Nearness (album)
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| Live album by Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau | ||||
| Released | September 9, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | July 7, November 12 14 16 23 24, 2011 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Nonesuch | |||
| Producer | Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau | |||
| Joshua Redman chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nearness | ||||
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Nearness is an album by jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau. It contains six duets recorded in concerts in Europe during 2011. The record was released on September 9, 2016 by Nonesuch.
Background
Pianist Mehldau played in saxophonist Redman's quartet in the 1990s, and Redman played on Mehldau's 2010 album Highway Rider.[1]
Music and recording
The album contains three originals and three covers.[2] On "Ornithology", "Redman's tenor traces the shape of the tune while Mehldau capriciously deconstructs the harmony and rhythms."[3] It "begins with the familiar cascade of swinging eighth notes, but almost immediately there are tempo shifts and rapid mood changes."[2] The theme of Thelonious Monk's "In Walked Bud" is largely implied rather than made explicit.[3] The tempo is then reduced, and alterations suggest another Monk composition, "Bright Mississippi".[2] "Without abandoning the structure and melody, they take the piece far afield. Then both musicians solo, concluding the piece with an improvised duet that accents the myriad possibilities in the tune."[2] "The Nearness of You" "highlights Mehldau's harmonic adventurousness and features a tour-de-force unaccompanied break from Redman."[3] that ends the piece.[2] It is played at a very slow tempo.[2]
Redman plays soprano saxophone on "Old West".[3] This and "Melancholy Mood" "feature the serene, pastoral themes that became popular during the ECM recordings of the '70s and '80s, but each musician takes thorny solos, more characteristic of free jazz."[2]
Release and reception
The album was released on September 9, 2016.[4] The reviewer for The Wall Street Journal described it as "an impressive work that showcases two active minds smartly updating classics."[2]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Financial Times |   [5] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| Allmusic | [6] |
Track listing
- "Ornithology" (Charlie Parker and Benny Harris) – 8:38
- "Always August" (Brad Mehldau) – 10:55
- "In Walked Bud" (Thelonious Monk) – 9:56
- "Mehlsancholy Mode" (Joshua Redman) – 12:36
- "The Nearness of You" (Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington) – 16:44
- "Old West" (Brad Mehldau) – 14:39
Track 1 recorded November 12, 2011, at Teatro Fernán Gómez, Madrid, Spain
Track 2 recorded November 16, 2011, at Kultur Casino, Bern, Switzerland
Track 3 recorded November 14, 2011, at De Oosterpoort, Groningen, Netherlands
Track 4 recorded November 24, 2011 at Alte Oper, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Track 5 recorded November 23, 2011 at Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
Track 6 recorded July 7, 2011 at Kongsberg Church, Kongsberg, Norway
Source: [7]
Personnel
- Joshua Redman – saxophone
- Brad Mehldau – piano
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] | 91 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] | 90 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[10] | 146 |
References
- ↑ Bentley, Chris (April 17 2012) "Mehldau and Redman at the Symphony Center – Review". Time Out.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Johnson, Martin (September 12, 2016) "'Nearness' by Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman Review: Jazz Standards for a Modern Age". The Wall Street Journal.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Fordham, John (September 8, 2016) "Joshua Redman/Brad Mehldau: Nearness review – terse lyricism and harmonic journeys". The Guardian.
- ↑ Yellen, Izzy (June 28, 2016) "Redman, Mehldau To Release Duo Album on Sept. 9". Down Beat.
- ↑ Hobart, Mike (September 9, 2016) "Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau: Nearness – Review". Financial Times.
- ↑ Collar, Matt. "Joshua Redman / Brad Mehldau Nearness". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ↑ "Joshua Redman + Brad Mehldau – Nearness". Nonesuch. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau – Nearness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau – Nearness" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 37, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 20, 2016.