In 1991 the Antilles label issued Alone Together, a date that gathered five emerging saxophonists—James Carter, Walter Blanding, Tim Warfield, Herb Harris, and Todd Williams—under the collective name Tough Young Tenors. The date unfolded as a strong example of the classic jam-session format, each of the five horn players contributing solos over the rhythm section known as the Marcus Roberts Trio: pianist Marcus Roberts, bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer Ben Riley. Although the musicians stood on equal footing when the album appeared, their subsequent careers followed markedly different trajectories. Blanding, Harris, and Williams each worked with Wynton Marsalis; Blanding and Harris also fronted recording sessions of their own. Warfield has released a half-dozen albums under his own name and appeared as a sideman on numerous other dates. Among the five, Carter has attained the greatest visibility, issuing fourteen leader albums through Caribbean Rhapsody in 2011 and repeatedly topping Down Beat critics’ polls in the baritone-saxophone category. He has further participated in later editions of the World Saxophone Quartet, performing on tenor and soprano for the group’s 2011 album Yes We Can.
