Jazz Articles about Eric Alexander

Eric Alexander: Don't Follow the Crowd

by Greg Simmons
May 22, 2011

The title of Eric Alexander's Don't Follow the Crowd is somewhat ironic, as it is one in a string of recordings, on the HighNote label, that have all been cast from the same mold. Alexander can be counted on to deliver well-crafted, straight-ahead jazz albums that may not break any new musical ground, but are beautifully played and impeccably recorded, with a selection of swinging blues and ballads. If, perhaps, a little more aggressively played than 2009's Revival ...

Eric Alexander: Mode for Mabes & Revival of the Fittest

by Marcia Hillman
March 6, 2010

Eric AlexanderMode for MabesDelmark2009 Eric AlexanderRevival of the FittestHighNote2009 Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander and pianist Harold Mabern first shared a bandstand in public during Alexander's senior year at William Paterson College when Mabern (one of his teachers) invited him to sit in at a local New Jersey club. It was not to be the ...

Eric Alexander: Eric Alexander Quartet: Chim Chim Cheree

by Sean Coughlin
February 14, 2010

Chim Chim Cheree has been dubbed “a tribute to John Coltrane." Returning with usual sidemen Harold Mabern at the piano, Joe Farnsworth on drums, and bassist John Webber, this album represents a thorough examination of Coltrane's music made up of Coltrane originals and tunes Coltrane ostensibly owned throughout his career. While George Coleman, Dexter Gordon, and Sonny Stitt are most often cited as the foremost influences on Alexander, Coltrane is clearly among them. Alexander's take on “You ...

Jackie Ryan: Doozy

by Larry Taylor
November 4, 2009

This two-CD set is vocalist Jackie Ryan's third recording and it's definitely a keeper. On the heels of her 2007 success, You And The Night And The Music (Open Art Productions), which landed on the charts, also appears destined for success.

With her clear, rich voice, Ryan undoubtedly has one of jazz's great vocal instruments--no low-note warble or reedy high notes for her and with a 3-1/2 octave range, she handles each song with aplomb. In addition, she has a ...

Be-Bop at the Bach with Eric Alexander's Quartet and Jackie Ryan, Half Moon Bay, CA

by Bill Leikam
May 30, 2009

Eric Alexander Quartet and Jackie RyanDouglas Beach HouseHalf Moon Bay, CaliforniaMay 10, 2009

Considered one of the top jazz tenor sax players of our time, Eric Alexander and his quartet laid down a heavy be-bop style show at the Douglas Beach House (aka Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society) in Half Moon Bay, California on May 10th 2009. Accompanying him were pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Michael Zisman, and drummer Akira Tana with featured jazz vocalist Jackie ...

The Eric Alexander Quartet: Prime Time

by Jack Bowers
April 13, 2009

Prime Time, another tour de force from tenor saxophone standout Eric Alexander, is one of those two-for-one packages that includes a DVD and CD so one can see as well as hear Alexander's quartet at work. While both components were recorded in concert in Asheville, NC, the CD / DVD performances aren't the same (unless they've been edited, as the playing times are entirely dissimilar). There is one song on the CD ("Some Other Time") that is not on the ...

Eric Alexander: Three Times Around the Block

by Jim Santella
December 6, 2008

Eric Alexander Quartet Prime Time HighNote Records 2008 Eric Alexander Quartet My Favorite Things Venus Records 2008 Eric Alexander Quartet Gentle Ballads III Venus Records 2008

Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, 40, made his debut at the Monk Competition in 1991. Since then, he's won the ...