Saxophonist and composer Joshua Redman played on the night of Monday 15 two sets at the Bebop Club, now transferred from Montserrat to Palermo. He managed to survive the quarantine, which is not negligible considering that small houses like The Jazz Standard have been left on the streets in Manhattan.
From venues like that or the current version of Birdland, Bebop seems to have borrowed elements such as the use of red to shade the dark tones and, above all, the performance of two sets per night by the same artist: unfortunately the possibility Seeing two shows just by staying in the room and paying again for a drink is not a bargain in these pampas.
Debut of a new trio
Redman’s visit was an unbeatable example of the local adaptation of this format and marked the world debut of his new trio, completed by Philip Norris (bass) and Nazir Ebo (drums)both less than half his age.
The three couldn’t be more dissimilar in appearance. The leader, bald and thin, was wearing one of his trademark tight shirts. The bass player, white with short hair, in a black T-shirt with a cell phone that bulges his pants. Ebo, also in a dark shirt but with long sleeves and his hair growing into an afro. Music is their meeting point.
Although Redman had just played in Mendoza with a quartet made up of Argentinian musicians that included Ernesto Jodos on piano, which refers to the already classic ensemble in which he is accompanied by Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade, the saxophonist is no stranger to trios, where all the harmonic work falls on the lines woven by the double bass, to which is added his own sax.
It’s a cast that took from the moments of its hero Sonny Rollins, which he played Hot waltz. It came from using a music stand with his score Back from Burma; “I didn’t really need the music for that, but I definitely will for this one,” she joked before praising the legendary Sonny.
Another reference could be Ornette Coleman’s pianoless quartet, where Ornette’s alto saxophone was joined by the tenor of Redman’s father, Dewey.
The warmth of a jazz club
Joshua Redman it can be traditionalist without being reactionaryand prioritizing reading with a ten-year perspective on post-bop, with difficult moments like opening with tricostisma double-bass-sized Oscar Pettiford composed standard, where Redman and Norris present the theme in unison, until Norris goes walking and Redman solos.
Source: Clarin
