Joshua Redman

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Joshua Redman

Joshua Redman at the North Sea Jazz Festival of 2007
Photo by Siebe van Ineveld
Background information
Born February 1, 1969
Origin United States
Genre(s) Jazz
Instrument(s) Tenor saxophone, Soprano saxophone
Label(s) Warner Bros., Nonesuch
Website joshuaredman.com

Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer who records for Nonesuch Records. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Redman, who is both African American and Jewish American, was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman and his wife, Renee Shedroff. He was exposed to many kinds of music at the Center for World Music in Berkeley, where his mother studied South Indian dance. Some of his earliest lessons in music and improvisation were on recorder with gamelan player Jody Diamond.

He graduated from Berkeley High School [1], class of 1986. In 1991, he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. During college, he was called Josh Shedroff (Shedroff being his mother's maiden name).

Redman won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, also in 1991, and began focusing on his musical career. Redman continued to develop his style throughout the 1990s, beginning with a sideman appearance on Elvin Jones' "Youngblood" alongside Javon Jackson (recorded at Van Gelder studios in April 1991), and following up with an appearance on his father Dewey's 1992 record Choices. On his second album as a leader, Wish, he was joined by a notable lineup consisting of guitarist Pat Metheny, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins; he would later tour this album as The Joshua Redman Quartet, featuring Christian McBride in place of Charlie Haden[citation needed]. He continued to work with various quartets, including one with pianist Brad Mehldau until forming a new trio, Elastic, with keyboardist Sam Yahel and drummer Brian Blade. The trio debuted under the moniker Yaya3, producing one album under this name. The same group of musicians made up the core on Redman's Elastic album, before becoming known as the Joshua Redman Elastic Band. Some of his works were featured on The Weather Channel's Local On The 8s.

In addition to his efforts with Elastic, Redman was the artistic director of San Francisco's SFJAZZ Collective from 2004-2007. Redman has made a guest appearance on an episode of the TV show Arthur as the uncle of Francine, one of the main characters. The episode also depicts him in a boxing match against classic cellist Yo-Yo Ma. He was a sideman in the Japanese blues group, The Seatbelts that did the music for Cowboy Bebop. He also appeared on Reading Rainbow, episode 127 "Hip-Cat," in which Redman discussed with host Levar Burton the importance of music and how jazz had affected his life, which he followed with a live performance.

Redman has also appeared on recordings and in live performances by Umphrey's McGee.[2] On his album, Back East, Redman paid tribute to Sonny Rollins' 1957 album Way Out West, teaming up with musicians including Brian Blade, Christian McBride, Al Jackson, Joe Lovano, and his late father.

Redman was also an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists. [3]

[edit] Discography

Joshua Redman at Seattle's Jazz Alley in April, 2009
Title Year of Release Label
Joshua Redman 1993 Warner Bros.
Wish 1993 Warner Bros.
Moodswing 1994 Warner Bros.
Joshua Redman Captured Live 1994 Warner Bros.
Spirit of the Moment - Live at the Village Vanguard 1995 Warner Bros.
Freedom in the Groove 1996 Warner Bros.
Timeless Tales for Changing Times 1998 Warner Bros.
Beyond 2000 Warner Bros.
Passage of Time 2001 Warner Bros.
Elastic 2002 Warner Bros.
Momentum 2005 Nonesuch
Back East 2007 Nonesuch
Compass 2009 Nonesuch

[edit] References

  1. ^ PBS - JAZZ A Film By Ken Burns: Selected Artist Biography - Joshua Redman
  2. ^ The Bottom Half mp3s, The Bottom Half music downloads, The Bottom Half songs from eMusic.com
  3. ^ Independent Music Awards - Past Judges

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Redman"
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