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A TAV Curator’s Pick.

“Freddie Redd is a name that every jazz collector should know. During 1957-60, he recorded three memorable albums: San Francisco Suite (a trio date for Riverside), The Connection (his score for the famous play) and Shades Of Redd. While he has spent much of the time in obscurity since then, with occasional comebacks, Shades Of Redd is the obvious highpoint of the pianist-composer's recording career. Redd wrote the music specifically for the two mighty horn players featured with his quintet (altoist Jackie McLean and tenor-saxophonist Tina Brooks). While Redd's fine piano playing is an outgrowth of Bud Powell's, his writing style was always quite original and it clearly inspired the two contrasting saxophonists when they met up in 1960.

Filled with the optimism of the era and looking forward to freer sounds but staying closely connected to swinging hard bop, this formerly rare gem hints at John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman while sounding very much like Freddie Redd. No jazz collection is complete without Shades Of Redd. Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.” – Music Matters

“In an all too small discography, Freddie Redd's Shades of Redd is without a doubt his crowning achievement. Completed after a successful stint composing music for the stage play The Connection, Redd wrote music specifically geared for his two formidable front line saxophonists -- emerging alto giant Jackie McLean and the unsung hero of the tenor, Tina Brooks. Redd, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Louis Hayes, fresh out of the Detroit scene, took New York City by storm playing clubs and working with Redd when he was not doing production music.

All of these tracks, originals by Redd, are brimming with the hope, optimism, and fresh ideas of the early '60s, music perfectly rendered and representative of the time period. The darting, daring, tart sweet alto of McLean and the robust, lean, protein enriched tenor of Brooks fit beautifully together when they play in unison, and they do that a lot. The calm, lovely, then bursting into bop piece "The Thespian" sets the tone, followed by the swinging, head nodding "Blues-Blues-Blues," and the happy, hip, swing/shuffle "Melanie" brings the cream to the top. The teamwork displayed here rivals any seasoned veteran band of the era.” – All Music

 Musicians:

• Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean
• Bass – Paul Chambers
• Drums – Louis Hayes
• Leader – Freddie Redd
• Piano, Written-By – Freddie Redd
• Tenor Saxophone – Tina Brooks

Item description: