Eric Alexander

Billy Strayhorn's music has been an essential part of DiMartin's repertoire since the beginning of his forty-five year professional music career. He recalls, "My first encounter with Strayhorn's music was through an older cousin who gave me a recording of Chet Baker and Russ Freeman's version of Lush Life and requested that I learn the tune." DiMartino was just 15 years old at the time (ironically, Strayhorn's age when he wrote the piece0> John has been entranced with the composer's music ever since.

Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander is reunited with his former teacher Harold Mabern on this outstanding studio session. The young man's talent has grown immensely since his 1992 debut as a leader, developing a distinct sound that doesn't overly rely on any one influence. The opener "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" (from Fiddler on the Roof) is hardly a jazz standard, but the imaginative arrangement by Alexander and Mabern may prompt others to explore it as well. The emotional rendition of "Moment to Moment" is another joint collaboration between the two. Trumpeter Jim Rotundi sits in during several numbers, including Mabern's "The Man From Hyde Park" (a snappy reworking of "The Song Is You"), Alexander's hypnotic samba "Luna Naranja," and the leader's "The Cliffs of Asturias," which sounds as if it was influenced by the early compositions of Herbie Hancock…

Since finishing second to Joshua Redman in the Thelonious Monk Institute's tenor sax competition, Eric Alexander has built an impressive discography as a leader, while also drawing a lot of attention in both the U.S. and Japan. This Venus CD, recorded in 2005 and one of the last sessions by pianist John Hicks (who died just over a year later), primarily focuses on standards, with the exception of Hicks' tense hard bop vehicle "Avotcja." A loping treatment of "Sunday in New York" is a solid opener, conveying the image of a brisk walk in Central Park on a cool autumn day. Alexander's driving arrangement of "Dearly Beloved" and the lush, slowly savored duet with Hicks of "Like Someone in Love" are obvious highlights. He also revives the unjustly obscure "My Girl Is Just Enough Woman for Me" in swinging fashion.