New
sound, old spirit might be the best way to distill
the impact of Joshua Redman’s new Warner
Brothers disc Elastic. After a decade as
one of the jazz world’s most prominent, profound
saxophonists and bandleaders in an acoustic setting,
Redman adds new textures and tensions in what he calls
the "electric, groove-based thing" of his
brilliant new trio.
"This project is something I’ve thought
about since I started playing music seriously, ever since
I started touring and recording as a leader,"
Redman explains. "I always had the sense that
someday, I would do a project with a broader sonic
pallet. Something that did not just use acoustic
instruments, something more groove-based."
These long-germinating ideas bear fruit in Elastic’s
dozen tracks, forming a collection in which expanded
compositional and production detail enhance the ensemble
spontaneity at the unshakable core of Redman’s
conception. For Redman, Elastic presented an
opportunity to take bolder steps as a composer. "Jazz
often treats composition only as a starting point,"
he admits, "a springboard for improvisation that
you quickly get out of the way. I wanted to take a larger
compositional approach, to tell multi-part stories
without sacrificing identity and freedom and openness. I
wanted to make the improvisations part of the greater
meaning of the songs, without feeling limited the way a
sax player does when told to take 8 bars and blow on an
r&b session."
The challenge allowed Redman to call upon many of his
greatest musical inspirations. "Weather Report,
of all the electric groups, was the ultimate in striking
that balance between composition and improvisation,"
Redman explains, "although rhythmically this
band is probably coming more out of James Brown, Maceo
Parker and the Motown sound." Other sources
cited by the saxophonist include Stevie Wonder, The
Beatles, Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, Led Zeppelin, the
Police, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, and such
contemporary artists as D'Angelo, Meshell Ndegeocello,
Radiohead and Bjork. "These sorts of influences
have always been there," he notes, "but
I suppose they might be a little more noticeable now,
with this kind of project."
For several years, Redman has worked and recorded with
exceptional acoustic quartets, including the unit with
pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer
Gregory Hutchinson heard on Redman’s acclaimed
previous album Passage Of Time. Elastic
marks a stage of both consolidation and expansion in
Redman’s development. "Passage of Time,
even though I didn’t realize it initially, was like
a summing-up for me of everything I had worked on over
the past ten years," he reflects. "Once
this became clear, I knew that it was time to take a step
in a new direction. Some of these ideas had been in my
head for years, but they had never fully developed
because they didn’t fit an ensemble with acoustic
bass and piano. It was time to flesh those ideas
out."
The process led Redman to discover a vibrant new ensemble
voice for his music. After he experimented with larger
configurations that included guitars and bass as well as
keyboards, Redman found his ideal partners in Sam Yahel,
whose prowess on both piano and organ made him a New York
underground sensation in the late ‘90s, and Brian
Blade, a first-call drummer in both jazz and pop realms
who made his initial impact as part of an earlier Redman
band. As a unit, Redman, Yahel and Blade have already
turned heads on the recent collaborative effort yaya3,
and they display equal brilliance in interpreting the
saxophonist’s new music.
"I’d been playing with Sam and Brian on and
off at Small’s [in New York] since 1997,"
Redman notes. "Sam initially invited me to play
when [guitarist] Peter Bernstein couldn’t make it
one Wednesday, and there was an instant connection. After
that, Sam would often call me when he knew I was in town
and I’d come down whenever I could. Because these
gigs were relaxed, informal, and unplanned, the trio has
evolved more organically than any band I’ve ever
played with. I started really looking forward to coming
off the road and playing with Sam and Brian.
Sam was always asking me to bring in material. I
didn’t think that I had anything that fit with an
organ, until I realized that I could bring in some of
these other ideas. They had worked in other contexts, but
here they really clicked, because the instrumentation and
the personalities fit the looseness and creativity of the
music. With Sam and Brian there was no trade-off between
grooving and improvising. We got the rhythmic vitality,
the sonic range, and all the compositional elements;
while at the same time feeling an even greater sense of
openness and group interaction."
The brilliant efforts of the threesome are enhanced by an
approach to studio production that Redman describes as
"ninety percent live," one that keeps the
spontaneity at the heart of all of Redman’s music in
clear focus. "Rather than rely on the studio to
make the music work, we wanted to do things that were
more subtle, to use new sounds and technologies as a
means to the end of making the music more expressive. So
we cut everything live, then stepped back and saw how the
raw material inspired us. The few edits and overdubs we
did were ultimately dictated by the live, spontaneous
tracks. For example, the harmonized saxophone licks were
built on improvised ideas that had a larger compositional
flavor. It was essential to all of us that every sound we
created had a natural basis as we entered the
non-acoustic world. I didn’t want the electric
textures to leap out, but I didn’t want the tricky
harmonies and complex rhythms we used in spots to stick
out, either. We had to feel intellectually and
technically challenged, and still feel comfortable and
natural with the music."
Elastic satisfies all of these demands that Redman
feels compelled to answer as a creative musician, and
marks a vibrant new chapter in his odyssey. "This
is definitely the most challenging music I’ve
created," he acknowledges. "There’s
still a lot of swing in it, especially the way Brian
plays drums, but there are also moments, on ‘Jazz
Crimes’ and ‘Molten Soul’ for instance,
when it feels like we’re playing funk and swing at
the same time. On other pieces like ‘Still Pushing
That Rock’ and ‘News From The Front,’ I
don’t know what kind of beat you’d call that.
There is a sense of fluidity and flexibility throughout
all of this music. I’ve always believed, and the
conviction only grows stronger as I grow musically, that
the only thing that’s important is how the music
inspires us as a band. If we’re inspired every
night, we will play with the necessary soul and spirit to
make the music work. As a band, we feel this music
inspires that kind of collective discovery, that sense of
adventure every night. In that way, it is no different
from any other project I’ve done."
Elastic delivers the
balance of eloquence and exploration that veteran Redman
listeners have come to expect, in a setting and with an
attitude that can only expand his circle of fans and
reinforce Redman’s place among the vanguard of
contemporary artists.
September 2002
European booking agent: TED
KURLAND ASSOCIATES
For booking in Italy, contact: EMMECI
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