When tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University in 1991, he was presented with two choices -- he could either go on to Yale Law School or he could try his luck on the notoriously competitive New York jazz club scene.
He chose the latter.
And, in 1991, when he took the first prize at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz saxophone competition, there was little doubt among critics and fans alike that he had made the right choice.
Five years later, Redman has racked up almost every major jazz award, played with the young lions as well as the standard-bearers of jazz, and recorded five extremely successful albums.
Redman will appear at the Hopkins Center tonight, riding on the wave of his latest release, "Freedom in the Groove," a Warner Brothers production.
Featuring Peter Bernstein (guitar) and a rhythm section of Peter Martin (piano), Christopher Thomas (bass) and Brian Blade (drums), "Freedom in the Groove" is a reflection of Redman's eclectic taste and diverse musical education.
In the liner notes to the album, Redman wrote, "These days, I listen to, love, and am inspired by all forms of music. I sense the connections."
"I feel in much of the '90s hip-hop a bounce, a vitality, and rhythmic infectiousness which I have always felt in the bebop of the '40s and '50s."
His imagination and musical creativity, however, are more raw and urgent in concert situations, where he is more daring with the harmonic, melodic and rhythmic structure of a song.
Comparatively, his recorded efforts, with the exception of the live recording "Spirit of the Moment," are considerably more subdued than his studio efforts "Joshua Redman," "Wish," "MoodSwing" and "Freedom in the Groove."
"Spirit of the Moment," which was recorded at the Village Vanguard club in New York City, is perhaps the album which won Redman the most critical acclaim from jazz traditionalists.
Redman is in prime form on this album, which also showcased the 27-year old's mature compositional skill with 11 originals.
Redman's primary influences are reflected in his unique sound, which is a blend of Sonny Rollins' tone, John Coltrane's improvisation on dense, harmonic progressions and Charlie Parker's technical fluency over the instrument.
He is a skilled improviser who has finally acquired enough knowledge of the jazz idiom to make intelligent, thoughtful contributions to the development of modern music.
As a personification of jazz in the '90s, Redman brings a thoroughly needed boost of vitality, energy and creativity to the music which suffers from perhaps the most vocal "traditionalist" lobby.
The band will be accompanied by a fiery and cohesive rhythm section.
Blade, who anchors the trio with his relentless percussive discourse, is accompanied by Thomas, a steadfast and reliable bassist, and Martin, who masterminds the emotional dynamic of the rhythm section with his long, flowing melodic lines.
