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Eric Alexander


mrjazzman

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Big E.A. fan, bought every release since his first. Won't be buying his latest "Touching". Wasn't gentle ballads I, II, III and IV enough with the slow stuff. Very disappointing for latest release. Of course some of you will disagree, let's hear it..........Luv Long Tall Dexter on ballads..........

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I would say I was a big EA fan but somewhere along the line I realized that another EA recording had no marginal value over my existing EA collection.

Of course, YMMV

I agree with you Dan. But I was never a big fan to start off with. I saw his photo on some of those Earland CDs and wondered how on earth a teen looking like that could play a tenor sax. He was OK with Earland. And with Harold Mabern. Really, I acquired some of his stuff because of other people. Same as Joey DeFrancesco.

MG

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Eric Alexander is undoubtedly a very talented tenor saxophonist. The best thing that can be said about him is that he seems to be carving out a very nice living as a jazz musician. However, he will never be seen as being at the forefront of his generation by recording for record labels that focus on revivalism.

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If he's not at the forefront of his generation, who is?????????

There are other saxophonists of his generation that, while not as technically talented, are making music that is far more cutting edge and interesting to me. Let's face it, recording for labels like High Note, Criss Cross, Venus and Sharp Nine will not allow artists to take many chances. They prefer to recreate the glories of past successes.

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Gonna have to throw my agreement in on this one, though I admit I'm at a loss to think of many other saxophonists to come up at the same time (early/mid 90s-ish), besides the more obvious names like Josh Redman and Harry Allen.

Greg Osby, I guess.

Grant Stewart, for one

+1 for Grant. Nice guy too.

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Gonna have to throw my agreement in on this one, though I admit I'm at a loss to think of many other saxophonists to come up at the same time (early/mid 90s-ish), besides the more obvious names like Josh Redman and Harry Allen.

Greg Osby, I guess.

Karl Denson; sometimes he's a burnin' muthafucka, sometimes a useless git. Interesting.

Shelley Carroll? Not sure how long he's been around.

MG

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Maybe a victim of his own success in that he's had lots of releases, 35 or so listed at AllMusic and those are just his own dates. I've enjoyed the 6 or 7 dates of his that I've picked up. Would we agree that George Coleman is a major influence for Alexander? He's got about a dozen leader dates listed. I know Allmusic isn't comprehensive but you get the point.

A few guys from Alexander's generation I usually look for (mostly as sidemen) would be Tony Malaby, Chris Cheek, Seamus Blake, and Donnie McCaslin. Generally if i see a cd with any of those guys on it I am more likely to take a chance even if I don't know the leader. Same thing for Mark Shim although he's got a lot lower profile.

Edited by Tom in RI
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I too like McCaslin and Shim -- ran across the former in a Berklee classroom some 25 years ago and was impressed, told Gary Burton (then in some administrative position at the school) that he should check him out, and mirabile dictu McCaslin showed up a year or two later in Burton's band; have enjoyed the latter on record but was really knocked out when I heard him at the Jazz Gallery in NYC about 8 or 10 years ago in band led by Mark Helias with Herb Robertson and IIRC Craig Taborn, and Eric McPherson. That was some night. Anyone know what has Shim been up to?

Another very good one is Jason Rigby.

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Maybe these guys are a few years older

Tony Malaby for one

Ellery Eskelin for two

Not a huge Potter fan but he at least has dealt with post 1959 music

Saw the name Jason Rigby from Larry. Will be checking him out live this year hopefully soon.

From younger guys John Irabagon

Also Ingrid Laubrock

And for the only bop guys, take a listen before you well know....

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Shim had a couple of dates at The Jazz Gallery last year with some good bands. Another guy I need to see live. He is great as a very young man on a Hamiet Bluiett maple shade recording from the early 90's.

I've seen Mark Shim live a couple of times in the last few years. He's very good. He was with Onaje Alan Gumbs and the other time with Carlo DeRosa.

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Eric who? George Coleman you mean?

As for Donny Mc ... he was boring me to death last year with his uber-hip band (including Uri Caine, Tim Lefebvre and some ultra smart drummer whose name I don't remember). He was better when I saw the Dave Douglas Quintet (w/Caine, too, who was boring me to death that night). Ample talent, no direction. I guess he's a far better sideman than leader. His tunes in combination with his overtly virtuoso soloing (he had to play it ALL in not in each tune but in each chorus! ALL, dig? Nothing left!) were kind of unintentionally comic ... kind of like the tune is "Cold Duck Time" and then you get a Coltrane sheets-of-sound-solo ...

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Eric who? George Coleman you mean?

As for Donny Mc ... he was boring me to death last year with his uber-hip band (including Uri Caine, Tim Lefebvre and some ultra smart drummer whose name I don't remember). He was better when I saw the Dave Douglas Quintet (w/Caine, too, who was boring me to death that night). Ample talent, no direction. I guess he's a far better sideman than leader. His tunes in combination with his overtly virtuoso soloing (he had to play it ALL in not in each tune but in each chorus! ALL, dig? Nothing left!) were kind of unintentionally comic ... kind of like the tune is "Cold Duck Time" and then you get a Coltrane sheets-of-sound-solo ...

It could be worse, it could be a Coltrane 'sheets of sound' type of tune, and you get 'the Cold Duck Time' solo.....actually come to think of it, I think I've got a few of those types of albums.....and quite like them :D

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Someone needs to present the other point of view. I have heard most of the "so-called younger" tenor players mentioned above and don't care for any of them except for

Grant Stewart , Harry Allen and Eric Alexander and a very few recordings I have heard by Joshua Redman (not most of his output). They may not be breaking any new ground, but I am not looking for the newest, most innovative player.

We all have our musical taste, and clearly mine is very different from many who posted on this thread.

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Someone needs to present the other point of view. I have heard most of the "so-called younger" tenor players mentioned above and don't care for any of them except for

Grant Stewart , Harry Allen and Eric Alexander and a very few recordings I have heard by Joshua Redman (not most of his output). They may not be breaking any new ground, but I am not looking for the newest, most innovative player.

We all have our musical taste, and clearly mine is very different from many who posted on this thread.

Nobody's talking about seeking out the most groundbreaking modern day player just for the sake of it. For me, if I'm gonna listen to hard bop (or whatever) done the way it's supposed to be, I'm gonna pull out a recording from the golden days of the genre. I'm not gonna spend yet more money on a same old, same old recording not done nearly as well.

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