Joshua Redman is red-hot, and the 24-year-old son of Texas tenorman Dewey Redman has taken only one year to become one of the most talked about jazz properties. Joshua Redman graduated from Harvard in 1991 and has been admitted to Yale Law School, so he has had other concerns than just the horn.
In the October Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times, Redman said, "I don't see myself as the Golden Horn; I don't see myself as the Messiah. I'm just a young musician who's pretty inexperienced. I mean, I've only been doing this seriously for two years."Warner Bros. Records signed Redman to a contract last year, and his debut album, titled simply "Joshua Redman," was a smash hit.
Now comes "Wish" (CD 45365-2), a release that prompted a Downbeat reviewer to gush, "The smoky, full-bodied tone of Joshua Redman's tenor saxophone goes straight to the soul, but credit his passionate and eloquent playing for making this, his sophomore effort, an unequivocal success."
Credit Redman for surrounding himself with sidemen who carry impeccable credentials. Actually, the term sidemen is inadequate to describe guitarist Pat Metheny, drummer Billy Higgins and bassist Charlie Haden, all of whom are established stars.
The pairing of Redman with the 40-year-old Metheny is the most intriguing. The two first met 13 years ago when Joshua was 11 years old and living with his mother in Berkeley, Calif. Metheny and Dewey Redman were on a promotional tour to hype a record ("80/81") they had made.
Last year they met again. Redman told Metheny that one of his favorite albums was Metheny's 1983 "Rejoicing." Higgins and Haden were a part of that album. Before you knew it, Higgins and Haden were contacted by Redman and Metheny, the result being "Wish."
The 10 tracks include three Redman originals, two by Metheny and one by Haden. The other cuts come from the diverse foursome of Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and Charlie Parker. Two of the tracks, Redman's "Wish" and Haden's "Blues for Pat," were recorded live at the Village Vanguard and the crowd contributes to the exuberance.
Metheny told the L.A. Times, "Josh has got a career going now - it's really happening for him."
- Pat Metheny has plenty going for him, too. He has followed last year's mammoth effort, "Secret Story," with his first live recording in a decade. "The Road to You" (Geffen CD 24601) was recorded before crowds in France and Italy. Reliable Lyle Mays is back on keyboards, while the rhythm section provides a definite Latino feel to the proceedings. This is a freewheeling album, with a ballad like "Letter for Home" adding a nice change of pace.