Freddie Redd - Shades of Redd

Freddie Redd is a name that every jazz collector should know. During 1957-60, he recorded three memorable albums: San Francisco Suite (a trio date for Riverside), The Connection (his score for the famous play) and Shades Of Redd. While he has spent much of the time in obscurity since then, with occasional comebacks, Shades Of Redd is the obvious highpoint of the pianist-composer's recording career. Redd wrote the music specifically for the two mighty horn players featured with his quintet (altoist Jackie McLean and tenor-saxophonist Tina Brooks). While Redd's fine piano playing is an outgrowth of Bud Powell's, his writing style was always quite original and it clearly inspired the two contrasting saxophonists when they met up in 1960. Filled with the optimism of the era and looking forward to freer sounds but staying closely connected to swinging hard bop, this formerly rare gem hints at John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman while sounding very much like Freddie Redd. No jazz collection is complete without Shades Of Redd.

After he found tremendous success composing music for and starring in both the stage and film versions of The Connection, Freddie Redd chose to compose music with his two outstanding sax players, Jackie McLean and Tina Brooks, in mind. These seven spectacular originals by Redd offer a unique and essential perspective on early ’60s bop. The interplay between McLean’s sweet alto and Brooks’s robust tenor makes Shades of Redd a hallmark of its era and an essential addition to any jazz collection.

"Shades Of Redd is more quirkily melodic, less bop-driven. It opens with "Thespian," a moody, soulful tune that finds the group strolling in unison until Jackie McLean cuts loose and challenges Brooks to follow on tenor." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, September 2009, Issue 196

Features:
• Remastered from the Original Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note Master Tapes!
• Remastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at Acoustech
• Cut at 45rpm for Better Sound!
• Pressed on two 180 gram Virgin Vinyl LPs by RTI
• Limited Edition
• Ultra-Durable, Extra Thick Album Jackets
• Gatefold Album with Session Photos in stunning High Resolution

Musicians:
Jackie McLean, alto sax
Tina Brooks, tenor sax
Freddie Redd, piano
Paul Chambers, bass
Louis Hayes, drums

Selections:
1. Thespian
2. Blues-Blues-Blues
3. Shadows
4. Melanie
5. Swift
6. Just A Ballad For My Baby
7. Ole