EU welcomed an very interesting, master of Jazz, great saxophonist Joshua Redman Quartet at our Europe Jazz Blues Festival 2025 in Milan, Italy.
Joshua Redman Quartet concert very best. “Saturday’s not a big night for jazz,” quipped Redman, as he saluted the enthusiasm of the crowd, which greeted every song with raucous cheering and applause: “We used to think it was the substances you enjoy in Colorado, but now that stuff everywhere. So we know your enthusiasm is genuine!”
Redman’s banter wasn’t his only connection with the audience. The nearly two-hour concert opened with the very popular track “Chicago Blues,” from his recent Blue Note album “where are we.”
Part of Redman’s genius is the ability to mash up Count Basie and Jimmy Rushing with Sufjan Stevens into a new creation that’s modern and bluesy.
As Redman said at the beginning of the show the songs all involved American places from Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets Of Philadelphia” to Jimmy Webb’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”.
Many were familiar popular songs with arrangements that showcased the strengths of the whole band. Cavassa used her intriguing sound, Sanders plucked admirably, while Parks rolled out those big chords.
On top Redman took the tenor from single note lines to complex flurries, going to the free jazz edge and then returning to the melody.
Then Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia,” then The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” which vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa fully embraced and delivered jazzily. (I’m thinking at this point he has this Boulder audience in the palm of his hand.)
Let’s just say Joshua Redman stepped in it hard, stomping, swinging, and working out all the notes on his patinaed saxophone, lower register and high notes. In his hands, squeaks and squawks were in tune or atonal and perfectly placed, broadening our ear palate.
This latest album represents Redman’s first major foray into vocal jazz, and Gabrielle Cavassa is generating serious buzz. Her swing and the band’s on “Rhode Island Is Famous For You” was relentless, emphasizing the “Colorado” line to our delight.
Pianist Paul Cornish his debut solo release is coming this summer was right at home in this jazz power group. Bassist Phillip Norris from Winnipeg, Manitoba stretched out in solos that were at first emotional and then exuberant.
Drummer Nazir Ebo 20-something ran the group’s engine through the paces and curves of a jazz concert, not truly stretching out and impressing with a solo until near the end of the show.
The quartet hit a high point with “Stars Fell On Alabama” which segued into “Alabama” written by John Coltrane, as an homage to the four girls who were killed in the bombing of the Birmingham 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963.
Cavassa delivered the lyrics to “Stars Fell On Alabama” in a direct manner, then the band switched gears into the haunting Coltrane tune. The reverence that the band displayed left a lasting impression on the crowd, as if to say never forget our sordid past.
The Redman original “After Minneapolis (face toward mo[u]rning)” resonated in the brain and the body after the quartet finished playing. It seems Redman didn’t want us to forget the recent past and the murder of George Floyd.
Minneapolis came first in the concert and Alabama was placed at the end, as if to say nothing has significantly changed.
Of particular interest to my brother and I was the band’s take on “Autumn In New York”. Our Dad played Mel Tormé’s recorded version so many times when we were growing up that we memorized the lyrics.
It was nostalgic to hear their arrangement and Cavassa’s interpretation of the lyrics were beautiful, filled with pathos and longing.
Particularly impressive was “Silicon Valley Blues” featuring outstanding solos by the quartet.
Sanders’ bass solo resonated long after the concert was over; he sang the notes he was playing as the great Slam Stewart did many years before. It was refreshing to hear Sanders remind the audience of Stewart and his influence on the jazz bass.
Another song associated with the Golden State, The Eagles’ “Hotel California”, sparked some recognition in the audience.
I was never a fan of the Eagles’ version of the tune but Redman and company made some significant changes to the arrangement resulting in a moving experience.
Cavassa’s interpretation of the lyrics enhanced the impact of the song. The relaxed groove of the band provided a floating and undulating carpet for Cavassa’s vocals.
Redman has assembled a righteous group of musicians to play some unusual interpretations of popular tunes all relating to locations in the United States.
He has done this to support his latest offering on the Blue Note label entitled “where are we”. After the show it seemed only natural to purchase the CD and show my continued support of the music.
By Olivia Peevas
