StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The Joshua Redman Trio

This week, let's take a look at some video clips of saxophonist Joshua Redman, who will be in St. Louis this coming Wednesday, October 6 through Saturday, October 9 to play at Jazz at the Bistro. Often acclaimed as one of the top tenors of his generation, the 41-year-old Redman is no stranger to St. Louis, having played here last year with the Blue Note 7 at the Sheldon Concert Hall and, before that, at the Bistro with his electric band.

This time, however, Redman will be going back to basics, playing strictly acoustic music in his long-running trio with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Given that the trio format provides particular challenges and opportunities for creative musicians, it seems an opportune time to preview some samples of the Redman troika at work.

In the embedded window up above, you can see Redman, Rogers and drummer Brian Blade performing the Thelonious Monk song "Trinkle, Tinkle" in 2008 at the Jazz Onze+ festival in Lausanne, Switzerland. (As an aside, how badass is your band when Brian Blade is your _substitute_ drummer? Apparently...pretty darn badass.)

Down below, you can hear Redman, Rogers and Hutchinson play "Wagon Wheels" in an undated clip recorded at the Melting Point in Athens, Georgia, and below that, there's an excerpt from a 2009 performance at the Dakota in Minneapolis.

In the fourth slot, you'll find an extended interview Redman did in 2008 with veteran journalist and critic Gary Giddins, in which the saxophonist discusses his then-new CD release Compass as well as his background and career to date. There are brief intros of Giddins and Redman at the start; the actual conversation starts about four minutes in with some musings about the 2008 election and then segues into more personal and musical topics. For more, the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson this week did an brief interview with Redman in which they discuss the trio and the upcoming Bistro gig, and it's available online here.