Search - Eric Alexander :: Man with a Horn

A great saxophone talent

Todd Ebert | Long Beach California | 03/06/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having heard good things about Eric Alexander and wanting to support working jazz musicians (as opposed to increasing my trane collection), I bought "man with a horn", and was not disappointed. First of all, I found the production quality of this recording outstanding, in that Eric's sax and the other musicians sound very clear. I was also surprised at how good Eric plays. He's definitely mastered his instrument and Coltrane, Henderson, and Stitt are obvious influences to his playing. The supporting cast of Burno, Farnsworth, and Walton also sound good, and the compositions I find enjoyable to listen to, with "Unsung Hero" and "GCCJ" being my favorites. On the other hand, I'm giving this recording 4 stars instead of 5 because I do not feel the music gets extended well enough beyond phrases and themes that I've already heard countless times in the past. And this is not to suggest that an acoustic jazz ensemble cannot say anything new or fresh, for I have heard quite a few fresh examples the past couple of years (Bobby Hutcherson's "Skyline" and "McCoy Tyner plays John Coltrane" come readily to mind, as does Andreas Pettersson's "Duke with a Gibson"). In closing, I do recommend this recording, but do not expect anything overly groundbreaking other than the possible discovery of yet another great saxophone player."

A Classic

T. Pencak | OC, CA | 10/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own 500 + jazz records. From old school to modern. I would say

this is one of my top five. Alexander is unique and very powerful

in his playing. Buy this one, then grab Dead Center!"