Solid!
Solid! is an album by Eric Alexander, with John Hicks, George Mraz, and Idris Muhammad.
| Solid! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Recorded | April 25, May 1, 1998 |
| Studio | Clinton Recording Studios, New York City |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Length | 60:35 |
| Label | Milestone |
| Producer | Todd Barkan |
Solid! is an album by Eric Alexander, with John Hicks, George Mraz, and Idris Muhammad.
Background
[edit]"Anticipating Prestige's 50th anniversary in 1999, producer Todd Barkan combed the files to find out which were the label's most successful records and then, with Hicks, chose nine songs – not all of which are in the Prestige catalog, by the way – for this generation-spanning hard bop quartet to purvey."[1]
Recording and music
[edit]The album was recorded at Clinton Recording Studios in New York City on April 25 and May 1, 1998.[2] The four main musicians are tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, pianist John Hicks, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Idris Muhammad.[1] Trumpeter Jim Rotondi plays on "Little Melonae" and "Straight Street"; vibraphonist Joe Locke substitutes for Alexander on "Fire Waltz".[1] "Light Blue" is played by Hicks alone.[1]
Release and reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  [3] |
Solid! was released by Milestone Records.[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz stated that "Alexander's sound is again tremendous; some of his most precocious solos, vaulting into double-time, are enough to have one reaching for the repeat button".[3] The AllMusic reviewer concluded: "Nothing startling here, but fans of uncompromising modern hard bop will definitely enjoy this."[1]
Track listing
[edit]- "Solid"
- "Little Melonae" (comp. Jackie McLean)
- "Theme for Ernie"
- "Fire Waltz"
- "Four"
- "Star-Crossed Lovers" (comp. Duke Ellington)
- "My Conception"
- "Light Blue"
- "Straight Street"
Personnel
[edit]- Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone
- John Hicks – piano
- George Mraz – bass
- Idris Muhammad – drums
- Jim Rotondi – trumpet (tracks 2, 9)
- Joe Locke – vibraphone (track 4)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Ginell, Richard S. "Eric Alexander – Solid!". AllMusic. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- ^ Eric Alexander: Solid! (CD liner notes). Milestone Records.
- ^ a b c Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2004). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (7th ed.). Penguin. pp. 20–21.
