Being a distinguished musician is one thing, but being a charismatic gentleman with a world-view is another.
Being both? Possibly a masterstroke. Yet it’s all in a day’s work for the modern day American jazz great Joshua Redman. And likewise, in hindsight, his path into music seems inevitable, despite what appears to have been an early misstep. “My personality went to academics before music and I thought I would end up doing something else.
“I went to college thinking I’d be a doctor and then I wanted [to do] law school, but found music much later – and only really found direction when I turned professional at 22.”
Moving on, Joshua explains how he was exposed to music from an early age through his father, Dewey Redman. “He was a great jazz musician and played with some great jazz musicians. While I didn’t grow up with him, I was aware of his music. When I was born, my father was already living in New York while I grew up in Berkeley, California.
“But when he came to town I would go and see him – and with my mother being into soul, jazz, rock and so much more, I was exposed to a lot of different music. Yet I never thought I would be a professional musician; I certainly didn’t take a disciplined approach to it until much later.”
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Redman’s career has been a journey, with his professional development as a musician something he terms “not standing still”. “You’re always evolving and doing different things as a bandleader,” he explains. “Kind of like playing your own way. I’ve never felt that it was a struggle – people talk about finding your own sound in jazz like it’s this epic search, something you embark on after many years, trying to find this magic – and it’s not like that.”
Musically, Redman believes all musicians have their own sound and identity — for better or worse. “Yet I feel I’ve always had it,” he says humbly. “Jazz is music, so for me it’s about getting deeper into the sound and language of music, being able to communicate with other musicians better — and with it, deepening your ability to express yourself.”
Finally, the jazz legend shares a few words about his forthcoming trip down under. “I’ve been to Australia before, but never to Brisbane,” he says. “I’ll be coming with my band – we’re also good friends – and they’re some of my favourite musicians on the planet. We play together a lot and with spirit and energy. Repertoire wise, we’ll play some newer material but also some older songs. The book for the band is fairly broad so we have a lot of music to choose from.”
Joshua Redman
Fri Jun 6 - Melbourne Recital CentreSat Jun 7 - Queensland Multicultural Centre (Brisbane)
Sun Jun 8 - Australian Institute of Music, John Painter Hall (Sydney)
