The power of three suits Joshua Redman
Grammy-nominated saxophonist coming to Lensic on May 5
Sax superstar Joshua Redman has emerged from the pandemic to play music celebrating the power of three.
The musician’s new “3x3” project emerged when he was on his way to the airport for a three-week European tour when the world shut down in March of 2020.
On Friday, May 5, Redman brings his new trio to Santa Fe’s Lensic Performing Arts Center.
The 10-time Grammy Award-nominated saxophonist found himself in the unprecedented situation of not being able to make music with another human being for more than six months.
“When I finally started getting together occasionally with folks for outdoor jam sessions,” he said, “the approach was predictably casual: ‘Let’s just play some tunes.’ Naturally, a lot of the tunes that were called were ones written by Duke, Monk or Wayne.”
With bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Marcus Gilmore, Redman formed the classic jazz trio format of saxophone, bass and drums.
Redman views the canonical contributions of Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk and Wayne Shorter as keyway stations in his own artistic development.
“The beauty and genius of Duke, Monk and Wayne is that their compositions beg no ‘reinvention,’” he said. “They are so cogent and complete, and yet so broadly malleable and interpretable just as they are. Of course, I’m not promising I won’t throw in a few of my own originals or original arrangements from time to time. It’s jazz. It’s improvisation. We go with the flow!”
National Public Radio said of the musician: “Redman is among the most accomplished living practitioners of the jazz tenor saxophone.”