The time has come in Joshua Redman’s career to release the required “with strings” or “ballad” album, and it’s quite an ambitious effort. He’s joined by Brad Mehldau along with buddies Larry Grenadier/b and Brian Blade/dr who are augmented much of the time by orchestrations provided by Dan Coleman. The selection of tracks is have the battle on these productions, and Redman is quite eclectic, writing some of his own as well as ranging from standards to Baby Boomer essentials all the way to modern tunes by the likes of John Mayer.
The trio pieces like Mayer’s “Stop This Train” and The Beatles’ “Let It Be” have many moments of thoughtful meditations, yet also veer a bit towards extroversion and higher registered yearnings at times, something players of Redman’s generation have a tendency of doing even in slower pieces. The romantic strings on “The Folks Who Live on the Hill” and “Easy Living” serve as a glorious format for Redman’s husky and warm tenor, and his take of “Stardust” is surprisingly fresh and ebullient. He broods with melancholy on Bach’s “Adagio” while pleading on soprano on Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes.” Mehldau and company doing get out front too often, but the pianist’s authority and charm is felt throughout, particularly on Redman’s own “Let Me Down Easy.” Impressive, with a mixture of bel canto and romance during the arias.
Nonesuch Records