title: Pleasure Bent
text: # Pleasure Bent
  
  Pleasure Bent is a debut album by saxophonist Roland Alexander, with trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, recorded in 1961, and released on the New Jazz label.
  
  ## Reception
  
  Professional ratings :
  
  | Review scores ||
  | - | - |
  | Source | Rating |
  | AllMusic | |
  
  The AllMusic review by Alex Henderson stated, "Although the tenor saxman's Coltrane-influenced debut album, Pleasure Bent, was recorded in 1961, this vinyl LP has more in common with the bop-oriented Coltrane of the mid- to late '50s. ... That isn't to say that Alexander is a flat-out clone of Coltrane -- he was also influenced by Sonny Rollins and other hard boppers -- but there is no denying that Coltrane's playing is a strong influence on this record ... his roots were hard bop, and hard bop is exactly what he plays on this decent, if derivative, LP."
  
  ## Track listing
  
  All compositions by Roland Alexander except where noted
  
  * "Pleasure Bent" – 11:10
  * "I'll Be Around" (Alec Wilder) – 5:20
  * "Dorman Road" – 5:30
  * "Lil's Blues" – 7:20
  * "Orders to Take Out" – 7:00
  * "My Melancholy Baby" (Ernie Burnett, George Norton) – 5:00
  
  ## Personnel
  
  * Roland Alexander – tenor saxophone
  * Marcus Belgrave – trumpet
  * Ronnie Mathews – piano
  * Gene Taylor – bass
  * Clarence "Scoby" Stroman – drums
  