mention that allying it with an exceptional level of invention within the idiom of the post bop mainstream makes for the kind of listening that is as much as anything else whatever jazz means in ...

357

Album Review

Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring: The Battle - Live at Smoke

Read "The Battle - Live at Smoke" reviewed by Alain Londes

by Alain Londes
March 11, 2006

Without a doubt, Eric Alexander is one of the most hardworking and serious young tenor saxophone players out there. To see him perform live is to witness technical fluency combined with up-tempo and hard boppin' intensity. This recording, taped live at Smoke in New York, finds him joined by the equally talented Vincent Herring on alto sax. The first track sets the stage for the whole session. “Blues Up And Down is the classic stomping blues showcased ...

226

Album Review

Anthony Wonsey: The Thang

Read "The Thang" reviewed by Mark F. Turner

by Mark F. Turner
March 7, 2006

Anthony Wonsey's latest disc finds the pianist coming into his own creative voice. Wonsey has been at the center of some very notable works over the past few years, including recordings by trumpeter Nicholas Payton, songstress Carmen Lundy and others. The Thang, his fifth disc as a leader, continues in the straight-ahead format of his label, Sharp Nine Records. While others artists his age are dabbling in freer modes, make no mistake that Wonsey is a skilled artisan who plays ...

133

Album Review

Eric Alexander: Dead Center

Read "Dead Center" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
November 28, 2004

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 ...

198

Album Review

Eric Alexander: Dead Center

Read "Dead Center" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
October 1, 2004

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, ...

292

Album Review

Eric Alexander: Gentle Ballads

Read "Gentle Ballads" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
September 25, 2004

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 ...

253

Album Review

Eric Alexander: Nightlife In Tokyo

Read "Nightlife In Tokyo" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner

by Franz A. Matzner
October 5, 2003

"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, ...