LongGone  cover
Released

The 2020 reunion of saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Brian Blade, who’d made Redman’s 1994 album MoodSwing together then gone their separate ways, was received with such rapture from ’90s jazz heads, they knew they had to go back to the well at least one more time. This sequel feels a little slighter (five new compositions and a live version of “Rejoice,” from MoodSwing), but the quartet’s joy in playing together is audible throughout. There’s nothing rote here, and Redman’s solos often grow nearly ecstatic. The ballad “Statuesque” is a highlight, with the saxophonist’s gentle, careful lines supported by McBride’s equally thoughtful bass work as Blade and Mehldau offer both foundation and accents. And when the tempo picks up, it feels earned, not theatrical. Redman’s unaccompanied intro to “Kite Song” is compelling, drawing the listener into a piece that shimmers like a sunlit cloud.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
The Intangible Between cover

The Intangible Between

Captain Black Big Band, Orrin Evans
Free to Play cover

Free to Play

Espen Berg Trio
Lebroba cover

Lebroba

Bill Frisell, Wadada Leo Smith, Andrew Cyrille
Yakhal' Inkomo cover

Yakhal' Inkomo

Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi
The Dreamer Is the Dream cover

The Dreamer Is the Dream

Joe Martin, Marcus Gilmore, Chris Potter, David Virelles
In for a Penny, In for a Pound cover

In for a Penny, In for a Pound

Henry Threadgill Zooid
Without Deception cover

Without Deception

Johnathan Blake, Kenny Barron, Dave Holland
Unity Band cover

Unity Band

Pat Metheny, Antonio Sánchez, Ben Williams, Chris Potter
Hot Rats cover

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa
Seven cover

Seven

Cameron Graves
Orchestras cover

Orchestras

Bill Frisell