Eric Alexander Quartet - Gentle Ballads 6 / 2LP Venus Records

American musician Eric Wells Alexander began playing piano, clarinet, and (at age twelve) alto saxophone, but switched to tenor saxophone while studying at Indiana University and, after classical training, to jazz.

He continued his studies at William Paterson College in New Jersey with Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid and pianist Harold Mabern. In 1991, he came second in the Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition behind superstar

Joshua Redman and made his first recordings with Charles Earland on Muse Records in the same year. Today, he is considered one of the best tenor saxophonists of his generation and has long been represented by

Venus Records with numerous albums. The 2004 album “Gentle Ballads”, which Allmusic compared to Coltrane's Ballads LP from the early 1960s, was so successful that it spawned a whole series with changing line-ups.

The Eric Alexander Quartet is now on “Gentle Ballads VI”, with John Di Martino on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums. Recorded on June 11 and 12, 2021, in New York at Tedesco Studio, the

album was produced, mixed, and mastered by Tetsuo Hara.

Venus Records was founded in Japan in 1992 by Tetsuo Hara, who previously worked as a producer for RCA Victor. The label uses a special mastering process called “Hyper Magnum Sound” for the strictly limited double

LP of “Gentle Ballads VI”, cut at 33 RPM and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, which produces a powerful, present sound and is highly appreciated by audiophiles worldwide. A quick note: Venus LPs are only pressed once.

Once the edition is sold out, the title is removed from the catalog and will not be reissued. Collectors should therefore not wait too long to place their orders: all releases of the “Venus Masterpiece Collection” are extremely popular!

Venus LPs are pressed only once. After the first edition is sold out, the titles are removed from the catalog. Collectors should therefore consider a purchase in time.

Title

1. So In Love

2. Estate

3. Hush-A-Bye I See Your Face Before Me

4. Moon And Sand

5. Bright Moments

6. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life

7. I See Your Face Before Me

8. Let The Silence Speak

9. You're My thrill

10. Say It