Renowned for their awe-inspiring improvisation techniques and seemingly telekinetic musical connection on stage, powerhouse jazz duo Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau are making their debut Queensland performance in October.
Both musicians have forged successful careers as solo artists, demonstrating an incredible talent and virtuosity that established the two as leading musicians in modern jazz. “I always loved the sound of the saxophone: my father played, and though I didn't grow up with him, I grew up listening to his music on records,” Joshua says.
“I guess for me, the saxophone has always been my expressive way of singing, coming from somebody who has a horrible voice!”
But alongside Brad on the piano, the long-term friends and long-term duo create undeniable magic together on stage. “Brad Mehldau is one of my dearest and closest collaborators and friends. I've been performing with him for almost as long as I've been playing professionally!” Joshua exclaims.
“Sometimes we go fairly long stretches of time without playing together, but every time we reunite, we simply pick up where we left off. We've always had a special connection musically, a great musical rapport in the conversational way in which we play,” he says. “We really listen very deeply and intently to what the other is playing, which is how I believe we connect.”
Despite collaborating with a number of talented jazz musicians in the past, Joshua claims performing with Brad has always felt particularly effortless. “I feel fortunate in my life that I've been able to make music with so many great musicians, and I do have special connections with a lot of different people. But the connection with Brad was different from day one, from the first time we made music together there was some special chemistry, something extra special, and I think we've just built on that over the years.”
The duo is thrilled to return to Australia to perform, Joshua noting his excitement to travel to Queensland for the first time. “All of my friends have been there, but somehow I managed to miss that spot somewhere along the way!” he laughs. “I very much enjoy performing in Australia, it's such a beautiful country and a special place, I wish I got there more often. I love the spirit, and I love the attitude of the people, everybody's really warm and really friendly.
“I always feel like the audience is really enthusiastic, but also really attentive and reflective: it's the best of both worlds, the best of the introvert and the extrovert.”
Joshua describes the impending show as 99.99 per cent improvisation, a common yet complex technique in jazz music. “Even when we're playing the melody to a song, which might be written, it's with an improvisational attitude and an improvisational approach,” he reveals.
“The way I might phrase a melody, or the way Brad might phrase a bassline or a sequence of chords is different every single time. And I think especially with Brad, there is a constant, spontaneous dialogue bubbling under the surface of the music: realistically, it's all improvisation, the way I look at it.”
Rehearsals are rare for the talented duo, who instead map out the melodies while on stage before the crowd. “But we still try to respect the mood of a song, each song has a certain story that needs to be told, each song has a certain flavour, a certain mood,” Joshua says.
“There are elements of consistency from night to night as well, it's not like every single song is just a complete free for all. And I think we're both also very aware of architecture in music, so even though we're improvising, it's spontaneous, but it's not necessarily random. We want to develop a sense of where we might be going, so that hopefully there's some sort of story that's being told, some sort of narrative there.”
Joshua humbly describes his rare musical talent and capability to improvise as “a natural human ability”.
“People talk about it as if it's something mysterious, something hard to access!” he laughs. “But improvisation is something we do in every aspect of our human lives, every single day, we're not following a script, or reading from a teleprompter.
“Though of course, when you're playing music like jazz, it's a very sophisticated language, and you have to learn how to improvise within that language, which does take a tremendous amount of time, dedication and study.”
Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau Shows
Wed 19 Oct - The Concourse (Sydney)Fri 21 Oct - Melbourne Recital Centre
Sun 23 Oct - QPAC (Brisbane)
