Eric Alexander Quartet
In Concert: Prime Time
High Note Records
By George W. Harris

Eric Alexander and his beefy tenor have been around for quite some time, yet he still hasn’t reached the top echelon of well-known musicians…yet. Hopefully, this one will put him over the threshold, as it’s a cooking little cd/dvd set of his band caught in concert. Cleverly, the cd and dvd are of two different performances, with the dvd having the band stretch out a tiny bit more than on the audio disc. Either way, the band cooks during its set of advanced hard bop/modal music.

Alexander has that classic Rollins/Gordon sound: big, full, macho and confident, and he uses it to fill the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC on this April 07 gig. Except for the reflective and pensive “Some Other Time,” which features the wondrous voicings of pianist David Hazeltine, all of the songs are originals, and they are all 92+ octane. “Blues Like” and “Pearls.” The rhythm section of Hazeltine, John Webber/b and Joe Farnsworth/dr is like the Run of the Bulls on “We All Love Eddie Harris” and “Little Lucas” building up chorus after chorus of momentum while Alexander’s tenor leads the charge like a Brahma bull. The band is currently on tour, and they are a must to see. Great music that will get the blood rising.