Eric Alexander - Setup

[Tears June]

Who knows what setup using by Eric Alexander ? He have very nice sound.


:cry:

[Dr G]

It is probably more instructional to know who he listens to as influences. Attitude and practice have a far greater effect on your personal sound than a mouthpiece.

http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/alexanderebio.html

[SaxyAcoustician]

Metal Link 6.

Made the 2-hour trip to see Eric Alexander in Harrisburg, PA last Sunday night. Definitely one of the most feared saxophone players alive. :) He's one of my absolute favorite jazz tenor players.

Dr G is right. Influence, attitude, practice, etc, etc. I only WISH I could play and sound like Eric Alexander by switching a mouthpiece! Hehe.

[BobD]

I think he's got the best tone out there right now. Did you actually talk to him to find out what he wsa playing? I thought he played an 8 Link.

[SaxyAcoustician]

I have talked to him before at the Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, but not that night. I had to trek 2 hrs back home so I could get a couple hours of practicing in before it got TOO late.

I don't remember where I got that info. Actually, it could be a 6* but I know for sure that it's a 6 something. I probably got the info from the handout that they give at the Aebersold camp that contains all the faculty equipment information. I remember Eric Alexander's because I found it unusual in this day in age where people think bigger is better when it comes to mouthpiece tip openings! I play a 6* Link myself. I guess I'm kinda on the small side. :lol: But then again, I guess Eric's a small guy too. :)

[Tears June]

Thanks all information. Waht about reed?

:cry:

[BigDaddyJ]

I'm going to see him tonight in Denver, CO. I 'll pick his brain and post it. I seem to recall his Link was modified by Theo Wanne.

[BobD]

BigDaddyJ,

Yeah definately find out what he is playing for a a piece and reed. I think he has one of the best sounds around.

[BigDaddyJ]

Ok, really good show last night. I tried over and over to talk to Eric Alexander, but he was always tied up with somebody. He came off as a really nice guy. Anybody who came up to him got his full attention. While I was standing outside the group of people around him, I did see he is still playing his modified Link mentioned before. He was using a Francois Louis ligature. No idea on the reed. He had that great Mark VI/ Link sound; huge full sound without any harshness. He was playing with a mic, so at first I thought he was getting his room filling sound from that. Then he started to play lines behind various solos, and his sound was only tiny notch smaller. Man what a SOUND! Another thing that left me in awe, was his command of the alternative harmonies at any given moment; on top of that, he could play at ANY tempo.

[MikeH]

I got to chat for a while with Eric Alexander when he was playing in a Philadelphia club a few years ago and asked him about his set-up. He said that he was using an Otto Link 7* and "Rico brown box 3 1/2 reeds" (his exact words). A very nice guy by the way and a tremendous player.

[MS]

Almost three years ago, he said he was playing a Link 7* that he got from Pharoh Sanders and regular Rico 3 1/2 reeds. He said the tip of the Link was probably closer to and 8*. A friend said he saw him but a different Link at Roberto's last summer (one my friend was hoping to buy).

I suspect he's going to sound pretty much the same to us, regardless of which Link he is playing.

[BobD]

Well, from these posts it seems like it's more than likely that he's playing something bigger than a 6 or 6*.

[rollen]

According to the Rico website he uses Rico Jazz Select 3M Filed.

However, you can't believe everything you read, or can you ?

[SaxyAcoustician]

Boy, I KNEW I wasn't going crazy. I finally got around to finding that faculty equipment list handed out at the Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop in 2001 and indeed it has listed that Eric Alexander uses a Metal Link 6* with Rico Select reeds.

[ralexander]

Saw the Denver show last week, great sound, great show. Anyone know what vintage mk6 he plays? I had reservations for a front row table so I could check it out and then my friend bought a third and we had to sit in the back. Sound was really good. Wish I had a copy of that show.
And no we are not related.

[SaxyAcoustician]

The folks putting on the Harrisburg show didn't say anything about prohibiting any recording so I recorded the show onto MiniDisc. The sound wasn't that great to begin with (mic'ing was horrible for piano and sax, Pat Martino's guitar sounded dull, it was cabaret setting in a huge hotel ballroom, acoustics weren't ideal, etc) but the essence of it is on disc. The best is when he takes 2 minutes worth of choruses without rhythm section on a mucho uptempo Lazybird. I love it when he does that. He did it on Cherokee one time at the Aebersold camp a couple years back and blew everyone away!

John Hicks, Jimmy Cobb, Pat Martino...yeah, that was the lineup. Unbelievable. I'm still glad I made the trek to see it.

