Eric Alexander Quartet – Gentle Ballads II (SACD single layer)

American musician Eric Wells Alexander began playing piano, clarinet, and (at age twelve) alto saxophone, but switched to tenor saxophone while studying at Indiana University and, after classical training, to jazz. He continued his studies at William Paterson College in New Jersey with Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid and pianist Harold Mabern. In 1991, he came second in the Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition behind superstar Joshua Redman and made his first recordings with Charles Earland on Muse Records in the same year. Today, he is considered one of the best tenor saxophonists of his generation and has long been represented by Venus Records with numerous albums. The 2004 album “Gentle Ballads”, which Allmusic compared to Coltrane’s Ballads LP from the early 1960s, was so successful that it spawned a whole series with changing line-ups.

“Gentle Ballads II” was recorded in 2006 with exactly the same line-up that made the first album so famous: Mike LeDonne on piano, John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Alexander’s powerful and extremely expressive tone has also remained, as has the varied program that envelops the listener in wonderful evening sounds.

Venus Records was founded in 1992 by Tetsuo Hara, who had previously worked as a producer for RCA Victor. The label uses a special mastering process called “Hyper Magnum Sound” – also for the limited Japan only SACD (DSD, Non-Hybrid) of “Gentle Ballads II”. This special mastering produces a very powerful, present sound and is highly valued by audiophiles worldwide.

Lista pieselor

1. Mona Lisa
2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)
3. Funny
4. I’m A Fool To Want You
5. Lil’ Darlin’
6. Look Of Love
7. My Ship
8. Who Can I Turn To
9. Time After Time