The London Jazz Festival has come to a close, but not before Joshua Redman brought his virtuoso sax playing to Queen Elizabeth Hall. He and his trio—bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Greg Hutchinson—performed a set that included songs from his latest album, Back East. "Possessing an endless fund of ideas, effortless fluency, muscular tone and an immaculate technique," says the Observer, "he must be the most perfect tenor saxophonist alive today, and on Thursday he demonstrated flawlessly sculpted phrases and total control of the instrument, to the very extremities of its range." The Financial Times says it was "a masterclass in controlled collective improvisation."
The 16th annual London Jazz Festival—a 10-day affair comprising nearly 200 events across the city—came to a close this past Sunday night, but not before Joshua Redman brought his virtuoso sax playing to Queen Elizabeth Hall last Thursday. He and his trio—bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Greg Hutchinson—performed a set that included songs from his latest Nonesuch release, Back East, and the result was a stellar show that provided further proof that Redman is "a class apart" (Evening Standard).
Dave Gelly, reporting from the Festival for The Observer, called Redman's performance "the best thing I heard all week." "I've heard him before," Gelly writes, "but never in this form." He continues:
Possessing an endless fund of ideas, effortless fluency, muscular tone and an immaculate technique, he must be the most perfect tenor saxophonist alive today, and on Thursday he demonstrated flawlessly sculpted phrases and total control of the instrument, to the very extremities of its range.
Read more of Gelly's take on the Festival's events at music.guardian.co.uk.
The Financial Times says Thursday's show was "a masterclass in controlled collective improvisation." Writing in FT, Mike Hobart points particularly to the trio's performance of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," off the new record as "a thrilling display of musical intellect and emotional commitment." For more from the review, visit ft.com.
