Alexander, Eric - Like Sugar [CD]

Eric Alexander - Like Sugar - Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. On his new album for Cellar Music, Alexander has chosen to make a recording that pays tribute to the great Stanley Turrentine. Here are eight carefully selected songs from the Turrentine repertoire that reflect his bluesy approach and love for the Great American Songbook. Alexander has three extraordinary musicians in the rhythm section for this recording; David Hazeltine on piano, Dennis Carroll on bass and George Fludas on drums. The incredible Fludas and Caroll have a longstanding connection with pianist Hazeltine dating back to the late 1980s, when he was the house pianist at The Estate Jazz Club in Milwaukee. During that time he had been playing with everyone from Sonny Stitt to Eddie Harris, and had amassed a wealth of experience that shaped his musical voice. Hazeltine plays with an extraordinary clarity and intention. His touch and articulation are unmatched, as if he's drawing the notes out of the piano rather than striking them.