Even by the Falcon’s lofty standards, this is a big one: On Saturday, September 7 the region’s premiere jazz-and-more venue presents MoodSwing Reunion, saxophonist Joshua Redman revisiting his landmark 1994 album with the quartet who made it, all of whom – to a man – a have gone on to become legitimate jazz superstars and generation-defining musicians and composers: drummer Brian Blade, bassist Christian McBride and pianist Brad Mehldau. To list these guys’ “worked with” credits would be laughably inappropriate; they are the cats you’d be ecstatic to put on your list, if only you were so lucky and so good.
The son of a maverick, influential Texas reedman by the name of Dewey Redman, Joshua somewhat surprised the jazz world by turning out to be more conservative and traditional than his father, in a reversal of the more common lineal narrative. In some ways, however, Redman’s “conservatism” was prescient, as many of the premier jazz artists of the 21st century have fought to reclaim some of the audience that jazz lost via inaccessibility without ever lowering jazz’s basic bar to entry. While its title may promise a shape-shifting ADHD that the record doesn’t quite fulfill, MoodSwing is an elegant, beautiful collection of Redman originals that cover quite a bit of ground, from the restrained, “All Blues”-inspired opener “Sweet Sorrow” through the poppy, backbeat-driven “Faith,” the purring Latin groove of “Alone in the Morning” and the exquisite untimed counterpoint of “Dialogue,” on which Joshua pays tribute to the Texas hornslingers Dewey and Ornette. Everything here is tuneful, tasteful and in every way above reproach. Amazing how far they have all come, too.
Per usual, there is no cover at the Falcon – not even for the Joshua Redman Quartet – but get your table reservations fast for this one, folks.
Joshua Redman Quartet
Saturday, Sept. 7, 8 p.m.
Donation
The Falcon
1348 Rt. 9W, Marlboro
www.liveatthefalcon.com