Freddie Redd: Shades Of Redd-1983 Blue Note Japanese Import Reissue Mono Record

$

36

1983 King Record Co. Japanese Import Mono Reissue of Classic 1960 Blue Note Release on Bandleader/Composer/Pianist Freddie Redd Entited Shades of Redd, Produced by Alfred lion, Recording by Rudy Van Gelder, Liner Notes by Nat Hentoff, All Compositions Written by Freddie Redd - "A classic bop pianist and a composer of haunting melodies, Freddie Redd has had an episodic career, with high points followed by periods in which he maintained a low profile. After a period in the Army (1946-1949), Redd worked with drummer Johnny Mills and then in New York played with Tiny Grimes(with whom he recorded), Cootie Williams, Oscar Pettiford, and the Jive Bombers. Redd, who appeared with both jazz and early R&B groups, recorded his debut as a leader for Prestige in 1955 (reissued in the OJC series), appeared on dates led by Gene Ammons and Art Farmer, and toured Sweden in 1956 with Ernestine Anderson and Rolf Ericson, cutting an obscure trio set in Sweden for the Metronome label. When he returned to the U.S., Redd settled for a time in San Francisco, where he worked as the house pianist at Bop City and recorded for Riverside. He found his greatest fame when he wrote the music for the play The Connection. He acted and played in the landmark show in New York, London, and Paris, was in the film, and recorded the music for Blue Note, the first of his three sessions for the label (all of which were reissued in a Mosaic limited-edition box set containing either two CDs or three LPs). Unfortunately, there were no encore writing assignments, and Redd soon moved to Europe, where he performed regularly but became quite obscure in the U.S. In 1974 he moved to Los Angeles, but despite worthy sessions for Interplay (1977), Uptown (1985), Triloka (1988), and Milestone (1990), Freddie Redd has remained an underrated great, still playing into his eighties during the 21st century without gaining the level of recognition he most certainly deserves." - "In an all too small discography, Freddie Redd's Shades of Redd is without a doubt his crowning achievement. Completed after a successful stint composing music for the stage play The Connection, Redd wrote music specifically geared for his two formidable front line saxophonists -- emerging alto giant Jackie McLean and the unsung hero of the tenor, Tina Brooks. Redd, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Louis Hayes, fresh out of the Detroit scene, took New York City by storm playing clubs and working with Redd when he was not doing production music. All of these tracks, originals by Redd, are brimming with the hope, optimism, and fresh ideas of the early '60s, music perfectly rendered and representative of the time period. The darting, daring, tart sweet alto of McLean and the robust, lean, protein enriched tenor of Brooks fit beautifully together when they play in unison, and they do that a lot. The calm, lovely, then bursting into bop piece "The Thespian" sets the tone, followed by the swinging, head nodding "Blues-Blues-Blues," and the happy, hip, swing/shuffle "Melanie" brings the cream to the top. The teamwork displayed here rivals any seasoned veteran band of the era. Redd's piano playing, never spectacular or boisterous, is instead literate and street smart, and comes to the forefront in any tempo, whether the fleet hard bopper to Latin tinged near-show tune "Swift" and the spicy calypso to swing strutter "Ole," where Brooks steps up and takes a marvelous John Coltrane cum Hank Mobley solo. McLean's feature on "Just a Ballad for My Baby" illustrates his unique style, slightly but purposefully using microtones that might seem somewhat off-putting to the non-cognoscenti, but is remarkable upon closer inspection. Considering this is 1960, and Ornette Coleman was also making his way beyond conventional means, McLean is innovating just as much. Stretched out alternate takes of "Melanie" and "Ole" are included on this single CD, and are also available on Redd's 1988 Mosaic label reissue of his complete Blue Note efforts. Redd is still alive as of this writing, performing occasionally in his Los Angeles area home and in New York in 2007 for a revisited production of The Connection. Shades of Redd, his zenith as a jazz musician, would be a wonderful addition to any collection, and shows that the lesser known musicians have plenty of music to play, in addition to a unique perspective aside from the giants of this music." - Sensational Personnel for the Quintet Features Legendary Composer Freddie Redd on Piano, the Great Jackie McLean on Alto Saxophone, the Brilliant Tina Brooks on Tenor Saxophone, the Amazing Paul Chambers on Bass and Louis Hayes on Drums! - Selections on Side One Are the Thespian, Blues Blues Blues & Shadows at 7 Minutes 24 Seconds - Tracks for Side Two Consist of Melanie, Swift, Just a Ballad for My Baby and Ole at 6 Minutes 26 Seconds - Used Copy, Front Cover Has a Light Surface Ring, Back Cover Has Signature and Track Listing Written in Blue Ink from Previous Owner, Record Mint- - Japanese Import, Mono Recording, Product Code K18P-9207(BLP-4045) - California Residents Add 9.75% Sales Tax - International S & H Extra -