Eric Alexander
Tenor Sax
56 age
August 4, 1968 Birthday
Galesburg, Illinois, U.S. Birthplace
www.ericalexanderjazz.com Website
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About
Eric Alexander, a jazz saxophonist based in New York, is celebrated for his mastery of modern, straight-ahead jazz. Emerging as one of the "young lions" during the early 1990s, Alexander recorded his debut with an album, "Straight Up" in 1992. Since then, he has recorded over 40 albums as leader and appears a sideman on dozens of others. Alexander has recorded with Charles Earland, Mike LeDonne, Harold Mabern David Hazeltine, and Cecil Payne. In 1997 he co-founded the the hard-bop group "One for All" which drew comparisons to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Alexander continues to record and perform regularly in New York City and around the globe.
Trivia
Eric Alexander placed second after Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition. After many years of playing tenor saxophone, Eric Alexander recorded an album on alto saxophone in 2023. Eric Alexander has said saxophonist George Coleman is one of his mentors and influences.
Early Life
Eric Alexander was born in 1968 in Illinois and grew up in Olympia, Washington. He began playing the piano at age 6, picked up the clarinet while in elementary school and switched to the alto saxophone at age 12. Alexander studied classical saxophone for a year at Indiana University where he discovered his love for jazz. He soon switched to the tenor saxophone and transferred to William Paterson College where he studied under jazz musicians including Harold Mabern and Joe Lovano. Following graduation, Alexander spent 2 years playing in Chicago before ultimately settling in New York.
Eric Alexander Solos
2014
Tenor Sax solo - The Chief - 2014
4/4 swing in D minor at 233 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Afro Blue - 2014
4/4 latin in D minor at 278 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - The Man from Hyde Park - 2014
4/4 swing in C major at 138 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Fools Rush In - 2014
4/4 latin in F major at 99 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - My One And Only Love - 2014
4/4 ballad in B♭ major at 64 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Billie's Bounce - 2014
4/4 swing in F major at 179 BPM