[jazzbluescat]

Wow, SaxyAcoustician! I envy you.
I heard a cut(a blues) from the cd he did w/Martino the other day on the local npr station. He took umpteen choruses, and never slacked off in the least, never repeating; totally kept my interest. [I just lost a bid for that cd on ebay..groan.]
The guy has such clarity!

http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/musik/music-smiley-016.gif

[BATMAN]

I think Eric Alexander is highly underrated in comparison to other big names like Chris Potter or Joshua Redman. Funny thing is he came in third I believe in the monk competition....third under those two!

I dunno, to me he just has a more solid, concise concept, and his sound is a lot bigger and fuller. He also has some really solid chops as well. The last recording I've heard of him was the one he did with David Hazeltine's trio.

[SaxyAcoustician]

Actually, Eric Alexander placed second behind Joshua Redman in the Thelonious Monk competition in 1991, with Chris Potter placing third. Hard to believe, ain't it: the three of them going head-to-head under one roof.

[BATMAN]

I stand corrected! For some reason I just assumed he placed third since he doesn't seem to get as much attention as the other two.

[rollen]

In the liner notes on "the second milestone" , he claims that two weeks prior to the recording session he was having some work done on his number one mouthpiece and it was ruined. He even considered cancelling the recording session. A week before the date, he stumbled on a piece in a shop in town. It only indicates that it was an Otto Link of the same vintage as the ruined piece, no size. Going on to say that normally you try hundreds of pieces and nothing works, and this one just did. With that piece he claims that things that came into his head he was able to get them out of the horn very fast.

By the way, if you haven't heard the CD, you should check it out!
Another one worth mentioning is David Hazeltine's "The Classic Trio meets Eric Alexander"

That's the way a tenor should sound!

[CodyW]

To me he sounds way to bright to be playing on a link. When I think of link I think of Sonny rollins, and Sexter gordon. When I play on a link I can't get anywhere near of a bright sound that Eric Alexander gets. Are there any other mouthpieces that would give that bright sound of his, but still being thick and fat sounding like him? Or is it he just happens to play on a bright link?

[CodyW]

Thats Dexter Gordon :oops:

[Agent27]

From Theo Wanne's Mouthpiece Heaven:

"I highly recommend Theo Wanne's Saxophone mouthpiece Heaven to any saxophonist interested in finding a quality mouthpiece or in having expert adjustments made to a currently owned piece. I am currently playing on playing on pieces adjusted by Theo and am loving them."

That was Eric Alexander, September 2000.

[Berg-Man]

Cody and others...
For the upteenth time, it ain't the mouthpiece! If you want to play a Link and get that bright focused Trane sound, then spend 8 hrs. per day shedding. IF your a hacker then play something else. Brecker can still sound like Brecker playing a Link, It ain't the piece. Quit chasin and start sheedin.

[shmuelyosef]

Eric taught at Stanford Jazz Workshop the last couple summers; while there I attended several of his master classes. He does play a Wanne-custom Link STM, but he also runs marathons, does not smoke or drink excessively, practices with tremendous discipline for 8+ hours/day, and gets to study jazz concepts with Harold Mabern, whom he plays with often. Somehow, I'll bet that helps him get the best possible music out of that mouthpiece, but I'm sure the mouthpiece is the main thing (LOL).

[MB-913]

Of course Technique & skill is the major reason Eric can produce more brightness sound than other Metal Linker player. However, I think reed is another minor reason.

He is using Rico Select Jazz 3M reed, SJ is more bright. May be this is the reason. I fnund SJ is nice reed but after playing an hour, very difficult to control the articulation. The texture changed to very soft compare to other reed.

[Riff]

I'm surprised to hear so many comment that Eric Alexander's sound is bright. The way I hear it he has one of the darkest sounds of any contemporary tenor player.
Just goes to show how inadequate these sonic descriptions are.

[saxilla]

He has a great sound and I wish I could play with 1/50th of his accumen, but there are times when his playing begins to sound repetitive and I hear him just ripping through a lot of scales. Then they are times when he rolls through a piece, usually a ballad, and I am dazzled. I saw him a few months ago at the Jazz Bakery. He played well, but didn't wow me. I saw Jimmy Heath the other night with his bros and they knocked me off me chair. Going again. Gotta get more!!!

saxilla

[Selmer's_glu]

I've known Eric for, like 16 years or so...hard to believe it, time flies.

