Joshua Redman Quartet – Come What May
Joshua Redman Quartet
Come What May
Sometimes, getting the band back together to put out another album after a long stretch can fall flat to fans’ expectations.
For award-winning saxophonist and composer Joshua Redman, however, his latest album is yet another indication that whatever project he touches turns into musical gold.
Released in March, Come What May is the first album for the Joshua Redman Quartet – although Redman has released numerous other projects – since 2001’s Passage of Time.
It’s safe to say it was well worth the wait.
The quartet picks up right where it left off 18 years earlier. Redman and co. continue to deliver traditional jazz in a range of moods.
“How We Do” showcases frenzied off-beats flowing from one player to the next and back again like a stadium wave; “Stagger Bear” keeps things swinging, with playful solo-passing between Redman and pianist Aaron Goldberg, and “Vast” soothingly and soulfully closes out the album.
Although Redman takes center stage, he doesn’t steal the show. Goldberg plays a strong supporting role, often setting the tone at the start of a piece for Redman to carry the torch thereafter.
At only seven tracks in 43 minutes, Come What May leaves you hoping that it won’t be another 18 years until the quartet reunites in studio once again.
On June 18, Jazz Winnipeg hosts JazzFest x CMHR, an immersive multistage concert event at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, featuring Joshua Redman (among many others).