Joshua Redman

Still in his 30s, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman already has a string of acclaimed recordings and just completed a term as the first Artistic Director of the highly regarded octet, the SF Jazz Collective. His recent recordings have featured his “Elastic Band” with organist Sam Yahel and drummer Brian Blade. Now Redman has released his first acoustic trio recording, Back East, reuniting him with several New York-based rhythm sections and past collaborators. One of those rhythm sections, with Larry Grenadier and Ali Jackson, joins Redman for an evening at Blues Alley in Washington, DC, May 10^th.

Joshua Redman has managed to meet the high expectations that surrounded the Ivy League graduate and progeny of late tenor sax legend Dewey Redman. Raised in the Bay Area by his mother, dancer Rene Shedroff, young Joshua seldom saw his famous father, yet was enveloped in a wide range of music and exposed to the eclectic arts of the area around Berkeley. He listened to his mother’s recordings of the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and John Coltrane, and from age nine, he attended performances at Keystone Korner—Rashan Roland Kirk and Pat Metheney, whose band included none other than Dewey Redman. At age ten he started on the saxophone, and went on to play in the award-winning Berkely High School Band. What next? An honors degree from Harvard in 1991, a decision to forgo Yale Law School, and winning the Thelonious Monk International Sax Competition. Over the next decade, Redman—living in New York-- recorded a string of acclaimed sets for Warner Brothers and repeatedly topped Readers’ and Critics’ polls. Wrote Peter Watrous in the New York Times, "There's only a handful of naturally gifted musicians, and Joshua' s one of them. Every time you hear him, he's at a higher level."

Relocated to the Bay Area and signed to Nonesuch, Redman led the acclaimed SF Jazz Collective through its first three seasons (2004-2007) and released the Grammy-nominated Momemtum with his organ trio in 2005. In 2006, he began touring with an all-acoustic trio, leading to the spring 2007 release of Back East (his 11^th as leader). Noted Ben Ratliffe in the New York Times, “Mr. Redman has been a flexible record maker since he emerged, almost 15 years ago; he can play with almost anyone, and with almost any stylistic intent. But here his simplest record is also his least facile and his clearest of purpose.”

Despite his BA in English Literature from Stanford, bassist Larry Grenadier was committed to music since he first took up the electric bass at age 11. After a few years he began to study the upright bass, influenced by Jaco Pastorious, Stanley Clarke, Ray Borwn, Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers, Oscar Pettiford, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, George Mraz, Miroslav Vitous, and Charlie Haden. Over his already distinguished career, the 41-year-old Grenadier has performed with such talents as has performed and recorded with John Scofield, Joe Henderson, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau and Bill Stewart, among others, perhaps most significantly as the long-standing bassist with the Brad Mehldau Trio. Notes Larry, “I think the bass has the potential to ground the music and inspire the other musicians... I do feel a strong responsibility to help make everyone else sound the best they can. This involves being very attuned to what the music needs at all times.”

Ali Jackson

Electric or acoustic, Joshua Redman’s projects are always among the best live shows of the year. Touring in support of Back East, Redman, Grenadier and Jackson will be on stage at Blues Alley in Washington, DC, May 10-13. They’ll head for the west coast in June before coming “back east” again to Town Hall in New York for the JVC Festival and a summer of festival appearances from Toronto to Newport.

The Joshua Redman Trio appears at Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin NW) in Washington, DC, May 10-13; www.bluesalley.com; on June 2, the trio (with Reuben Rogers and Erick Harland) appears with Joe Lovano at the Palace of the The Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco (www.sfjazz.org); June 4 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz (www.kuumbwajazz.org); June 6 at the Shedd in Portland (www.theshedd.org), June 7-10 at Jazz Alley in Seattle (www.jazzalley.com); and June 12-17 at Catalina’s in Los Angeles (www.catalinajazzclub.com). Visit Redman’s website for updated tour information including appearances at JVC, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Newport Jazz Festivals throughout the summer— www.joshuaredman.com