Joshua Redman - Timeless Tales: For Changing Times (1998)

Picking up on Herbie Hancock's "New Standards" idea, borrowing some old standards, and splitting the total down the middle, Joshua Redman lends his warm fatback tone, arching skyward passages and a post-bop quartet concept to ten popular songs of the 20th century. Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and the Gershwins share space with the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and Prince -- distinguished songwriters all, yet the scorecard tells us that the oldsters' tunes consistently receive more interesting treatment than the rock/folk songs. "Yesterdays" is flexible enough to turn almost into an acoustic funk thing; "How Deep Is the Ocean" saunters along very soulfully; the near cha cha rhythm on "Love for Sale" pulls some inspired heat from Redman. On the other side of the divide, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" isn't very interesting, where even tricky rhythm changes and an Eddie Harris-like high note coda can't pump up an earthbound performance. "Eleanor Rigby" fragments under a jazz waltz treatment presumably planned with Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" in mind (Redman's soprano sounds desperately out of gas at the close). Oddly enough, a broadly funky Harris approach pays off on Prince's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore," the sole exception to the pattern. This is not to say that the rock/folk material is intrinsically inferior to the Tin Pan Alley standards -- no way. They simply do not translate very well into the language of the young neo-boppers, or at least, these neo-boppers on this given day. Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass) and Brian Blade (drums) make up the technically faultless, flexible piano trio, and most of the selections are separated by short, untitled interludes that usually grow more or less out of the preceding pieces. ~ by Richard S. Ginell, AMG. 

Warner Bros. Records, 9362-47052-2, 1998
Recorded at Avatar Studios, Manhattan, New York City

Musicians:
Joshua Redman - Tenor, Alto & Soprano Saxes
Brad Mehldau - Piano
Larry Grenadier - Bass
Brian Blade - Drums

Tracks:
01. Summertime {G. & I. Gershwin, Heyward} (6:16)
02. Interlude 1 {Joshua Redman} (0:45)
03. Visions {Stevie Wonder} (4:24)
04. Yesterdays {Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern} (7:19)
05. Interlude 2 {Joshua Redman} (0:34)
06. I Had A King {Joni Mitchell} (5:39)
07. The Times They Are A Changin' {Bob Dylan} (5:07)
08. Interlude 3 {Joshua Redman} (0:20)
09. It Might As Well Be Spring {Hammerstein II, Rodgers} (6:28)
10. Interlude 4 {Joshua Redman} (0:13)
11. How Deep Is The Ocean {Irving Berlin} (4:03)
12. Interlude 5 {Joshua Redman} (0:24)
13. Love For Sale {Cole Porter} (6:31)
14. Interlude 6 {Joshua Redman} (0:58)
15. Eleanor Rigby {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (8:46)
16. Interlude 7 {Joshua Redman} (0:34)
17. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore {Prince} (5:00) 

Total Time: 63:33 

Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes, Arranger - Joshua Redman
Producer, Engineer - James Farber
Assistant Engineer - Aya Takemura, Jay A. Ryan
Mastering Engineer - Greg Calbi
Photography - Robert M. Ascroft, II
Art Direction, Design - Robin Lynch 

Love For Sale

Dayna Stephens - Peace (2014)

Stephens met Mehldau at a performance in New York’s Smalls Jazz Club, where Mehldau remarked on how much he enjoyed Stephens’s baritone playing. It felt right asking Mehldau to be a part of this project, as his ballad playing is especially remarkable. The idea to create a recording highlighting Stephens’s ballad and baritone sax playing had been formed quite a while ago, by Stephens and producer Matt Pierson. Together Stephens and Pierson selected tunes and personnel, recorded in The Clubhouse recording studio in Rhinebeck, New York. The musicians selected to fill out the ensemble: guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Eric Harland, performing with Mehldau for his first time. The recording begins with “Peace,” a straightforward composition with attractive harmonic movement that highlights the ensemble’s immediate chemistry. "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" has deep sentimental meanings for the Bay area bred Stephens. "Zingaro" is nuanced and effective, especially in the blend between guitar and piano. “The Good Life," which is stripped down to a moving trio with Lage and Grenadier. “The Duke” feels leisurely, the dynamic interplay between the ensemble members keeps a spark in this longtime favorite. Two Ennio Morricone compositions follow: "Brothers", lovingly played on soprano, followed by an atmospheric "Deborah's Theme" on tenor. "Oblivion” is a loose take on the tango with a special solo turn from the highly gifted Lage and Stephens on soprano. “Body And Soul" is adapted to baritone, deepened only by Grenadier's deft bass playing in duo. “Two for the Road," is a true serenade on tenor and includes some intriguing musical choices from all. "Moonglow" closes the program in a dancing duet between the low voices of baritone and bass. Dayna Stephens's Peace is a recording that has just the right balance of talent, taste and patience. The compositions are perfectly suited for the musicians to really get to the heart of their meanings. The musicians are evocative and daring, yet bring an enormous amount of restraint to their playing, showing maturity that only decades of serious ballad play can garner. ~ Extract from daynastephens.bandcamp.com. 

Sunnyside Communications Inc., SSC 1399, 2014
Recorded at The Clubhouse, Rhinebeck, New York
Additional Recording at Strange Weather, Brooklyn, New York 

Musicians:
Dayna Stephens - Tenor, Soprano & Baritone Saxophones
Brad Mehldau - Piano
Julian Lage - Guitar
Larry Grenadier - Bass
Eric Harland - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Peace {Horace Silver} (6:34)
02. I Left My Heart In San Francisco {George Cory, Douglas Cross} (4:59)
03. Zingaro {Antônio Carlos Jobim} (7:48)
04. The Good Life {Sacha Distel, Jack Reardon} (6:31)
05. The Duke {Dave Brubeck} (3:58)
06. Brothers {Ennio Morricone} (1:43)
07. Deborah's Theme {Ennio Morricone} (4:00)
08. Oblivion {Astor Piazzolla} (4:59)
09. Body And Soul {Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton} (6:32)
10. Two For The Road {Henry Mancini} (6:09)
11. Moonglow {Will Hudson, Irving Mills, Eddie DeLange} (3:38) 

Total Length: 56:57 

Credits:
Producer - Matt Pierson
Executive Producer - Randi Norman
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Chris Allen
Engineer [Assistant] - Mike Dwyer
Additional Recording Engineer - Daniel Schlett
Mastering Engineer - Mark Wilder
Photography & Graphic Design - Christopher Drukker 

Peace