Alexander Quartet

Like its predecessor, Gentle Ballads, Gentle Ballads, Vol. 2 is another fairly low-key session led by Eric Alexander. Not only is the personnel identical (pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist John Webber, and drummer Joe Farnsworth), but the cover art once again features a nude photo by the late Jeanloup Sieff, quite possibly the same model from the same photo shoot. The tenor saxophonist mixes things up a bit more during this 2006 session, playing ballads that were hits for popular singers ("Mona Lisa" and "I'm a Fool to Want You"), 1960s Broadway ("Who Can I Turn To"), and 1960s pop ("The Look of Love"), in addition to the expected standards. Best are the deliberate take of Duke Ellington's timeless melancholy ballad "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" and a bluesy, loping treatment of Neal Hefti's "Li'l Darlin'," which became a signature piece for Count Basie…

Eric Alexander is an American jazz saxophonist, known for his sophisticated hard bop and post-bop style. Alexander began as a classical musician, studying alto saxophone at Indiana University with Eugene Rousseau in 1986. He soon switched to jazz and the tenor saxophone, however, and transferred to William Paterson University, where he studied with Harold Mabern, Rufus Reid, Joe Lovano, Gary Smulyan, Norman Simmons, Steve Turre and others.

The fifth installment of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander's "Gentle Ballads" series doesn't disappoint. His unwavering, strong tone and unsentimental approach, combined with a certain peacefulness and strong spirituality of his playing, produce stunning results. For the first time in this series, master pianist George Cables joins the band and makes valuable contributions.

Known for his warm tone and robust, bop-informed lyricism, saxophonist Eric Alexander has carried the torch for straight-ahead modern jazz into the 21st century. Influenced by artists like Dexter Gordon and George Coleman, Alexander initially garnered attention playing in Chicago in the early '90s before moving to New York. He has received acclaim for his driving hard bop albums like 1999's Man with a Horn, 2006's It's All in the Game, and 2017's Song of No Regrets. He is a founding member of the all-star sextet One for All, and has played with a bevy of luminaries including Charles Earland, Harold Mabern, Cedar Walton, and many more.

Marking 100 years since his death, this is the first ever set of SCRIABIN COMPLETE WORKS. Drawn principally from Decca’s distinguished catalogue, the set also features no fewer than 64 newly-recorded tracks - over 200 mins of music, newly recorded by Vladimir Ashkenazy and Valentina Lisitsa especially for this set.