etnobofin » dewey redman

Thelonius Monk Quartet: Salle Pleyel, 1969

Richard — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:49:53 +0000

Thelonius Monk Quartet in Paris, 1969, playing “I Mean You“. Charlie Rouse on tenor is particularly strong on this performance: melodic and concise, never overpowering Monk’s composition. He reminds me a little of Dewey Redman… in fact, it would’ve been awesome to hear Redman play with the Monk Quartet!

Thelonius Monk (pn), Charlie Rouse (ts), Nate Hygellund (b), Paris Wright (d)
Salle Pleyel, Paris: 15th December 1969

Keith Jarrett: American Quartet Part II

Richard — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 06:13:00 +0000

FREEDOM ! Or something close to it. Here are a couple of examples of the American Quartet heading towards their most liberal interpretations of melody and rhythm.

Piece for Ornette is an overt appropriation of Ornette Coleman’s compositional style from the early 1960s. It is surely no coincidence that this band contains former Coleman sidemen Dewey Redman and Charlie Haden. We hear Keith Jarrett on soprano saxophone, with nary a piano within earshot.

Beaming in from somewhere else entirely is Redman’s composition Pyramids Moving. It was recorded on the final day that the quartet worked together – October 16th, 1976, and released on the Impulse! album Bop-Be. Mr Redman plays chinese musette (illustrated below) instead of saxophone.

Keith Jarrett – Piece for Ornette (Long Version)
From El Juicio (The Judgement): Collectables COL-CD 6254 [Buy]

Keith Jarrett – Pyramids Moving
From Mysteries: The Impulse Years 1975-76: Impulse IMPD-4-189 [Buy]

Dewey Redman. Image Copyright Tony Rodgers

Dewey Redman: Sound Explorer

Richard — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 05:58:00 +0000

Dewey Redman Trio – QOW
Dewey Redman Trio – Joie de Vivre
From Coincide (Impulse! ASD-9300), rereleased on The Ear of the Behearer: IMP 12712 [Buy Here]

Dewey Redman is one of my favourite saxophonists, who I first heard in his role as a member of one of the most extraordinary bands ever to walk this Earth, Keith Jarrett’s “American Quartet” with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1931, Dewey Redman was a high school friend of Ornette Coleman, with whom he would play in later years in San Francisco and New York. After a spell on the west coast, Redman moved to New York around the time Coltrane died in 1967, and soon became known as a regular performer in exploratory ensembles such as Coleman’s own groups and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra.

Although one of the legends of the late 60s East Coast free scene, Dewey Redman’s distinctive sound has never quite lost the blues and gospel roots of his Texas childhood, something that comes through on these two tunes, both recorded in September 1974 for Redman’s Impulse! album Coincide, a trio date featuring Redman with Eddie Moore on drums and bassist Sirone (aka Norris Jones).

These are typical Redman performances, weaving in and out of tonality, enhanced by the implied harmonic freedom of the horn-bass-drums format. Joie de Vivre is close to being a ballad, while the mysteriously named QOW is a bluesy, funky romp defined by sing-song bass vamps from Sirone.

Dewey Redman is still active playing, recording and touring, and it is somewhat unfortunate that these days he stands somewhat in the shadow of his son, tenorman Joshua Redman.

Also worth Hearing…

Today, (Wednesday 6th April), (((NOMUSIC))) is streaming a 24 hour worldwide “audio diffusion” event today called Royal Battle. Performers include David Fenech (Paris), Fugu and the Cosmic Mumu (Tokyo), Scott Smallwood (Princeton) and the Alsace based (((NOMUSIC))) founders Carl Y and laboiteblanche. Turn the lights down low and turn it up!