Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander made his first CD as a bandleader at the age of 25. Many jazz writers dubbed him a "young lion" and a musician on his way up. That was 17 years ago and, oddly enough, you can still sometimes see Alexander described as an "up-and-coming" jazz saxophonist. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth – he's fully developed into one of the finest bebop saxophonists in the world. He's "here," and the proof of that is in this session. With the great Harold Mabern on the piano bench and his good friends Nat Reeves and Joe Farnsworth providing the rhythmic spark, Eric alternately burns, cajoles, seduces and romps through an imaginative program of present-day and classic standards and jazz tunes recorded by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder in his Englewood Cliffs, NJ studio.

With ERIC ALEXANDER - tenor saxophone; Harold Mabern - piano; Nat Reeves - bass; Joe Farnsworth - drums

Tracks: Revival; My Grown-Up Christmas List; The Island; Too Late Fall Back Baby; Love-Wise; Blues for Phineas; You Must Believe in Spring; Yasashiku (Gently)

 Revival

 My Grown-Up Christmas List

 Too Late Fall Back Baby

 You Must Believe in Spring