Split Decision Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring

• 1 Pharoah's Dance 08:25
• 2 Strollin' 07:11
• 3 A Peck a Sec 06:06
• 4 My Romance 09:35
• 5 Soft Impressions 08:26
• 6 Mo's Theme 03:46
• Total Runtime 43:29

Info zu Split Decision

Saxophone greats Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring reunite for their powerhouse third album recorded live at Smoke Jazz Club, SPLIT DECISION featuring Mike LeDonne, John Webber, and Lewis Nash.

20 years after they first went head to head on 2005’s THE BATTLE, saxophone heavy-hitters Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring square off once again for a long-anticipated rematch. The ferocious swing and robust melodicism of SPLIT DECISION is the third in a trilogy of blistering summit meetings captured live on stage at Smoke Jazz Club.

While THE BATTLE evoked the antagonistic tradition of cutting contests and sax duels, Alexander and Herring’s second meeting, FRIENDLY FIRE, suggested that its heated exchanges were at least on amiable terms. With SPLIT DECISION, the pair has reached a musical détente, two masters meeting on equal terms, with “victory” merely a question of personal taste rather than virtuosic one-upmanship.

“When you get to the level that Vincent and the musicians we’re playing with are at,” Alexander says, “assessing their worth compared to one another is absolutely subjective. “We have great rapport with each other,” Herring adds. “Eric is an amazing virtuoso and a master of melody. Playing with him is always inspirational for me.”

There’s also ample inspiration to be had when you’re working with the caliber of rhythm section that Alexander and Herring enlisted for these dates. Pianist Mike LeDonne and bassist John Webber reprise their roles from the two previous Smoke dates. This time around, they’re joined by the legendary Lewis Nash on drums.

SPLIT DECISION is a testament to the vitality and excitement of being there when these sax giants face off. The six-song setlist also puts the whole band’s estimable gifts in the best possible spotlight, stacked with memorable but not over-familiar tunes.

Anytime these two powerhouse saxophonists step on stage their competitive spirit – not to mention two decades of friendship and collaboration – result in scintillating music of championship caliber.

Eric Alexander, tenor saxophone
Vincent Herring, alto saxophone
Mike LeDonne, piano
John Webber, bass
Lewis Nash, drums

Recorded Live on July 6, 2024 at SMOKE Jazz Club, New York City
Recorded by Paul Stache & Richard Bernard
Mixed by Chris Allen & Paul Stache
Mastered by Chris Allen
Produced by Paul Stache & Damon Smith

Eric Alexander
Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. He started out on piano as a six-year-old, took up clarinet at nine, switched to alto sax when he was 12, and converted to tenor when jazz became his obsession during his one year at the University of Indiana, Bloomington (1986-87). At William Paterson College in New Jersey he advanced his studies under the tutelage of Harold Mabern, Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid, and others. "The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today," says Alexander. "Monk, Dizzy, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson--the legacy left by Bird and all the bebop pioneers, that language and that feel, that's the bread and butter of everything I do. George Coleman remains a big influence because of his very hip harmonic approach, and I'm still listening all the time to Coltrane because I feel that even in the wildest moments of his mid- to late-Sixties solos I can find these little kernels of melodic information and find ways to employ them in my own playing."

During the 1990s, after placing second behind Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, Alexander threw himself into the whirlwind life of a professional jazz musician. He played with organ trios on the South Side of Chicago, made his recording debut in 1991 with Charles Earland on Muse Records, and cut his first album as leader in 1992 (Straight Up for Delmark). More recordings followed for numerous labels, including Milestone and others, leading to 1997's Man with a Horn; the 1998 collaborative quartet session with George Mraz, John Hicks, and Idris Muhammad, Solid!; and, that same year, the first recording by One For All, Alexander's ongoing band with Jim Rotondi, Steve Davis, Joe Farnsworth, Peter Washington, and Dave Hazeltine.

Eric has appeared in many capacities on record, including leader, sideman, producer as well as composing a number of the tunes he records. By now, Alexander has lost count of how many albums feature his playing; he guesses 80 or 90. While he has garnered critical acclaim from every corner, what has mattered most has been to establish his own voice within the illustrious bop-based jazz tradition.

In 2004, Eric signed an exclusive contract with the New York-based independent jazz label, HighNote Records where he has amassed a considerable discography of critically-acclaimed recordings. Most recent among them is “Chicago Fire” HCD 7262, “The Real Thing” with Pat Martino HCD 7278 and “Second Impression” HCD 7296. Eric’s most recent HighNote release, “Song of No Regrets,”(HCD 7311) was featured in Downbeat’s “Hot Box”. He is currently working on a new recording project which will see commercial release in mid-2019.

Eric continues to tour the world over to capacity audiences. Using NYC as his home base he can regularly be seen in the city’s most prestigious jazz clubs.

Vincent Herring
Saxophonist Vincent Herring's intense, soulful, multi-noted style and ebullient swing have excited audiences worldwide. On stage, Herring and his band often make an incendiary sound over fine and controlled rhythms of modern times.

Vincent started playing saxophone at the age of 11 in school bands and studying privately at Dean Frederick’s School of Music in Vallejo, CA. At the age of 16, Herring was studying at California State University at Chico on a music scholarship. A year later he had won a berth in the United States Military Academy Band at West Point.

Vincent moved to New York City in early 1980's attending Long Island University. He first toured in the United States and Europe as part of the Lionel Hampton Big Band. With his sound strongly influenced by Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, Vincent’s virtuosity and promise came to the attention of Nat Adderley. The two forged a nine-year musical relationship, producing nine albums and touring around the world year after year. After Nat’s death, Louis Hayes collaborated with Vincent to form the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band. Vincent worked and recorded with Cedar Walton for more than 20 years.

He has also appeared on stage and or recordings with Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Hayes, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver Quintet, Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition, Larry Coryell, Steve Turre, The Mingus Big Band (Won a Grammy in 2010), Kenny Barron, Nancy Wilson, Dr. Billy Taylor, Carla Bley, Mike LeDonne, Carl Allen, Ron McClure, and John Hicks among others. His extensive guest soloist appearances include performances with Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center and Jon Faddis and The Carnegie Hall Big Band.

Vincent's discography reveals over 20 titles as a leader and over 250 as a sideman. His current and past projects speak to the wide range of his musical interest and versatility: The Vincent Herring-Joris Dudli’s Soul Jazz Alliance, Earth Jazz Agents, Friendly Fire with Vincent Herring and Eric Alexander. Vincent leads a band called Jazz The Story with Jon Faddis, Jeremy Pelt, Steve Turre, James Carter, Eric Alexander, Mike LeDonne, Kenny Davis, Carl Allen and Nicolas Bearde.

Vincent tours frequently with his projects around the in the United States, Europe, Japan, China and around the world. Vincent continues to share his distinct voice and musical knowledge, as a performer and jazz educator. He is currently on staff at William Paterson University and at Manhattan School of Music.

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