Watch: Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride & Brian Blade in Conversation
The members of the original Joshua Redman Quartet—Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade—who reunite for the upcoming album RoundAgain, met up for a conversation about the project, their first recording together since 1994’s MoodSwing. They shared stories from their long history together while at the Falcon in upstate New York for a performance last fall. You can watch the conversation here, along with previously released performances of two RoundAgain tracks from the concert.
The members of the original Joshua Redman Quartet—Redman (saxophone), Brad Mehldau (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Brian Blade (drums)—who reunite for the upcoming album RoundAgain, met up for a conversation about the project, their first recording together since 1994’s MoodSwing. They shared stories from their long history together while at the Falcon in Marlboro, New York, for a performance last September. You can watch the conversation below, along with previously released performances of two RoundAgain tracks from the concert.
Over the chat, the four musicians talk about how they met, the “spiritual alchemy” that occurs when they play together, the various influences they each bring to the table, how listening habits have changed in the quarter century since their last album, the art of crafting a set list, and Redman’s role as bandleader.
“Whatever that thing is that the four of us had, it sure has survived twenty-five years,” Redman says. “It’s right there, you can feel it. It’s just in the way we relate to the beat and each other’s sounds.”
“We’re referencing a body of work that was closest to all of our hearts,” says Mehldau, “which is this great swinging sound of modern jazz.”
“There’s this really incredible balance of the spiritual and the intellectual,” says McBride.
“We’re building something together,” adds Blade, “and it’s precious.”
- Log in to post comments
Related Posts
-
Tuesday, July 28, 2020Tuesday, July 28, 2020
In this essay, composer Sarah Kirkland Snider shares the story of (and behind-the-scenes photos from) her collaboration with video designer Deborah Johnson / CandyStations on Mass for the Endangered. The Mass, with a libretto by poet/writer Nathaniel Bellows, is a celebration of, and an elegy for, the natural world, an appeal for greater awareness, urgency, and action. The recording, on which the English vocal ensemble Gallicantus performs the piece, is due September 25. 'Sanctus/Benedictus,' from the piece, is available now, as is Johnson's video for it.
Journal Topics: Artist EssaysArtist NewsVideo -
Monday, July 1, 2019Monday, July 1, 2019
Composer William Brittelle has shared the full score for and story of "Forbidden Colors," from his new album, Spiritual America. On the album, Wye Oak, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and the Metropolis Ensemble perform a genre-defying electro-acoustic song cycle written by Brittelle, who works to reconcile his youth in a conservative Christian household with his adult life as an "agnostic Buddhist." You can download the "Forbidden Colors" score and follow along as Brittelle breaks it down here.
Journal Topics: Artist Essays