Redd+

Redd's Blues didn't make it to LP until 1988 and CD until 2002 and that's a tip-off. It's a generic Blue Note disc, journeyman in the sense of not offering any great revelation, no undiscovered "shoulda-been-a-standard" composition, nothing to supplant The Connection as the first Freddie Redd disc to look for or add any greater luster to his welterweight reputation. The sextet lineup reads better than it plays - it's perfectly adequate, but no one sounds inspired except for trumpeter Benny Bailey, who was back in the U.S. for a handful of recording dates. Jackie McLean's tart tone is immediately recognizable on the up-tempo opener "Now," with a solid groove from Paul Chambers and drummer Sir John Godfrey, the latter fond of Art Blakey bombs that aren't obtrusive…

Survivors of the original hardbop era are an ever-dwindling fraternity, although attrition isn’t surprising for musical school that had its start well over a half-century ago. At 86, pianist Freddie Redd is still thankfully amongst that persistent number. He was a member of the New York jazz subculture in the Fifties that also included peers like Jackie McLean, Tina Brooks, Kenny Drew and others. An allergy to studio recording kept his discography comparatively slim, but his performance schedule remained healthy. In 1959 Redd aligned with the city’s Living Theater Company, composing the music for and starring in both the stage production and film version of Jack Gelber’s influential play The Connection. He secured a record contract with Blue Note contemporaneously although…

The Connection is an album of music composed for Jack Gelber's 1959 play of the same name by jazz pianist Freddie Redd which was released on the Blue Note label in 1960. It features performances by Redd, Jackie McLean, Michael Mattos, and Larry Ritchie.

Freddie Redd - Shades of Redd (1960) {2008 BN Rudy Van Gelder Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 381 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb
© 2008 Blue Note | 50999 5 14375 2 7 | 24-bit Remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

SHADES OF REDD is part of the seemingly endless stream of bop and post-bop albums released on Blue Note in the 1960s, and as such is easy to overlook. That, however, would be a mistake, as SHADES OF REDD is a gleaming gem of a find. With saxophonists Jackie McLean and Tina Brooks in the front line, pianist Freddie Redd leads a rhythm section through nine blues-inflected bop numbers of his own composition. Cool, elegant, and with plenty of swing factor, SHADES OF REDD might sound, theoretically, like any other disc from the period, but this is one of the sets where the elements came together perfectly. Jazz fans of nearly any stripe would do well to pick this up.