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Joshua Redman acknowledges that the title of his new Blue Note album, Words Fall Short, could be viewed ironically. His previous and widely acclaimed Where Are We was his first to pair a vocalist with one of his many monumental Quartets; yet Words Fall Short is anything but a comment on the saxophonist’s last triumph. More accurately, his latest offering is an organic next step, a collection of previously unheard originals brought to life by inspiring new collaborators. “It’s impossible for me to will a project into being,” he says of the wide-ranging adventures he has embarked upon in what is now his fourth decade as a recording artist. “This album came out of a working environment that inspired me to dig into compositions that hadn’t found a home yet.”The process began as the first leg of Redman’s Where Are We Tour concluded and pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Joe Sanders, and drummer Brian Blade each left to honor other commitments.
In building a new rhythm section, Redman found himself drawn to younger players he had recently encountered. Bassist Philip Norris and drummer Nazir Ebo came aboard first, and Redman quickly knew he had made the right moves. “Not since Christian McBride can I recall experiencing an acoustic jazz bassist who seemingly has it all together at such a young age,” he says of Norris, “and Nazir has groove in spades, a groove that is super-flexible, in the flow of the moment and with an innate sense of architecture that always serves the song.” By summer of 2023, pianist Paul Cornish had completed the quartet’s transformation. “Paul is the perfect balance of empath and contrarian, challenging everyone to break away from the established patterns, while still always making the music feel good and natural in the moment.”
As the new quartet performed steadily over the next several months, Redman felt a vibe developing, one brought to fruition by a stack of music the saxcaphonist created during the pandemic.
“My dry writing periods lead me to question whether I’m really a “Composer,'” he confesses. “I might not have a gig for months, but I touch my horn every day. I don’t compose regularly, but during the pandemic I had nothing but time to develop ideas….Still, until I can play a tune with other human beings, it remains more theory than a reality.” Redman’s unheard new music made the transition in September 2024, when his new quartet had logged almost a year of performances. “We were at a soundcheck, and I decided to try one of the tunes. It felt good, and I said, ‘Let’s try another.’ After we ran through maybe three more in ten minutes, I realized that we were ‘ready.'”
Cornish, Norris, and Ebo impress on each of the album’s eight tracks. While they have moments to emerge and take the spotlight, they also provide a distinctive ensemble personality, one in which spnotaneity and sesitivity keep the music fluid yet coherent. They are a rhythm section with character, one in sync with the priorities of their leader. “My approach to bandleading is unchanged,” Redman says. “Play with the best musicians I can find, virtuosos who have mastered all the different jazz vocabularies, but who are also great listerners and collaborators — who know how to express their individual brilliance through group improvisation and collective interaction.”
WORDS FALL SHORT released on BLUE NOTE RECORDS June 20, 2025
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