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Eric Alexander, Steve Davis, John Swana and the Philly All-Stars: Chris’ Jazz Cafe
by Victor L. Schermer
Eric Alexander, Steve Davis, John Swana and the Philly All-Stars Chris' Jazz Café Philadelphia, PA February 22, 2020 This first set on the second night of a two night stand with a packed house featured three superb and well-known hard bop masters backed by a local rhythm section called the Philly All-Stars (a young Joe Block on piano, seasoned and adaptable Mike Boone on bass, and much in demand Sonny Fortune alumnus ...
Continue ReadingIn The Moment
by David A. Orthmann
The trail of splendid hard bop influenced recordings extends well beyond the genre's heyday of the 1950s and '60s. A case in point is trumpeter John Swana's appropriately titled In The Moment. The 1996 release on the Criss Cross Jazz imprint merits the exalted status of its celebrated predecessors. Captured in a one-day studio session, despite the familiar stylistic lineage it sounds fresh, spontaneous and unsullied. A sextet of intrepid, strong-willed individuals fully commit themselves to a program of compelling ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander, Tristano and Nat Cole Centennials & Ellingtonia
by Marc Cohn
Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander appeared in Baton Rouge Tuesday, November 19th @ the Manship Theatre, downtown Baton Rouge. So we warmed you up for his visit with his trio and quartet work, as well as a sideman with Mike LeDonne on the B-3 and pianist Junior Mance (knee deep in the blues). There's also our last centennial feature for Lennie Tristano with Lee Konitz from 1949, a bit of Ellingtonia (new Bill Frisell and Rodney Whitaker as well as Duke ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Leap of Faith
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Acclaimed saxophonist Eric Alexander needs no special introduction. His pioneering work in the jazz world has been an inspiration to many of his peers since the early 90s. On this special chordless endeavour—featuring the chops of Doug Weiss on bass and drummer Jonathan Blake whose own recording in a very similar chordless constellation was likewise recently documented on the Giant Steps Arts label to high critical praise—Alexander makes a giant leap into somewhat uncharted territory for him and is rewarded ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Leap of Faith
by Jack Bowers
Renowned tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander's Leap of Faith stems in part from the decision (hesitantly made) to perform in a trio setting without piano—hardly an uncommon arrangement these days but one that Alexander, a shining light on the New York music scene for more than two decades, has rarely explored, either in live gigs or on more than forty-plus albums as leader of his own groups. Also, Leap of Faith was recorded live (no safety net) at New York City's ...
Continue ReadingHarold Mabern: The Iron Man: Live At Smoke
by Mike Jurkovic
Hard-bopping pianist Harold Mabern may have made his recording debut in 1959 with drummer Walter Perkins' quintet and led his first session in 1968 for Blue Note on the soulful A Few Miles From Memphis but here he is, at 82, playing with straight-ahead, youthful joie de vivre on the story telling, life affirming, two-disc set The Iron Man: Live at Smoke. Working as hard as ever with his long standing trio of tenor saxophonist and former student ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Song of No Regrets
by Peter J. Hoetjes
On Song of No Regrets, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander decides to keep things fresh with a Latin beat and a couple unexpected guests. Having worked so prolifically for so long (he's got more than 160 recordings to his name both solo and as a sideman), it's inevitable that Alexander would have more than a few preferred musicians to round out his rhythm section. Rather than sticking with Harold Mabern, who has been his pianist of choice during eight of his ...
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