Solid!

"Anticipating Prestige's 50th anniversary in 1999, producer Todd Barkan combed the files to find out which were the label's most successful records and then, with Hicks, chose nine songs – not all of which are in the Prestige catalog, by the way – for this generation-spanning hard bop quartet to purvey."Ginell, Richard S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/solid%21-mw0000044375 "Eric Alexander – Solid!"]. AllMusic. Retrieved August 21, 2017.

The album was recorded at Clinton Recording Studios in New York City on April 25 and May 1, 1998.Eric Alexander: Solid! (CD liner notes). Milestone Records. The four main musicians are tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, pianist John Hicks, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Idris Muhammad. Trumpeter Jim Rotondi plays on "Little Melonae" and "Straight Street"; vibraphonist Joe Locke substitutes for Alexander on "Fire Waltz". "Light Blue" is played by Hicks alone.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}

| rev2 = The Penguin Guide to Jazz

| rev2Score = {{rating|3.5|4}}{{cite book|title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings|first1=Richard|last1=Cook|author-link=Richard Cook (journalist)|first2=Brian|last2=Morton|author-link2=Brian Morton (Scottish writer)|publisher=Penguin|edition=7th|year=2004|pages=20–21}}

}}

Solid! was released by Milestone Records in 1998.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The Penguin Guide to Jazz stated that "Alexander's sound is again tremendous; some of his most precocious solos, vaulting into double-time, are enough to have one reaching for the repeat button". The AllMusic reviewer concluded: "Nothing startling here, but fans of uncompromising modern hard bop will definitely enjoy this."

1. "Solid"
2. "Little Melonae"
3. "Theme for Ernie"
4. "Fire Waltz"
5. "Four"
6. "Star-Crossed Lovers"
7. "My Conception"
8. "Light Blue"
9. "Straight Street"

• Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone
• John Hicks – piano
• George Mraz – bass
• Idris Muhammad – drums
• Jim Rotondi – trumpet (tracks 2, 9)
• Joe Locke – vibraphone (track 4)

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Category:1998 albums

Category:Eric Alexander (jazz saxophonist) albums