Review: Joshua Redman’s Double Trio

With this ensemble, however, the sax man seems to have embraced a more open, adventurous ideal and the resulting music was some of the strongest he’s created. What a treat to see his long limbed dancing to a driving bass line in front of Hutchinson later in Little Ditty, Blade playing with a tambourine in one hand and stick in the other across the stage—musicians totally caught in the moment.

While the show also opened with the full quintet, the bulk of the set featured different arrangements of the two trios, Blade and Rogers, and Hutchinson and Grenadier. The second trio played first, and Hutchhiker’s Guide was more what one might expect from Redman: tight and swinging. The drummer was playing with brushes, but had sticks tucked under his arms while the bassist busted a big solo. Redman came in smoking at the end, kicking and rocking back on his heels, just cutting into the song. Rogers then came out for Insomnomaniac, a long, smart composition with a massive solo intro that had the sax striking up, down and back with notes that were shocking even when they were expected. They grew into a torrent and opened a dark, thumpy blues before growing nasty and winding around to a tight, ferocious drum solo. Blade then replaced Hutchinson for Ghost, Redman’s warm, Persian soprano recalling Blade’s main partner on the horn, Wayne Shorter, as it blew across the rich music. The drums and bass hit a groove at the end, and the saxophonist trailed away from the mic to circumambulate the stage. The songs were full of variety, in the musicians, in the tones and in the approaches, making for an engaging gig.

Near the end of the night, Redman chatted with the audience about the inauguration and responded to a call to “play one for Obama!” with, “They’re all for Obama. They’ve all been for Obama. Even when we didn’t know who he was, they were for Obama.” The full band then let in on Gil Evans’ Barracudas. The drummers were tumbling down around the sides of the stage, just killing the joint as the saxophone bleated and squonked and screamed. The bassists shared a duet, plucking close along each other’s lines, while Blade played with his bare hands and Hutchinson snapped out rim shots. The music was volatile, explosive even, and full of potential. This was the second of only two dates for the group in support of Redman’s new Compass disc, but if the performance was any indication, all the players will be eager to find time in their schedules for more.

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One Response

  1. Saw the show in Boston. 2nd row right in front of Gregory Hutchinson, he is such an intense player. The ensemble seemed to be really enjoying themselves, it was top notch.

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