Search - Eric Alexander :: Solid!

Dream Quartet Plays Jazz At It's Best

jazz lover since 1960 | Tampa, Fl. and Franklin, NC | 12/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you don't think Eric Alexander is one of the shining lights of jazz, you haven't heard him. Hear him on this, or any of his fine recordings. What makes this recording special is not just Eric, but the rest of the group. The late John Hicks is, bar none, one of the handful of premier pianist of recent jazz. The rest of the group, George Mraz on bass and Idris Muhammad on drums, need no further praise. This CD has a great concept. It was near to the 50th Anniversary of Prestige records, and producer Todd Barkin researched the most popular compositions of the 1950's and 1960's. Included on this CD are tunes made famous by Jackie McLean, Miles, Sonny Clark, Sonny Rollins, Coltrane, etc. They are all performed with power and polish by Eric and John and George and Idris. "Four", "My Conception", "Little Melonie" , etc. all get 5 star readings by the group. If you can find a more exciting version of "Four", let me know. Joe Locke on vibes and Jim Rotondi on trumpet appear on a few numbers. They are frequent partners of Eric Alexander. If you like the rhythm section, hear their trio recordings(and read my reviews) under the name "Keystone Trio." Those recordings are "Newklear Music" and "Heartbeats",both worth obtaining for the fan of jazz trio music at it's best."