The trio used to be the standard by which all tenor saxists were measured, as there is nowhere to hide in the open space field of bass and drums. And, in a high rent area like Santa Barbara, space comes at a high price, as Joshua Redman joked with his audience this Tuesday night as he delivered material not only from his latest release (Trios Live) but also themes and songs that demonstrated that space can be used wisely if the room is filled with the right furniture.
The team of Redman with Reuben Rogers/b and Gregory Hutchinson/dr was able to create an open air market of ideas that never sounded cluttered but still revealed dexterity. The driving and exhuberant “Mack the Knife” and the dreamy and exotic “Indian Song” both displayed deft interplay while Redman’s velvety tone was smooth on the dark low tones and elegant on the penthouse level of sounds. The supporting cast was able to created a throbbing groove on the joyful “Floppy Disc” as well as create ethereal atmospheres as when Redman switched to his feathery soprano sax on ”Mantra #5.”
However, as with all things tenor, ballads are what win the day, and Redman created a Nimbus cloud of fluffiness during a reading of “I’m Glad There is You” which brought sighs from the audience. Also from the audience jumped up local tenor master Bob Reynolds, who went mano a mano with the leader for a relentless “Blackwell’s Message” that had the horns sending smoke signals back and forth to each other. Even more electrifying was the jaunt into the Led Zeppelin songbook for a sax-cum-heavy metal reading of “The Ocean” that was as hard hitting and thunderous as a volcanic explosion. Head banging never sounded so good!
Closing with the reflective and dreamy “She Knows,” Redman and company made musical communication on the tightrope look easy, even without a net to protect from a fall. Techniques and genres may come and go, but style and sound last through every era, as the third generation jazzman Redman knows and lives.
Upcoming shows include exciting guitar music by Leo Kottke Nov 8 and Dorado Schmitt Nov 11