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Joshua Redman: Compass
No jazz musician with Joshua Redman's pedigree, chops and talent wants to be tagged as "cautious" or "cerebral," but that was Redman's reputation, perhaps right up until Back East was released in 2007. That CD, a return to straight-ahead acoustic playing after a brief digression, found the saxophonist fronting a few different rhythm sections (and standing next to a couple of guests) and generated natural comparisons to Sonny Rollins' classic Way Out West.
Compass simultaneously extends the trio concept laid out in the previous work (all but one piece is an original composition) and focuses the attack by corralling the number of sidemen and positioning Redman as the unquestionable lead voice. Bassists Reuben Rogers and FLY mix and match with drummers Brian Blade and Gregory Hutchinson and the format seems to have loosened Redman up, encouraging and allowing him to give himself over to his improvisational instincts rather than his impeccably disciplined technique.
When the bands double up, however, tracks that might have been unwieldy or overcrowded are instead harmonically rich, rhythmically vibrant and bristling with creative complexity. On "Identity Theft" Redman absorbs the rhythm section's body blows without flinching. The ballad "Just Like You" features heartfelt tenor lines spinning out on top of bowed basses and malleted drums. "Moonlight," a take on Beethoven's Sonata, is dignified and beautiful without being stuffy. Clocking in at well over an hour, Compass offers a lot of music to take in, but the tunes are relatively brief (ranging from two to nine minutes) and Redman's newly discovered easy-going effortlessness makes this the crowning achievement of his career.
Compass simultaneously extends the trio concept laid out in the previous work (all but one piece is an original composition) and focuses the attack by corralling the number of sidemen and positioning Redman as the unquestionable lead voice. Bassists Reuben Rogers and FLY mix and match with drummers Brian Blade and Gregory Hutchinson and the format seems to have loosened Redman up, encouraging and allowing him to give himself over to his improvisational instincts rather than his impeccably disciplined technique.
When the bands double up, however, tracks that might have been unwieldy or overcrowded are instead harmonically rich, rhythmically vibrant and bristling with creative complexity. On "Identity Theft" Redman absorbs the rhythm section's body blows without flinching. The ballad "Just Like You" features heartfelt tenor lines spinning out on top of bowed basses and malleted drums. "Moonlight," a take on Beethoven's Sonata, is dignified and beautiful without being stuffy. Clocking in at well over an hour, Compass offers a lot of music to take in, but the tunes are relatively brief (ranging from two to nine minutes) and Redman's newly discovered easy-going effortlessness makes this the crowning achievement of his career.
Track Listing: Uncharted; Faraway; Identity Thief; Just Like You; Hutchhiker's Guide; Ghost; Insomnomaniac; Moonlight; Un Peu Fou; March; Round Reuben; Little Ditty; Through the Valley.
Personnel: Joshua Redman: saxophones; Larry Grenadier: bass; Reuben Rogers: bass: Brian Blade: drums: Gregory Hutchinson: drums.
Title: Compass | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Nonesuch Records
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Joshua Redman
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Jeff Stockton
Nonesuch Records
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New York
New York City
Larry Grenadier
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Compass
Upcoming Shows
| Date | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mar31Sun |
Joshua Redman Quartet With Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers...Sanders TheatreCambridge, MA |
| Apr2Tue |
JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTETBlue Note New YorkNew York, NY |
| Apr2Tue |
JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTETBlue Note New YorkNew York, NY |
| Apr3Wed |
JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTETBlue Note New YorkNew York, NY |
| Apr3Wed |
JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTETBlue Note New YorkNew York, NY |
| Apr4Thu |
JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTETBlue Note New YorkNew York, NY |
| Apr4Thu |
JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTETBlue Note New YorkNew York, NY |
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Jazz combines creativity from the mind, heart, and the gut. It flourishes through structure and uses melody and rhythm to bridge the musician's creativity and the listener's imagination. I try to appreciate all forms of music and styles of jazz but find myself drawn to the “hot music” of the twenties through the early thirties, including its many contemporary incarnations
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