Larry Ritchie

Freddie Redd Quartet: The Music from The Connection

by Eddie Becton
December 2, 2005

Curtis Mayfield is often remembered for penning the popular theme “Freddie's Dead." The irony of this title echoes sentiments of out-of-the-loop jazzers who thought iconic Blue Note pianist Freddie Redd made the passage. Redd, the lyrical comrade of Horace Silver and disciple of Bud Powell, is still very much alive and well, performing more regularly in Los Angeles.

The Music from The Connection reflects the turmoil, redemption, and salvation of its characters. The Connection was actually a 1959 play, and ...