Tenorist Eric Alexander and altoist Vincent Herring celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their first saxophone ‘battle’ on Split Decision (SMOKE Sessions, 2025), recorded live at NYC’s SMOKE Jazz Club. This is the third time on record that the two giants have sparred, with each session growing a little friendlier since 2005’s The Battle (Highnote, 2005). Cutting battles are mostly a thing of legend and yesteryear, specifically the late ‘40s through the mid ‘60s. The saxophonists seemingly admit the idea of battles are left to the past, calling their second meeting in Friendly Fire (HighNote, 2012) and their newest match a draw even before they took to the bandstand. Instead, we find a shared mutual admiration by two cats who enjoy playing together. On Split Decision, they are backed by a top-shelf rhythm section that includes pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist John Webber, and legendary drummer Lewis Nash. Straight-ahead jazz gets plenty vibrant in the hands of this stellar quintet.
Alexander and Herring are from the same generation, the former only five years younger. Herring has worked with Nat Adderley, Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, and Horace Silver, to mention a few. Alexander built his reputation with his mentor, the late Harold Mabern, but has also collaborated with Charles Earland, Cecil Payne, and his peers such as Joe Farnsworth, Steve Davis, and the late Jim Rotondi.
The set commences with “Pharaoh’s Dance,” composed by Steve Davis. The piece honors Pharoah Sanders and McCoy Tyner and first appeared on Davis’s Generations (SMOKE Sessions, 2022). Leaning a bit on the esoteric side, it stands apart from the other five tracks. It features a cascading solo from Alexander, and a reaching, soaring take from Herring as the rhythm section drives them hard. While they may have had to dig in and rehearse that one, Horace Silver’s “Strollin’” came as naturally as breathing to both, even if Herring never played while he was a member of the composer’s band. This one also showcases Webber’s sturdy walking bassline and solo to boot. As you listen to both horns, there are equally unison and contrapuntal lines here and elsewhere. It’s the essence of soul-jazz from that mid-60s period that these two saxophonists often gravitate toward, borne out in three of the four other choices.
The album also features two tunes by Hank Mobley, whom Leonard Feather once dubbed “the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone.” The first, the blistering fast-paced “A Peck A Sec,” first appeared on Freddie Hubbard’s Goin’ Up (Blue Note, 1961). Both horns swing fluidly, as does LeDonne, who also finds this classic music squarely in his wheelhouse. Their shared penchant for Mobley’s melodies appears again in the mid-tempo grooves of “Soft Impressions.” Even the closer, “Mo’s Theme,” bears soul-jazz tinges as it was written by Nat Adderley’s pianist Rob Bargat, whom Herring once recruited for Nat’s band. An album of this nature usually includes a standard, as is the case with Rodgers and Hart’s “My Romance.” Simply stated, this is the album standout. The playing couldn’t be more gorgeously sublime.
The playing on Split Decision lives up to the album title, complementary rather than adversarial in any sense. Two of today’s finest saxophonists shine throughout with both fire and sensitivity in the company of an elite rhythm section.
‘Split Decision’ will be released on SMOKE Sessions on August 22, 2025. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.
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