By MATT WEST
Local jazz enthusiasts are getting just what they want for Christmas: Joshua Redman is coming to town.
The world-renowned and sought-after saxophonist will perform with his trio Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City.
Redman is appearing as part of the 'Jazz at the Hilton' concert series, and will definitely be the highlight of the year for jazz lovers in the area.
'We are extremely pleased he and his group fit our series into their hectic concert schedule,' Larry Jackstein, director of the Jazz at the Hilton Series, has said. 'It gives us a chance to showcase one of the most in-demand groups performing today.'
In the short time that the young Redman has been in the public eye, jazz critics have hailed him as the hottest jazz saxophonist of the '90s. He consistently tops the charts in Down Beat and Jazziz magazine polls. He seems to have become somewhat of an icon for non-jazz critics from the outside looking in. He's even been titled as the 'head of the pack' for a new breed of jazz musicians who now dominate the scene and are attempting to carry on the rich and elite tradition of jazz legends.
But Redman does not fit the mold of those gone before him: in the genealogical, 'the-older-the-better' world of jazz improvisation, Redman is quite an anomaly. He's a phi beta kappa, summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University who skipped an invitation to Yale Law School to play professionally. He's a soft-spoken, genuine, easy-going individual, which drastically contrasts the self-destructive and blunt personalities of the most famous of past jazz players. And he's only 28: virtually a boy's age in professional jazz, but has already captured the acclaim and following of a player twice his age.
'It's incredible to me that a person this young shows the maturity of a mainstream jazz master,' Jackstein has said.
Redman will be playing with two players who are in themselves headline acts. Christian McBride, bass player, is a jazz regular who has recorded several of his own CDs along with a number of albums with today's top players. He also tops polls across the world as one of the best jazz bassists alive. Brian Blade, drummer from New Orleans, is renown for his complexity and intensity. Redman himself has said that Blade is a 'key-anchor' and a 'backboard' for his style of playing.
Tickets for the show are $20, and can be obtained through the Hilton Hotel; seating is limited.