Tenor saxist Joshua Redman shows the advantages of having a long-time team keep together over the years. A sense of mind reading friendships abound with pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson on this collection of originals. The tunes are a mix of relaxed mellow ballads that meld Redman’s breathy tenor with Goldberg’s sublime variations with some fun toe tappers.
The rhythm section gives a jivey R&B feel to the sweaty backbeat of “Stagger Bear” while Hutchinson snaps to the advanced harmonics of the post bopper “I’ll Go Mine.” Goldberg and Hutchinson do some ricocheting on “How We Do” and the intricate “DGAF” can only be accomplished by kindred spirits, otherwise a 4 man pileup would cause major bodily harm.
As for Redman, his tone is gorgeous, floating on the soft “Vast” and burning with orange coals over Goldberg’s elegant touch for the title track. As comfortable and timelessly stylish as 20 year old Bass Weejun slip-ons.