Programme > Artists > Joshua Redman Trio (USA)

Joshua Redman Trio (USA)

The forty-years-old saxophonist’s father, Dewey Redman, who also played tenorsaxophone and who unfortunately died three years ago, was one of the most important jazz artists in the ‘70s and the ‘80s, during the time when he was exploring new areas of free jazz alongside Keith Jarrett, Don Cherry or Ornette Coleman. Dewey’s son undoubtedly inherited his talent but he doesn’t live a turbulent life like his father did. On the other hand, he’s very systematic, which is one of the reasons why he’s among the most successful jazz musicians of his generation.

It seems as if everything always worked out for him, including his music studies at the Berkeley High School and Social Studies at Harvard University. If he hadn’t decided for musicianship, by now he might have been a lawyer with a doctorate from Yale, which already accepted him for further studies. But in 1991, Redman won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition and had set already out for a star career. Early on, he signed up with Warner Bros, which only accelerated his ascend to the top. His second CD Wish already included contributions from renowned musicians like Pat Metheny or Charlie Haden.

A brilliant, dynamic and - last but not least - photogenic musician, who at a time also became the face of a proprietary sports brand - has by now recorded almost fifteen records with much of his own material. The most famous one is probably the extraordinary Moodswing (1994), recorded with Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade. Redman has also stirred a lot of attention with recordings and live concerts of the energetic fusion Elastic band, which heavily relies on organ player Sam Yahel. Another proof of Redman’s superior position on the jazz scene is the fact that for years, he was the artistic director of San Francisco’s SFJAZZ Collective, an institution which was originally founded within the city’s jazz festival and had since produced numerous excellent live concerts as well as recordings.

In 2007, Redman released Back East, his first CD recorded without a harmonic instrument with only the saxophone, double base and drums. Ever since Sonny Rollins invented this lineup in the ‘60s, musicians always considered it as a sign of musicianship maturity and something that only the best and thoughtful players dare to try out. Its leader has to constantly stand in the epicentre and maintain the audience’s interest, which is no doubt the most difficult task. Redman’s debut in this trio however raised the most positive interest, which is why he decided to come back to it this year with his respectful album Compass. It builds upon the performances of two double base players, Larry Grenadier and Reuben Rogers, as well as two drummers, Brian Blade and Gregory Hutchinson. All of them contribute in different lineups and, in some points, even all play together at the same time. Even though the basic concept of the album is still the trio; on the current European tour, it’ll include Rogers and Hutchinson.

Redman’s complex, rich and rhythmically structured playing is connected to the art of his sensitive colleagues so well that the listener barely realizes that harmony is only suggested on the record. Brilliantly built up compositions and similarly strong arrangements, even though with a lot of improvisation potential, all add up to the feeling that Redman’s work is utterly masterful and yet very pleasant.