Acclaimed sextet One for All makes its much-anticipated return with BIG GEORGE, its first release in seven years and its 17th. The album reunites Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, Steve Davis, David Hazeltine, John Webber, and Joe Farnsworth, who are joined on three tracks by a very special guest saxophonist, their mentor and hero, NEA Jazz Master George Coleman.

Rock-solid work from One For All, easily one of the greatest straight jazz combos going, thanks to some tremendous tenor work from Eric Alexander, sweet piano work from David Hazeltine, and snapping rhythms from drummer Joe Farnsworth. The sextet also features Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, and John Webber on bass, all working here at the height of their powers, and also coming across with a bit more sharpness and soul than even other recent sessions on the Venus label. Arrangements are by all members of the group; the tunes are long and roll out beautifully with a solidly soulful feel — no surprise, given that most of them are covers of classic soul tunes from the '70s.

Known for their hard-bop style of jazz, the sextet One For All was formed in 1997 and features Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone), Jim Rotondi (trumpet), Steve Davis (trombone), David Hazeltine (piano), David Williams (bass) and Joe Farnsworth (drums). The group has been compared to 1960s-era Blue Note jazz and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and borrowed the name One For All from the Jazz Messengers' last album. Jazz Times' critic David Adler has called One For All "New York's premier hard-bop supergroup".

One for All have been an active New York City-based collective with fairly steady personnel except for the bass chair, which has rotated between several players. On this 2003 session for the Japanese Venus label, Ray Drummond joins tenorist Eric Alexander, trombonist Steve Davis, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, pianist David Hazeltine, and drummer Joe Farnsworth, the latter members all being part of the core group back to its creation in the mid-'90s. Most of the selections on this date are associated with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, having been written for the late drummer's band or popularized by him, while the band's name was the title of Blakey's final album as a leader.

Quintet of Jazz aficionados explore standards on this SACD from Venus Records. Pianist David Hazeltine joins Eric Alexander, Steve Davis, Peter Washington, Jim Rotondi, and Joe Farnsworth for this set of standards including "Corcovado", "Skylark" and "Stolen Moments". More detailed descriptions are really unnecessary for those familiar with the gentlemen that make up One For All; these guys have each developed their individual voices and are among the most in-demand musicians of the current set. And for the uninitiated, this set comes highly recommended as a consummate example of modern mainstream know-how.

This release from Eric Alexander is a notable one. Venus Records asked the readers of Swing Journal what they would like to hear Alexander play. From that long list of requested songs, Alexander selected the tunes included on My Favorite Things. Many of the selections are well-known jazz tracks heavily associated with tenor saxophone giants of the past. Some of them include "Sugar" by Stanley Turrentine, "Airegin" by Sonny Rollins, and "My Favorite Things" and "Lazy Bird" made famous by John Coltrane.

It has come to my attention that over 40 + years of recording, fans very much appreciate the way that I arrange and perform ballads. I think my love for ballad playing goes back to my early years as a music student and how much I learned about harmony studying the solo piano recordings of the late great Bill Evans. He has a melancholy joyfulness in his approach to ballads and that sound has never left my ear.

This is an unusual date for Jon Faddis. Doubling on flugelhorn, Faddis avoids his upper register and performs ballads while backed by an ensemble arranged by Carlos Franzetti. Here we hear Faddis working through charts by Carlos Franzetti on a set composed mostly of well-known jazz pieces, set for an unusual orchestra: Faddis plus three brass, seven winds and rhythm.

The acclaimed New York saxophonist Javon Jackson leads a celebration of the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, whose collaboration began in 1938 and continued until Strayhorn's death in 1967. Jackson is joined for this session by arranger/pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Tony Reedus. Together they perform well-known compositions such as "Caravan", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Lotus Blossom", as well as tunes that are not usually played by quartets such as "In My Solitude". The two soloists, Jackson and Hazeltine explore the bluesier and moodier side of Ellington's music as well as ballads like "Warm Valley" and slightly more up-tempo tunes like "In a Sentimental Mood".

This 2005 session features the 15-year-old native Sicilian saxophonist making his American recording debut accompanied by a crack New York rhythm section. Although it's common to hear rueful expressions about what a Charlie Parker or Clifford Brown might have accomplished had they lived longer, a player as precocious as Francesco Cafiso reminds us of the challenges facing an artist who appears to "be there" already yet has a lifetime with practically an obligation to top himself. In June 2007, when he was 17, the gifted altoist made history of sorts when he entered Birdland, the domain named after the music's most acclaimed improviser, to play the "Bird role" in a re-creation of the predecessor-father figure's most popular recording, "Charlie Parker with Strings". From the evidence on "New York Lullaby" the young player is perhaps one of the few musicians up to such a formidable, even unenviable assignment.

Marlena Shaw is a jazz singer who just never gets her commercial rewards. Her delivery is musically unique, emotionally engaging and quite oftne humorous. Recorded for Japanese Eighty-Eight's label, Lookin' For Love selections features a tasty gems with an R&B flavor that's enhanced each time David Hazeltine hits the Fender Rhodes. Shaw sings with the ease of absolute mastery, and each feeling she expresses rings true: she's been there, and more than once.

One for All have been an active New York City-based collective with fairly steady personnel except for the bass chair, which has rotated between several players. On this 2003 session for the Japanese Venus label, Ray Drummond joins tenorist Eric Alexander, trombonist Steve Davis, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, pianist David Hazeltine, and drummer Joe Farnsworth, the latter members all being part of the core group back to its creation in the mid-'90s. Most of the selections on this date are associated with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, having been written for the late drummer's band or popularized by him, while the band's name was the title of Blakey's final album as a leader.

"The Look of Love" is Valerie Joyce's much anticipated follow-up to her Chesky debut, featuring elegantly chic original arrangements of the classic pieces in Burt Bacharach & Hal David's catalogue. This album was recorded in multi-channel surround sound using Chesky's state of the art minimalist miking techniques and the world's finest custom-made electronics to assure the purest, most natural sounding recording available.

The acclaimed New York saxophonist Javon Jackson leads a celebration of the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, whose collaboration began in 1938 and continued until Strayhorn's death in 1967. Jackson is joined for this session by arranger/pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Tony Reedus. Together they perform well-known compositions such as "Caravan," "Chelsea Bridge," and "Lotus Blossom," as well as tunes that are not usually played by quartets such as "In My Solitude." The two soloists, Jackson and Hazeltine explore the bluesier and moodier side of Ellington's music as well as ballads like "Warm Valley" and slightly more up-tempo tunes like "In a Sentimental Mood".

The Look of Love is Valerie Joyce's much anticipated follow-up to her Chesky debut, featuring elegantly chic original arrangements of the classic pieces in Burt Bacharach & Hal David's catalogue. This super audio CD was recorded in multi-channel surround sound using Chesky's state of the art minimalist miking techniques and the world's finest custom-made electronics to assure the purest, most natural sounding recording available.