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Alexander artiest Joshua Redman

Joshua Redman
"These are some of the best reeds I have ever played. They have a warm, rich,
full-bodied sound; a feel which is both firm and flexible; great projection; and
tremendous longevity. The switch was well worth the time and effort."
Joshua Redman is one of the most acclaimed and charismatic jazz artists to
have emerged in the decade of the 1990s and we are greatly privileged to have
him with us as an Alexander World Artist.
Years ago when I was playing and first heard the "buzz" about this amazing
young Tenor player, whose father is the great tenor saxophonist Dewey
Redman, I realized right away that all the talk about him was justified. I couldn't
believe how fluidly and maturely he played, as if he had compressed an
assimilation of years in the jazz life into a very short period of time.
Notwithstanding his amazing technique, flow of ideas and large commanding
tone, it was clear that Joshua Redman was and is going places.
Another thing that amazed me was that Joshua graduated from Harvard and
seemed headed toward studying law at Yale. But instead he took a different
route and decided to go all the way into jazz. And the results? Winning first
place at the 1991 Thelonious Monk Competition, landing a recording contract
with Warner Bros., and soon on the cover of most jazz magazines.
Joshua Redman has either played or recorded with a virtual "Who's Who" of
contemporary jazz artists such as Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins,
Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade, Ray Brown, Dave Brubeck,
Chick Corea, Lionel Hampton, Roy Haynes, Milt Jackson, Elvin Jones, Quincy
Jones, Joe Lovano, Marcus Miller, Paul Motian, Dianne Reeves, McCoy Tyner,
and Cedar Walton. Joshua's current Elastic Band with the keyboard player Sam
Yahel, drummers Brian Blade and Jeff Ballard Momentum featuring guests
Me'Shell NdegeOcello, Flea, Peter Bernstein, Stefon Harris, Kurt Rosenwinkel,
& Nicholas Payton He provided the music for the film Vanya on 42nd Street and
is both seen and heard in the Robert Altman film Kansas City. In 2001, Redman
was named Artistic Director of the SF Jazz Spring Season (a program of the
San Francisco Jazz Festival), and in 2004 he launched the SF Jazz Collective,
an eight-piece ensemble dedicated to performing both commissioned works
and new arrangements of the work of great jazz composers.
Hearing Joshua on our reeds at the Tokyo Blue Note was a thrilling experience
because he got so much out of them and just made them sing. His amazing
range of musical concepts, supported with a technique of such high calibre
means that any idea that comes into his head is executed instantaneously, with
amazing grace, fluidity and vision. Joshua continues to forge ahead with great
purpose, never content to rest on his laurels, but always moving forward as his
playing continues to evolve to a higher plane of art.