artist info

The Heavy Hitters is the eponymous album from a brand-new sextet featuring some of the most established players in the jazz game. The group is led by Mike LeDonne, New York-based bop pianist best known for his sideman work with Milt Jackson and Benny Golson. His partner in crime, Eric Alexander (himself a first-rate soloist working with Harold Mabern amongst others) was his quartet-mate on a well-received series of releases on the Venus label in the mid-2000’s. The two friends came together for this, their first sextet release as leaders, featuring a set composed entirely of originals.

The Heavy Hitters present compositions calling upon the timelessness of old Blue Note sounds through a vibrant and formidable all-original collection. Coming together for their first date as an ensemble, they show their deep knowledge of the jazz tradition, to which they add a classy, life-affirming 21st Century touch.

This project began with the express intention of emulating some of their jazz heroes, with a modern-day twist. “It’s not to look back, but to say ‘this is still relevant because this is happening right now. It’s pretty much what we’ve been doing our whole lives,” the group says about their philosophical approach to tradition. There are various nods to that history, from track titles referencing various jazz titans, to the album art, which evokes Reid Miles’ classic Blue Note graphics.

The music is built to tickle your mind, hit you in the heart and get your head swaying back and forth. The Heavy Hitters have been swinging hard their whole lives! It’s a true “Jazz” sound, recorded by some of the greatest jazz musicians of their generation.

"Together, these two ‘Heavy Hitters’ offer us a smokin’ hot production featuring five other heavy-hitters and a product plush with crème de la crème of both musicianship and original compositions." - Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs