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
Common Ground cover

Common Ground

Gary Burton
Electric Byrd cover

Electric Byrd

Donald Byrd
Harmony of Difference cover

Harmony of Difference

Kamasi Washington
Rhapsody in Blue cover

Rhapsody in Blue

Deadstring Orkestra
Monk’s Dream cover

Monk’s Dream

Thelonious Monk Quartet
This Is Our Music cover

This Is Our Music

The Ornette Coleman Quartet
Connect cover

Connect

Charles Tolliver
Apex cover

Apex

Bunky Green, Jason Moran, Rudresh Mahanthappa