Joshua Redman & SFJazz Collective Tour Dates

[TMadness1013]

New tour dates posted today for Redman's acoustic trio & SFJazz Collective:

www.joshuaredman.com


The website has been "under construction" for what seems like forever - I hope they reopen it with the forum they had.

[mayho]

I saw the collective at University of California Riverside, 3/16/06.

Jazz is DEAD!

Small theatre, maybe 300 seats? empty seats in the house. All of the musicians are world class players. But halfway through the show I noticed my wife nodding off, fighting sleep, I look to my right and notice a college student curled up in his seat sleep. I look around the audience and saw several other people slumped in their seats listening with their eyes closed?

The audience would applaud after each solo, but I was not moved! I marveled at the perfomers virtuosity, When Joshua started playing I decided to give up my tenor because I could never sound that good! But they didn't play anything that made me get out of my seat, or the ultimate test, entice me to buy a CD. If you can't sell me your music LIVE?

The music simply served as a framework for these people to solo. I couldn't sing, dance, or hum to it! There were moments if you walked in you would think, "man this is nice", At another level I told my wife it's almost like watching pornography, You could get off watching it, but you don't have a connection with another person. So I'm thinking is this what Jazz has evolved to? Imagine my horror when at the end of the evening the crowd responded from it's slumber with a standing ovation! What!!!

Where was the soul, the passion, the swing, This was/is music for snobs! I've been moved more by street performers I have seen/heard.

While walking to my car I wanted to get rid of my tenor because I don't want to be "that", or play "that". I would ask for a refund but the tickets were free.

Mayho

[MM]

Mayho, how much of your reaction was due to the lethargic crowd, of which of large fraction may not have been jazz fans, and the venue? I've never had a listening experience as intense as a small jazz club in a theater. It's too bad but an indifferent audience can spell death for a live music performance.

I've heard them a few times and like their compositions and arrangements. Did they perform half their own compositions and half compositions of a "jazz master?" I have both their CDs and listen to them frequently. In my case I like the CDs more than the live performances. I wouldn't classify them as "must-haves" however.

[Giganova]

I have tickets for a Josua Redman concert in the DC area (Strathmore) on Wednesday and will report back.

Jazz for sure is not dead -- seems like you just had a lame crowd who sucked the enthusiasm out of the musicians, mayho.

[BlueNote]

Joshua's Elastic Band stuff is interesting (especially off Momentum). I can't say that I love it, but I don't hate it either. It'll be interesting where it takes it. I didn't care much for his cuts off of Elastic, except "Jazz Crimes". I think he should quit playing alto on his albums, because he's a much better tenor player than an alto player. He plays the alto like he would a tenor, and I'd much rather hear him play differently on alto if he were to play it. Just my opinion, though. It's his career and he can do what he wishes.

I went through a phase where I wore out the CDs of his (figeratively), just loving his style. I guess I listened to him too much, because now I get bored listening to him. He can be very predictable in his solos. Despite that, he can play a lot of horn and show off his incredible chops and altissimo skills. And he obviously understands traditional, while at the same time blending jazz with soul/funk. Only a couple of his songs have actually moved me ("Riverwide" from Momentum and "Mt. Zion" from Spirit of the Moment).

But I must say, he put on quite a show two years ago with his trio at the Lionel Hampton Jazz festival. He can sure play that tenor of his!

[MM]

Yeah, Josh is a bit of a hot-dog. And lately he's been playing with commercial high-baffle tone, more so than Brecker, which doesn't move me. Back when he was just making a name for himself he played darker, maybe on a Link, and sounded better IMO.

I appreaciate that he's doing something different in the Elastic Band and recommend that people check them out. I took out their first CD from the library. Loved it at first, but after a few listenings I got tired of it.

Give him another decade or two for seasoning.

[mayho]

They played half of their compositions and the other half was Herbie Hancock.
I wouldn't blame the audience, I think it is the performers duty to establish a rapport with the audience. If people are not eating what you are serving, change the menu!

When they brought them out for an encore Joshua said, "Thanks you, but we expected it."

Again, I'm not saying this to knock JR or the collective, But that night, for me, the emporer had on no clothes. I'm willing to say it. Mayho

[Giganova]

Well, I just came back from the Joshua Redman & SFJazz Collective concerts and have to strongly disagree with most of the posts above:

The concert was at the Strathmore Music Center which is just outside of Washington DC. The concert hall can hold up to 2,000 people and my guess is that around 1,500 people were there. And they were absolutly enthusiastic about the music. Redman started with a looooong introduction explaining the compositions, making a coupla of jokes, and communicated with the audience all the time throughout the 2.5 hrs (!) concert. I didn't see anyone asleep and many people jumped out of their seats after solos and gave enthusiastic applause & whisled.

So Redman now uses a mpc with a baffle -- how outrageous is that?? Well, maybe he likes the sound better?! He hardly plays in the low register anyway, so why keep the deep mpc he used a few years ago? Are artists not allowed to evolve and search for their own sound?

I was surprised but appreciated that he tried to stay in the background (only a few solos here & there) and that he gave his fellow musicians a platform to show that they are world-class artists. No showing-off on his side. That tells a lot about his character, I think.

Overall, the entire concert was simply amazing, especially the original compositions of the ensemble members.

[bennettcarl]

Josh isn't playing a high-baffled anything. I saw him recently and its the same rubber Otto Link he's been playing for years after he ditched his metal link for a warmer tone. Its just his more agressive style of playing that's getting him a little edge on the funk stuff. I personally would like to see him release another jazz album. "Beyond" was incredible.

[RickBusarow]

It's another month before I'm going to see Josh. I can't wait!

I don't think he's changed his setup, though. At least, this (http://www.louisville.edu/music/localresources/images/jazz/collective/Joshua%20Redman%20w%20Nicholas%20Payton%20and%20Mi guel%20Zenon.jpg) is a huge pic of him playing with the SF Jazz Collective, using his usual Link/Ultimate Lig setup, taken in March of 05. If you listen to their Trane and Ornette Coleman stuff, you'll hear that Josh's tone had the bit of texture/edge to it then as well. However, if you listen to Momentum, it's the usual Redman sound. What's the difference? Well, Miguel Zenon's sound has a bit of texture to it. When Josh plays with Miguel, he's allowing his sound to change so that they, as a horn section, become more homogenous. I wish all players would have that kind of sensitivity.

[Giganova]

He used the same HR mouthpiece yesterday.

His fellow alto player seems to be a bit obsessive: each time he stopped playing he immediately put the cap on the mouthpiece ... a few minutes/seconds later he put it off again to be able to play ... :banghead:

[BlueNote]

His fellow alto player seems to be a bit obsessive: each time he stopped playing he immediately put the cap on the mouthpiece ... a few minutes/seconds later he put it off again to be able to play ... :banghead:

LOL, I'm just waiting for him to accidentally leave it on when he is about to play. I've had that happen before haha.

[Giganova]

LOL, I'm just waiting for him to accidentally leave it on when he is about to play. I've had that happen before haha.
Ahhhh, I forgot to mention that: he had a white piece of paper wrappend around the mpc cap so he didn't accidentally leave it on when he starts to play! Like a big white thing to remind him ... funny but a bit strange in a way, huh? :D