Redman, Mehldau, McBride and Blade in the Mood again

The stellar quartet of Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade are set to reunite some 26 years after they first appeared together on saxophonist Redman’s 1994 album, Moodswing, with a brand new studio album, RoundAgain, released on 10 July via Nonesuch.

Once considered jazz’s 1990s brat pack, the Joshua Redman Quartet’s members are now edging toward elder-statesmen status and all rank among today’s top-billed artists. Their original recording together, Moodswing, was Redman’s third as a leader but proved to be a crossover success. The new recording is the first time the foursome have properly reunited for a single project since the release of that aforementioned album, though they’ve frequently collaborated over the years, notably with Redman featuring on several of Mehldau's own albums and the pair's ongoing duo partnership. RoundAgain features seven newly written originals, three from Redman, two from Mehldau, and one each from McBride and Blade. The have extensive touring plans for the summer which, at this stage, may well be affected by the global Covid-19 crisis. 

Commenting on the original band’s short-lived tenure together, Redman said: “I realised almost immediately that this band wouldn’t stay together for very long. They were without a doubt, for our generation, among the most accomplished and innovative on their respective instruments. They were already all in such high demand – everyone wanted to play with them! And they all had such strong and charismatic musical personalities – destined to start soon pursuing their own independent visions. I knew better than anyone else just how incredibly lucky I was to have even that short time with them.”

Pianist Mehldau adds: “We would have done it ten years ago if it were up to me. Josh, Christian and Brian are all my heroes. It’s like playing with The Avengers.” While bass boss McBride commented: “These guys have grown exponentially. They are super-monsters now, and playing with them gave me a hard look at myself. And when you’re intimate creating art, even if you don’t play together for 20 years, you only need two bars to realise what the feeling is about, because the feeling never leaves.”

The tracklisting for RoundAgain is as follows: 1. Undertow (Redman); 2. Moe Honk (Mehldau); 3. Silly Little Love Song (Redman); 4. Right Back Round Again (Redman); 5. Floppy Diss (McBride); 6. Father (Mehldau) and 7. Your Part to Play (Blade).

For more info visit www.nonesuch.com