Jazz
With his seventh album as a bandleader, 31-year-old tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman has come into his own as a mature and sophisticated player/composer. His provocative musical language evokes the compositional savvy of Yusef Lateef, the full ... Full Descriptiontone of Gene Ammons, and the harmonic adventurism of his father, tenor sax great and Ornette Coleman sideman Dewey Redman. Though Redman may not be a true innovator, he still articulates a deeply personal experience.
These 10 ambitious, melodic, post-bop originals were forged in jazz clubs around the world, then brought into the studio for a final organic firing with the same working quartet--pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Highlights include Redman swapping tenor licks with long-time associate Mark Turner on "Leap of Faith," the reflective soul-Traned ballads "Neverend," and "Twilight... And Beyond," and a bluesy boogaloo that finds the leader administering the "Last Rites of Rock 'n' Roll." BEYOND finds jazz sailing into its second century with Joshua Redman at the helm.
From CD Universe.
**
In the early years of his career, saxophonist Joshua Redman at times seemed burdened by expectations raised by record-label hype he knew was only partly justified. Beyond marks his emergence as a fully mature artist. The album includes some of Redman's strongest playing--the gorgeous ballad "Neverend," the slow-building tenor exchange with longtime friend Mark Turner on "Leap of Faith," the tongue-in-cheek grave dance on "Last Rites of Rock 'n' Roll." It also includes some of his most ambitious writing--the 13/4 time signature on "Courage," the 9/4 "Lopsided Lullaby," the 10/4 "Suspended Emanations." Redman's quartet with pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson displays the immediate, organic swing of a real touring band. One complaint, however: at 73 minutes, the album is two or three tracks too long. Whatever happened to the idea of saving a few choice outtakes for the inevitable career rediscovery 30 years from now?
By Rick Mitchell.
**
Consider Redman a middle-aged lion, though he's only 31. No longer the prodigious youngster of 1991, when he won the Thelonious Monk Institute competition, this talented, probing saxophonist has become as accomplished a composer as player. His seventh Warner Brothers release is a provocative anomaly, equally supple and sturdy. If it rarely catches fire, it just as rarely fails to nourish.
The tunes run the gamut from the emotive balladry of "Neverend," the shortest piece, to "Twilight ... and Beyond," an ambitious 11-minute exploration of timbre and tempo. Sparked by the thoughtful piano of Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers' purposeful bass, and the impressionistic drums of Gregory Hutchinson, Redman always sounds assured, his confidence and authority unmistakable. But the dryness of his tone keeps this music from connecting viscerally, instead sticking to a cerebral plane above all.
One could say his titles tell the story: "Belonging (Lopsided Lullaby)," "A Life?" "Stoic Revolution." If they're witty - like the music - the titles are also enigmatic, puns that don't always make their point as clearly as they might. The tunes often are as tricky as the tempi, their drama more intellectual than physical.
Redman is in fine form - he's a trim, long man, like his sax lines - and the band is more than sympathetic. While you can hear Rollins and Coltrane in some tunes ("Stoic Revolution" sounds like an outtake from an early-'60s Trane recording on Atlantic.), Redman's voice is his own.
What's most heartening about Beyond is its complexity. Not only is it anything but easy-listening, but it's committed, the product of four men who spark a dense, collective improvisation. Repeated listening shows these tunes wear well. Whether they move you is another question. It's one worth asking of this record again and again.
By Carlo Wolff, JAZZIZ Magazine.
**
Joshua Redman- (Soprano, Alto & Tenor Saxophones);
Mark Turner- (Tenor Saxophone);
Aaron Goldberg- (Piano);
Reuben Rogers- (Bass);
Gregory Hutchinson- (Drums).
**
01. Courage (Asymmetric Aria) 7:34
02. Belonging (Lopsided Lullaby) 5:50
03. Neverend 4:27
04. Leap Of Faith 9:06
05. Balance 9:05
06. Twilight...And Beyond 11:00
07. Stoic Revolutions 6:13
08. Suspended Emanations 6:22
09. Last Rites Of Rock 'n' Roll 7:05
10. A Life? 6:51
**
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