Blues Up And Down – 2021
Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring
Two great saxophonists play an uptempo blues
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“Blues Up And Down” was originally a vehicle for Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons as a pair of battling tenors.
The uptempo blues has been occasionally revived ever since and it always serves as a good excuse to stretch out.
In 2021 on a LiveStream concert by pianist Emmett Cohen, tenor-saxophonist Eric Alexander takes a lengthy solo that, while excellent, is soon topped by altoist Vincent Herring who ties together boppish riffs in a colorful fashion, saying a great deal in a comparatively brief solo.
Pianist Emmett Cohen, who smiles throughout the performance, comes up with his own inventive ideas while accompanied by the tireless Russell Hall on bass and drummer Joe Farnsworth.
A tradeoff of choruses and four-bar phrases by Herring and Alexander bring the swinging performance to a close.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald