Dave Redmond: All In Motion

There is not too much down time for your average hard-working musician. Between scuffling for gigs wherever and whenever they fall, studio sessions and the inevitable teaching bag, it is often a struggle to keep all the balls in the air. Irish bassist Dave Redmond has managed better than many since the turn of the millennium. A bass teacher at Dublin City University, Redmond is first-call bassist for Kevin Brady, Tommy Halferty and the late Larry Coryell—with whom he recorded Larry Coryell's Last Swing With Ireland (Angel Air, 2021). There have also been recording sessions and tours with George Colligan, RBG Trio, Norma Winstone, and Ian Shaw —not to mention radio and TV studio work. No rest for the wicked bassist.

This very success may be the primary reason that Redmond has not recorded more as a leader, with All in Motion just his third as leader/co-leader since his excellent debut offering, Roots (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2013). On nine originals, the bassist largely forsakes the darkly lyrical intensity of his debut for a more direct approach—one rooted in swing and post-bop fire. The music was recorded over two days in May 2024 when Redmond, along with Belgian saxophonist Stéphane Mercier and London-based Antrim drummer Darren Beckett, played with visiting US pianist George Colligan during a short Irish tour. Not for nothing does this session feel tight, uninhibited and flowing.

While the head-solo-solo-head format is largely unwavering, the quartet's energy and the passionate soloing—of which there is a feast—deliver a rewarding listening experience. It is fiery stuff, with the enticing prospect that the live arena will see the quartet turn the heat up a further notch. But perhaps the most arresting compositions are those that veer away from the dominant template.

There are shades of Charles Lloyd and John Coltrane in the meditative "All in Motion," whose spare architecture elegantly frames Mercier's searching lyricism and Redmond's big, earthy tone. A reworking of the ballad-paced "Centro"—which the bassist has recorded twice before—and the brooding "Chilled Hymn" likewise afford the breathing space that invites affecting performances from Redmond, Colligan and Mercier—with Beckett's subtle artistry in service of the bigger picture. The up-tempo "Faultlines Trio"—sans Mercier—and the brief saxophone-cum-bowed-bass duet "All Motion Duo" both offer welcome variation in dynamics and mood.

Whether on stage or on record Redmond is never one for demonstrative gestures—seemingly happiest when swept up in the collective flow. Yet even when Colligan, Mercier and Beckett are firing on all cylinders, as on the incendiary "One Way Street" and the punchy "Drip Dry," Redmond's organic bass lines feel like such a vital part of the equation—steering and driving everything. All In Motion is handsome testament to Redmond's status as an outstanding bassist and a maturing composer teeming with promise.