Steve Davis on trombone, Jim Rotondi on trumpet and flugelhorn, Eric Alexander on tenor sax, David Hazeltine on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

With John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

Features Eric Alexander on tenor sax, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

Features Eric Alexander on tenor, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! CD

Eric Alexander on tenor sax, Jim Rotondi on trumpet and flugelhorn, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

Features Eric Alexander on tenor, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! CD

Steve Davis on trombone, Nat Reeves on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums, Peter Bernstein on guitar, Anthony Wonsey on piano, and Roy Hargrove on trumpet and flugelhorn. CD

Features Mike DiRubbo on alto, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

A killer set from jazz drummer Xaver Hellmeier – recorded in New York and produced by drummer Joe Farnsworth – a mentor of the younger player, and maybe the force for bringing together the top-shelf group on the date – a wonderful lineup that features Eric Alexander on tenor, Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Peter Washington on bass, and David Hazeltine on piano! The album's got all the snap, crackle, and pop that you'd expect from such a group – sharp, and very much on the money – the sort of record you'd expect from any of the other artists, or Farnsworth too, which is high praise for Hellmeier's work here as a leader! The tracks include some well-chosen numbers – including a great remake of "Book's Bossa", plus "Midnight Waltz", "Tune Up", and "Advance Notice" – plus Hellmeier's originals "Blues For JF" and "Night In Verona". CD

Features Eric Alexander on tenor, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! CD

One of the most soulful records we've heard in years from the late pianist Harold Mabern – and that's saying a hell of a lot, as Harold gave us plenty of soulful sets during his many years on the planet! The record is as fantastic as you might guess from the title – as Mabern takes on tunes made famous by John Coltrane, but delivers the goods in this soaring style that's very much his own – and maybe most specifically, at a level that recalls the vibe he first hit in the 60s when playing with Lee Morgan, and then took to even newer heights on some of his fantastic 70s material – particularly recordings with reedman Frank Strozier! Here, the reeds are handled by Eric Alexander on tenor and Vincent Herring on alto – a hell of a pair – and the group also features really strong work from Steve Davis on trombone, who's really at the top of his game throughout. The rest of the group feature the familiar team of John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – both also really rising to the occasion – and although we'll not be hearing much from Mabern in years to come, this set is a hell of a farewell. Titles include "Impressions", "Blue Train", "Naima", "Straight Street", "My Favorite Things", and "Dahomey Dance". CD

Bold, soulful work from the great Harold Mabern – and a record that really takes us back to his soaring modal groove of the 60s! Mabern's still got some of the lighter lyricism of more recent years here – but he also seems to pack a bit more punch from a rhythmic tip, too – no surprise, given that his trio features the great John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums! Over the years, both players have really seemed to grow tremendously working with Mabern – and a record like this really comes across with a strong sense of fruition – proof that great jazz musicians never stop growing, and can always hit even higher heights than before. Titles include "Dance With Me", "My Favorite Things", "Edward Lee", "Making Our Dreams Come True", "Charade", "Cherokee", and "Blues For Frank N Paul N All". CD

The great Harold Mabern kicks it hard with a key core group – then finds a way to open up with some surprise guest artists as well – including singers Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, and Norah Jones! The core of the album features Mabern's piano rocketing out with rhythm from John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and getting some strong tenor work from the mighty Eric Alexander – and as the set goes on, the group also brings in Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Steve Turre on trombone. But the key force here is the singers – especially Porter and Elling, who seem to find an old school space with the group that really takes them back to their roots. Elling sings on "You Needed Me", "Portrait Of Jennie", and "Billie's Bounce"'; Porter sings on "Afro Blue" and "The Man From Hyde Park"; Monheit sings on "I'll Take Romance" and "My One & Only Love"; and Norah Jones sings on "Don't Misunderstand" and "Fools Rush In". CD also features Alexis Cole on "Such Is Life" – and the instrumental tracks "The Chief", "Mozzin", and "Bobby Benny Jymie Lee Bu". CD

With Eric Alexander on tenor, Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! CD

Features Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Joe Locke on vibes, Steve Davis on trombone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

Four of a kind, and a very well-matched quartet – all players who know each other well, and really soar together in a setting like this! The album's got the solid punch we love in Rotondi's best work – that well-crafted frontline of trumpet and flugelhorn – sometimes muted, sometimes full blown – with wickedly sharp rhythms from David Hazeltine on piano and Fender Rhodes, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! Hazeltine's Rhodes is especially nice – and the subtle snap of Farnworth keeps things swinging, even at gentler moments – in a way that really pushes Jim forward nicely. Titles include "Ruth", "Falset", "Minor Adjustment", "I See You Brother", "Blues For BC", and "Manteca". CD

