Name: Badlands
Brand: Allegro Corporation ***
SKU: 528010
Availability: OutOfStock

Performer Notes

Personnel includes: Robert Mazurek (trumpet); Eric Alexander (saxophone).
Recorded in Chicago, Illinois in 1995.
Personnel: Rob Mazurek (trumpet); Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); Randolph Tressler (piano); John Webber (bass instrument); George Fludas (drums).
Rob Mazurek's second of three CDs for Hep is a solid hard bop affair, featuring the then-rising star Eric Alexander on tenor sax. The trumpeter covers a lot of familiar turf, beginning a tantalizing "Angel Eyes" in which he utilizes a Harmon mute and benefits from pianist Randy Tressler's imaginative approach to this standard. The rollicking, bluesy treatment of "Deep Purple" proves refreshing, though the dreamy take of "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" breaks no new ground. Alexander shines as a foil for Mazurek in bassist John Webber's driving "Nomad" and the leader's explosive "Badlands." By the late '90s, Mazurek had turned his interest away from hard bop, but this early effort has stood the test of time rather well. ~ Ken Dryden