Eric Alexander, a young tenor who first gained fame when he placed second after Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk Institute's annual competition, opened his first set at Twins Jazz in Washington with a tune that sounded too much like his warm up exercises. Lots of fire and dexterity, but a little too cold. I began to understand why some of my friends can't stand bebop. When Alexander moved on to a tune with a stronger melody, though, he dug in deep and displayed a stronger feel for beautiful melodies than I had anticipated from him. Alexander is a tough player who could probably generate sparks from damp matches, but I often wished he would take a step back and work half as hard. He has a habit of ending songs with a softly blown fade out, and in this moments he showed a delicate grace that he should allow himself to explore for more than just a few final bars.

Originally posted on A Frolic of My Own.