Guys, he's always switching mouthpiece, like every 6 months or every year, always metal Otto Links. Mostly the "Florida" ones from the early 60s. He used to play 8s & 7*s a few years back, but then got into 6*s and has been playing realtively smaller links for the last 3 or so years.

The guy that says bigger facings doesnt equal bigger tone is pretty right. BIg sound has nothing to do with facing, the facing is more about comfort & ease of playing & how easy or hard it feels to blow. Thats personal, of course, every one has different mouths & lung sizes, etc.

The point is, to my ears, Eric sounds pretty much the same on just about EVERY Link Ive ever heard him use. Its his playing & imagination that gives him his sound, not the mouthpiece.

Sometimes if guys are playing so much, like Eric, they may notice tiny aspects of their mouthpiece or set-up that start to bug them & look for other pieces to try, this is more a feel thing & probably wouldnt ever come up if they werent playing jazz gigs 6 days a week or whatever, like most of you out there, especially students.


So...my 2 cents....you want to sound like Eric? Get a good 7* Link, or a Phil Barone New York 7*, Lavoz Me Hard, Rico Royal 3 1/2, or RSJ 3M/3H & the rest is up to you!

(it also wouldnt hurt to listen to alot of Dexter, George Coleman, Clifford Jordan, for about 10 years!)

[Selmer's_glu]

CORRECTION!!

"up if they werent playing jazz gigs 6 days a week or whatever, like most of you out there, especially students"

I MEANT TO SAY>>> "UN-like most of you out there" I dont think most readers & students are playing jazz gigs 6 nights aweek like Eric or other professionals.

sorry

[jazzbluescat]

I agree. A wise ole trombone (gasp) player once told me: Son, 89% of yer sound comes from betwix yer ears. He wuz right. I use a (too big) 8* metal Link, usta use a D6 Dukoff, and have tried various other pieces including a Bundy student model, my basic sound was consistently present with all. I know it sounds like i'm exaggerating, but, I'm not, really.

[Whatasaxman]

WOW,
someone finally got it. Your sound is your sound, mouthpieces, horns , reeds.. just an avenue. Once you have gotten your sound, you will get your sound on any setup, it's just a matter of what is the easiest for you. I can get the same sound on my Barone 8*, Lamberson 8sb wood and RPC.135 it's just a matter of which is the least amount of work for me to do it. Long Tones is what will get you there. for the record, on tenor I am currently playing a Silver SerieIII with solid silver neck, Barone standard 8* ans SJ 2s, it's very flexible set-up and requires no work, so I can lead a big band all night long. I love seeing people freak when they see my bari set-up (RPC .150) thinking it's way too big, until you low through it...My sound is in my head, my equipment allows me the easiest way to produce it.

[MB-913]

I would like to mention one thing. Eric's sound can be big different if he born 30 or 40 years early.

Listen to some of his song like 'Estate', there are some effect, mixing , some juice in recording. So, if he play in front of us without any amp & effect. Still nice sound but different with his CD.

[shmuelyosef]

I have seen Eric play live in small settings and masterclasses, and his sound is huge and just like his studio sound in those settings. I can recognize his sound after 10 seconds of a song on the radio...

[1saxman]

I don't keep up with current players, but I heard a tremendous tenor man on a Hooters commercial two years ago. I found out from someone on this Forum that it was Eric Alexander. I could tell by his first note that he could very well become one of the 'Greats'. Yes, the tone is deep and full, yet has that 'sizzle' on top, with just the right amount of funkiness. I was amazed that he was a young player. He certainly has the 'right stuff', and I'm definitely listening out for him. As far as Links, I've never been able to use one, but my tastes are slowly changing, so maybe I'll get Theo to make me one so I can play around with it.

[shmuelyosef]

I'm going to see Eric in a small venue at Stanford next Sunday...I'll try to remember to check his setup if I can.

[ramZsax]

I'm actually going to that stanford jazz camp next week where he will be teaching along with dave leibman(sp?)

[Saxophoon]

I did the Jamey Aebersold camp a few weeks ago where he was suposed to teach (Liebman too) but Alexander didnt show up because of some house thing in Europe. Hope everythings alright with him and pass on the message that we missed him at the camp.

On another note, Liebman proved to be one of the most knowledgeable and jaw droping saxophonists I've ever seen. I'm sure you'll enjoy him!

[John T.]

I saw and meet Eric this past June, He was playing an Early Babbitt 6* Stm on his 92K M6 Tenor.

[shmuelyosef]

Saw him this month and he was on the same setup...Link STM with original ligature to boot!