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Eric Alexander

Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. He started out on piano as a six-year-old, took up clarinet at nine, switched to alto sax when he was 12, and converted to tenor when jazz became his obsession during his one year at the University of Indiana, Bloomington (1986-87). At William Paterson College in New Jersey he advanced his studies under the tutelage of Harold Mabern, Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid, and others. "The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today," says Alexander. "Monk, Dizzy, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson—the legacy left by Bird and all the bebop pioneers, that language and that feel, that's the bread and butter of everything I do. George Coleman remains a big influence because of his very hip harmonic approach, and I'm still listening all the time to Coltrane because I feel that even in the wildest moments of his mid- to late-Sixties solos I can find these little kernels of melodic information and find ways to employ them in my own playing."

During the 1990s, after placing second behind Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, Alexander threw himself into the whirlwind life of a professional jazz musician. He played with organ trios on the South Side of Chicago, made his recording debut in 1991 with Charles Earland on Muse Records, and cut his first album as leader in 1992 (Straight Up for Delmark). More recordings followed for numerous labels, including Milestone and others, leading to 1997's Man with a Horn; the 1998 collaborative quartet session with George Mraz, John Hicks, and Idris Muhammad, Solid!; and, that same year, the first recording by One For All, Alexander's ongoing band with Jim Rotondi, Steve Davis, Joe Farnsworth, Peter Washington, and Dave Hazeltine.

Eric has appeared in many capacities on record, including leader, sideman, producer as well as composing a number of the tunes he records. By now, Alexander has lost count of how many albums feature his playing; he guesses 80 or 90. While he has garnered critical acclaim from every corner, what has mattered most has been to establish his own voice within the illustrious bop-based jazz tradition.

In 2004, Eric signed an exclusive contract with the New York-based independent jazz label, HighNote Records where he has amassed a considerable discography of critically-acclaimed recordings. Most recent among them is “Chicago Fire” HCD 7262, “The Real Thing” with Pat Martino HCD 7278 and “Second Impression” HCD 7296. Eric’s most recent HighNote release, “Song of No Regrets,”(HCD 7311) was featured in Downbeat’s “Hot Box”. He is currently working on a new recording project which will see commercial release in mid-2019.

Richard Baratta: Another Kind of Bird

Read "Another Kind of Bird" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
June 22, 2026

Charlie Parker's music has withstood every conceivable tribute. It has been copied, analyzed, celebrated, and occasionally embalmed by its own importance. Imagine the surprise at the release of drummer-percussionist Richard Baratta's Another Kind of Bird, which is not another museum-piece salute to Bird. Baratta and pianist-arranger Bill O'Connell treat Parker's compositions as living, breathing works capable of absorbing new colours, rhythms, and fresh perspectives without sacrificing their lineage. Baratta expands his customary sextet into a formidable, horn-driven ensemble ...

Album Review

Richard Baratta: Another Kind of Bird

Read "Another Kind of Bird" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 14, 2026

Even today, more than seventy years after his death at the young age of thirty-four, the legendary alto saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird" Parker remains incomparable, as a player and composer who almost singlehandedly changed the vocabulary of jazz, introducing revisions and concepts that have never worn thin or gone out of style. Simply put, no one had ever heard jazz played the way that Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke and a handful of others approached it in the early ...

Album Review

Nat Reeves: Now In Time

Read "Now In Time" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 17, 2026

As a gift for Nat Reeves' 70th birthday in May 2025, Ken Kitchings, owner of the Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, Connecticut, said he would underwrite a recording for the renowned bassist using whatever musicians Reeves chose to recruit. Having played and recorded with a who's who of jazz luminaries during his 50-plus-year career, Reeves knew exactly where to go and who to contact. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, a longtime colleague, was an obvious choice, as ...

Album Review

Bernie Senensky: Duos

by Pierre Giroux
April 22, 2026

Duos by Bernie Senensky is a record built on patience, craftsmanship, and the quiet confidence of musicians working together. It is a carefully arranged and well-executed set that highlights one of Canada's most respected pianists performing in a duo, accompanied only by a saxophone voice from a select group of notable North American saxophonists, where any wrong note or discord will be immediately noticeable. Since arriving in Toronto in 1968, Senensky has earned admiration from musicians for his exceptional tact, ...

Album Review

Frode Kjekstad Qrt: Stars Aligned

Read "Stars Aligned" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 11, 2026

Talented Norwegian guitarist Frode Kjekstad discovered jazz in his early teens through the bebop genius of Charlie Parker and the refined touch of Joe Pass. He started formal jazz guitar studies at fifteen and moved to Oslo in 1994, where he immersed himself in the local scene and performed with legends like Johnny Griffin, Frank Foster, and Diane Schuur as part of the acclaimed Sandvika Big Band. Today, he balances freelancing, composing, and teaching, releasing albums that fuse hard bop ...

Album Review

Harold Mabern: Afro Blue (10th Anniversary Edition)

Read "Afro Blue (10th Anniversary Edition)" reviewed by Bridget A. Arnwine

by Bridget A. Arnwine
January 28, 2026

Pianist Harold Mabern (1936-2019) was talented beyond measure. Though he never received the honor and distinction of the prestigious NEA Jazz Master designation, his music and the musicians who knew him tell a different story. That story unfolds beautifully throughout the 10th anniversary reissue of Mabern's 2015 recording, Afro Blue (Smoke Session Records). The newly remixed and remastered recording features performances from some of the most celebrated names in vocal jazz, including Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, ...

