The notes fly, but too swiftly

Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander placed second to Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition. Since then, he seems to have spent much of his time in the recording studios, releasing more than twice as many albums as Redman during the last decade.

But most have received relatively scant notice among the broader jazz audience, despite a widely held view that Alexander has the talent to rise to the top level of the crowded list of jazz tenor saxophonists.

Some of the reasons for the slow ascension were on display Tuesday at the Jazz Bakery in the opening set of a six-night run. Alexander made it instantly and continuously apparent, from his first note to his last, that he is a masterful -- even virtuosic -- saxophone artist. Whether playing ballads such as the rarely heard “Maybe September,” a grooving middle-tempo rendering of “The Sweetest Sounds I’ve Ever Heard,” a high-speed romp through “The End of a Love Affair,” or a simple, straight-ahead blues, he rarely paused for more than a heartbeat on any single note. Even in “Maybe September,” which he began promisingly with a dark-toned fragment reminiscent of Coleman Hawkins, he quickly abandoned any pretense of melodic paraphrase or of remaining in touch at all with the original tune, in favor of pouring out torrents of horn-scouring notes.

Although there was unquestioned fascination in hearing such an extraordinary technical display, after the first rush of admiration for Alexander’s sheer physicality, his soloing tended to reproduce the quality of watching a video in fast forward. As fascinating as some of his musical images may have been, his failure to allow them the time and opportunity to emerge and breathe naturally, to keep in mind that music consists of both sound and silences, tended to seriously undercut the effectiveness of his playing.

At 34, he obviously has the musical dexterity to be grouped with saxophonists such as Redman and Chris Potter. But first he’ll have to slow down his fingers and decide what it is he wants to say musically.

Curiously, one might have thought that the presence of veteran pianist Harold Mabern, Alexander’s former teacher, would have prompted a more reasoned approach to some of the tunes. But there was surprisingly little connection between their soloing -- Mabern’s two-handed, thick-chorded, hard-bop swinging and Alexander’s racehorse romping. Nor was either particularly well aided by the passive bass playing of Michael Zissman and the robotic cymbal work of drummer Joe Farnsworth.

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The Eric Alexander Quartet

Where: Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., L.A. (310) 271-9039.

When: Shows at 8 and 9:30 p.m.

Cost: Tonight, $20; Friday-Sunday, $25.