Jim Rotondi blows with that great round sound we love so much in his horn – a bold, confident tone that only seems to get better with age, especially in the company of a group like this! The album features a core rhythm section that Jim's plenty comfortable with – David Hazeltine on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and is rounded out to a sextet with the presence of Ralph Bowen on tenor and Mike DiRubbo on alto, both tight horn players whose formations with Rotondi really help to give the album a strong, solid form! Titles include "Progress", "Julie Ann", "The Coat", "For Cedar", "The Look Of Love", "DH", and "Too Late Now". CD

We've always loved the music of pianist Bernie Senesky – a Canadian musician with a richly lyrical, expressive style – one that doesn't always get the recognition it deserves on our side of the border! And we've also always loved the tenor of Eric Alexander – a player we've been following since his start, and who has had some amazing moments of growth in recent years – one of them on this record with Bernie, a player who seems to bring out all this warmer, more sensitive elements in Alexander's horn – as the two of them work together in a very unexpected pairing, but one that we'd love to hear more of on future recordings! Other players on the date include Kieren Overs on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums on most tracks, save for two, which feature Morgan Childs on drums and Dave Young on bass. Titles include the originals "Blues For EJ", Alexander's Realtime Band", "Stand Pat", and "Make Believe" – plus a nice take on "Matchmaker". CD

Tenorist Grant Stewart takes on the music of Ellington and Strayhorn – but in a sweet small combo mode that's nicely swinging, and a lot more relaxed than the standard Ellington mode! The tunes have a strong focus on Stewart's rich tenor tone – blown in an easygoing, open way – but with a great degree of sharpness, too – a rare blend that's made Grant one of the leading tenor talents of his generation. Rhythm is never too intrusive, and handled by Tardo Hammer on piano, Paul Gill on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – on titles that include "The Feeling Of Jazz", "Raincheck", "Angelica", "Tonight I Shall Sleep", "Star Crossed Lovers", and "Something To Live For". CD

A bare-bones, no holds barred live set from modern tenor giant Eric Alexander – and one of his strongest records in years! The album was recorded live in Tokyo at the end of the 90s – at a point when Alexander was really hitting his prime, but still had a real freshness in his tone too – and the group on the set is a very sympathetic one, with Harold Mabern soaring away on the keys of the piano, Joe Farnsworth snapping a groove on drums, and Nat Reeves filling the whole thing in with these beautiful round tones on bass. Alexander's tone and phrasing are amazing – every bit as powerful and majestic as any tenor greats of the 50s and 60s – and that's some pretty heady company! Titles include "The Bee Hive", "Stan's Shuffle", "Alone Together", "Edward Lee", "In The Still Of The Night", and "Maybe September". CD

The second album recorded by altoist Jesse Davis at Smalls in New York, and a set that's every bit as great as the first – like that one, a record in a setting that really seems to set Davis on fire at a level that's different than some of his studio recordings! Tracks are long, and Davis is wonderful on his solos – very expressive, almost blowing the instrument like some tenorist from years back – and getting superb accompaniment from Spike Wilner on piano, Peter Washington bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – all great players too. Titles include "Ceora", "Cup Bearers", "Gingerbread Boy", "Juicy Lucy", "Love For Sale", and "Rhythm N Ning". CD

Pianist Harold Mabern works here with a trio of players who really helped him find new focus and energy in later years – the great Eric Alexander on tenor, with John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – a rock-solid lineup who really take off here in a live date from New York's Smoke nightclub! Tracks are all long, and have that solid, soaring sense of groove that always marked Mabern in his early years – but which was lost a bit in the 80s and 90s, until he teamed up with Alexander – and found the kind of inspiration that's returned him to greatness for most of the last 20 years! The songs are straightforward, but filled with searing solos – and with Webber and Farnsworth on hand, things keep swinging in all the right ways. Alexander himself seems to have unlocked a whole new corner of his talents in recent years – very much on display here – and titles include "A Few Miles From Memphis", "Nightlife In Tokyo", "She's Out Of My Life", "Mr PC", "On A Clear Day", "Rakin & Scrapin", "T Bone Steak", and "I Know That You Know". CD

A record that seems to bristle with color and life throughout – a surprisingly strong pairing of the tenor of Jim Snidero and the guitar of Kurt Rosenwinkel – the latter of whom seems to have a bit more bite than usual, but also seems to infect Snidero's horn with his innate sense of color! The rest of the lineup is equally great – a superb core trio with Orrin Evans on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and the blend of Farnsworth and Evans seems to bring in a new freshness to each of them as well. Titles include "Obsession", "Pat", "Nowhere To Hide", "Little Falls", "Search For Peace", "Infinity", and "Far Away". CD

Ronnie Cuber, Gary Smulyan, and Nick Brignola on baritone saxophone, Andy McKee on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

Michael Weiss on piano, Eric Alexander on saxophone, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. CD

Michael Weiss on piano and Fender Rhodes – with Steve Wilson on saxophone, Steve Davis on trombone, Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Paul Gill on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums, and Daniel Sadownick on percussion. CD