Revival of the Fittest

Revival of the Fittest is an album by tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. It was recorded in 2009 and released by HighNote Records.

Revival of the Fittest
Studio album by Eric Alexander
Recorded	April 14 and 28, 2009
Studio	Van Gelder Studio
Genre	Jazz
Label	HighNote
Producer	Don Sickler

Recording and music

The album was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio.^[1] It was produced by Don Sickler.^[1] For all but one of the tracks, the four musicians are tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Nat Reeves, and drummer Joe Farnsworth.^[2] These were recorded on April 14, 2009.^[1] Fourteen days later, "Yasashiku (Gently)" was recorded; it is a duet by Alexander and pianist Mike LeDonne.^[1] Two of the compositions – "Too Late Fall Back Baby" and "Blues for Phineas" – are Mabern compositions that he had recorded on his own albums.^[3]

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Down Beat	[2]

Revival of the Fittest was released by HighNote Records.^[2] The AllMusic reviewer concluded that "Revival of the Fittest is yet another example of how rewarding an Alexander album can be when Mabern is on board."^[3]

DownBeat reviewer Michael Jackson assigned the album 4 stars.^[2] He wrote, "Alexander’s ability to convince with ballads and burners is exceptional, and he is often at his most creative on the outro or cadenza portions of a tune when proscribed harmony isn’t dictating direction".^[2]

Track listing

1. "Revival"
2. "My Grown-Up Christmas List"
3. "The Island"
4. "Too Late Fall Back Baby"
5. "Love-Wise"
6. "Blues for Phineas"
7. "You Must Believe in Spring"
8. "Yasashiku (Gently)"

Personnel

• Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone
• Harold Mabern – piano (tracks 1–7)
• Mike LeDonne – piano (track 8)
• Nat Reeves – bass (tracks 1–7)
• Joe Farnsworth – drums (tracks 1–7)