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.

Trumpeter Jim Rotondi is a solid post-bop musician with a warm tone and an improvisational approach deeply steeped in the tradition of great jazz trumpeters. While the Butte, Montana native began piano lessons with his mother at age eight, it was the trumpet that became his main instrument from age 12 on. After graduating high school in 1980, Rotondi enrolled in the highly regarded jazz studies program at North Texas State University. In 1984, he earned first place in the International Trumpet Guild's jazz trumpet competition.

By titling his eighth Criss Cross album Over Here!, trumpeter Jim Rotondi picks up on the sentiments he signified with The Move, his seventh for the label. “It doesn’t necessarily mean moving somewhere else, but rather returning home, playing tunes with a lot of straight-ahead swing and interesting chord sequences with guys I’m comfortable with,” Rotondi stated in the liner notes I wrote for that kinetic 2009 recital.

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.