Album Review

Mike LeDonne's Groover Quartet: Turn It Up!: Live at the Sidedoor

Read "Turn It Up!: Live at the Sidedoor" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
October 25, 2025

For over twenty-five years, Mike LeDonne's Groover Quartet has been a shining example of consistency and authenticity in the organ-jazz scene. The latest double-disc release, Turn It Up!: Live at the Sidedoor, captures the group at two different moments in time: 2024 at the Sidedoor Jazz Club in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and 2004 at Vancouver's Cellar Jazz Club. These two recordings offer an intriguing glimpse into a band that has never aimed to reinvent itself, only to refine its sound, ...

Performance / Tour

Announcing A Heartfelt Tribute To Sonny Rollins In A Five-Night Concert Series At Upper Manhattan's Smoke Jazz Club, June 24-28

Source: AMT Public Relations
June 9, 2026

Celebrating Sonny: A Tribute to Sonny Rollins Featuring the Eric Alexander Quintet with special guest Nicholas Payton Wednesday—Sunday, June 24-28, 2026 Sets: 6:30pm + 8:30pm with additional 10:30pm (Friday-Saturday) SMOKE Jazz Club 2751 Broadway New York, NY Tix + Info: SMOKEjazz.com. Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone Nicholas Payton – trumpet David Kikoski – piano Alexander Claffy – bass Carl Allen – drums Sonny Rollins, the iconic “Saxophone Colossus," was one of the most influential and ...
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Performance / Tour

Eric Alexander shares many shades of bebop

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
April 7, 2017

Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander fully embraced the rich and vibrant sound of bebop in his formative years as a jazz player- and continues to help it evolve a quarter-century later. That was the takeaway after his Wednesday, April 5 appearance with the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra at Artis-Naples' Daniels Pavilion. Despite the big name, the band is actually a sextet. They explored a wide range of standard material, finding ways to add their own energetic stamp on it. In each ...
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Performance / Tour

Eric Alexander With The Jimmy Bruno Trio At Chris' Jazz Cafe On December 14 & 15, 2012

Source: All About Jazz
December 6, 2012

Chris' Jazz Café presents saxophonist Eric Alexander with the Jimmy Bruno Trio, Friday and Saturday December 14 & 15, 2012. Since placing second in 1991 to Joshua Redman in the Thelonious Monk Institute's saxophone competition, Alexander equally impressive on hard swinging numbers and romantic ballads has played on well over 100 albums featuring some of the biggest names in jazz. Alexander has been a frequent performer and guest artist at Chris', where has performed with Pat Martino, Bootsie Barnes, Larry ...
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Performance / Tour

Saxophonist Eric Alexander performing at Chris' Jazz Cafe in September

Source: All About Jazz
August 31, 2011

Saxophonist Eric Alexander will be performing on two separate occasions at Chris' Jazz Cafe in September. September 9, 2011, features the Eric Alexander Organ Trio with special guest, guitarist Jimmy Bruno. On September 20, 2011, Alexander performs with the Chris' Anniversary Show All Star Band, featuring: Eric Alexander— saxophone Bootsie Barnes— saxophone Larry McKenna— saxophone Tom Lawton— piano Lee Smith— bass Mickey Roker—drums Sets @ 8 & 10 PM
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Performance / Tour

A Dogged Performance by a True Pro

Source: JazzINK by Andrea Canter
May 30, 2011

It would have been disappointing if Eric Alexander had canceled his performance at the Artists Quarter last night. Disappointing, but perfectly understandable. In town for his almost annual Memorial Day Weekend 3-night stand, Eric was jogging in Lilydale Park when a lunging rotweiler (on a leash, no less) grabbed his left hand and wouldn't let go. As if the bite wasn't enough, Eric is allergic to dogs, and “swelled up" immediately. But there he was on the band stand Saturday ...
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174

Recording

Eric Alexander "Don't Follow the Crowd"

Source: Sound Insights by Doug Payne
May 12, 2011

If jazz today has a brand, then saxophonist Eric Alexander is its standards bearer. He upholds the tradition and champions the cause like no other instrumentalist from the contemporary jazz realm. Two decades and dozens of recordings into his career, Alexander has flourished while the power of many of his peers has faded, disappeared or proved to be nothing more than just imitative exuberance. Think about it. How many others in the current pool of so-called jazz players can claim ...
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Performance / Tour

Eric Alexander at Chris' Jazz Cafe, on February 11 & 12, 2011

Source: All About Jazz
February 5, 2011

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Performance / Tour

Eric Alexander at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Chris’ Jazz Café, on September 24 & 25, 2010

Source: All About Jazz
September 19, 2010

Chris' Jazz Café celebrates its 20th anniversary on September 24 and 25, 2010, with an all-star band featuring Eric Alexnader and Pete Bernstein.

20th Anniversary Band Eric Alexander—saxophone Bootise Barnes—saxophone Larry McKenna—saxophone Peter Bernstein—guitar Dan Kostelnik—organ Rodney Green—drums

September 24 and 25, 2010 Sets starting @ 8:00 PM Admission, Friday $20 per show, Saturday, $25 per show Chris' Jazz Cafe ...
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242

Radio

The Jazz Session #129: Eric Alexander

Source: Michael Ricci
December 30, 2009

163

Performance / Tour

Eric Alexander at Jazz Alley, May 12-13

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene
May 8, 2009

The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley presents tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander for two nights. Band members are Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone), David Hazeltine (piano) and Chuck Deardorf (bass) and Matt Jorgensen (drums). MAY 12 - 13, JAZZ ALLEY 2033 6th Avenue, Seattle Reservations: 206-441-9729 7:30pm, $22.50 Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. ...
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