{"id":10704,"date":"2025-06-19T06:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T11:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=10704"},"modified":"2025-06-19T06:30:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T11:30:21","slug":"words-fail-joshua-redman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/words-fail-joshua-redman\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Joshua Redman\u2019s \u2018Words Fall Short\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Joshua Redman did not follow suit after his first vocal album, <em>where are we<\/em> (Blue Note, 2024).&nbsp; Sure, vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa appears on a track, but gone is the supergroup rhythm section of Aaron Parks, Joe Sanders, and Brian Blade, all of whom left to honor other commitments. Yet, Redman had compositions in the tank &#8211;&nbsp; left over from the pandemic period &#8211;&nbsp; and was eager to find a new crew to give these mostly instrumental tunes life. With <em>Words Fall Short<\/em> (Blue Note, 2025), enter the youngsters. Bassist Philip Norris established his cred with the Emmett Cohen Trio and, before that, Wynton Marsalis. In-demand drummer Nazir Ebo has also played with Marsalis as well as Christian McBride and Tim Warfield. And pianist Paul Cornish will make his Blue Note leader debut with a different trio later this year. Redman says this is a testament to their talents, \u201cMy approach to bandleading is unchanged. Play with the best musicians I can find, virtuosos who have mastered all the different jazz vocabularies, but who are also great listeners and collaborators \u2013who know how to express their individual brilliance through group improvisation and collective interaction.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_w4wV2rUmZPM\"><div id=\"lyte_w4wV2rUmZPM\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/w4wV2rUmZPM\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/w4wV2rUmZPM\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/w4wV2rUmZPM\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to guest Cavassa, Melissa Aldana and trumpeter Skylar Tang each join on a track. Redman plays both tenor and soprano in this set of original music that casts an array of emotions running from wistfulness and aspiration to sadness and resilience. Admittedly, it\u2019s a bit daunting to write about an album with a title like Words Fall Short. Describing music verbally hardly ever lives up to what the music can deliver emotionally or even visually. Redman sees it this way. \u201cWe face huge questions about what our future looks like, and a mathematical approach to language has even left us questioning what it means to be \u2018intelligent\u2019 or \u2018productive\u2019 or \u2018creative.\u2019 At heart, I\u2019m a humanist, and I believe in the shadows of the words, the things you can\u2019t crunch with technology.\u201d Thus, unlike so many jazz albums of today, there\u2019s nary a hint of electronic textures on this fully acoustic album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The opener, \u201cA Message to Unsend,\u201d with Redman on the tenor is reflective. It sounds as if one sits down to write an emotional email or letter, only to have their self-discretion eventually supersede the effort as the emphatic last note indicates. This may be many listeners&#8217; first opportunity to hear Cornish, who seems intent on creating harmony and fitting in with the overall sound rather than showing out. But Cornish is a catalyst too, as the second half of the piece exudes far more energy after his carefully rendered solo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_tYyaaEoM-SA\"><div id=\"lyte_tYyaaEoM-SA\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/tYyaaEoM-SA\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/tYyaaEoM-SA\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/tYyaaEoM-SA\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most listeners probably expect a cutting session when two tenors get together, but such proves not to be the case with Redman and Melissa Aldana on \u201cSo It Goes.\u201d The song, with a title owing to Kurt Vonnegut, instead finds the two beautifully and lyrically weaving their lines around each other. The title track, taken from Yiyun Li\u2019s award-winning \u201cWhere Reasons End,\u201d features a stirring bass intro from Norris, leading to a flowing ballad with Redman\u2018s improvisation expressively soaring soprano over a subtle, simpatico rhythm section. \u201cBorrowed Eyes,\u201d named after a Cormac McCarthy book, is another delicately rendered tenor ballad with support from a steadily plucking Norris, Ebo\u2019s brushwork, and minimal piano from Cornish. Redman, as in the opener, becomes more aggressive in his second entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>True to its title, \u201cIcarus,\u201d a funky, nine-meter excursion that may well be the most uplifting tune on the album. It features current college student Skylar Tang on trumpet. Redman texted her the sheet music the night prior to the session, and she came in the next day with it fully memorized. Doubtlessly, the saxophonist has a knack for tapping young talent. She\u2019s not the least bit timid, not hesitating to go toe to toe with Redman. Yes, there\u2019s some cutting taking place here, perhaps. \u201cOver the Jelly-Green Sea,\u201d a title from W.G. Sebald, finds Redman returning to soprano in pensive mode. Yet Cornish delivers his most gleaming, riveting piano solo here, again inspiring the leader to increase the energy, launching into orbit in the latter half of the piece. \u201cShe Knows,\u201d finds Redman also on soprano for an unaccompanied intro, with the piece gathering momentum as the rhythm section joins. As with so many of these tunes, one can practically hear the saxophonist using his instrument as a conversational voice. In this case, a very heated conversation takes place, with Norris and Ebo prodding him to take it to the next level. The closer \u201cEra\u2019s End\u201d is a lyrical recasting of the melancholy opener, featuring Gabrielle Cavassa singing lyrics penned by Redman. Her lovely voice delivers some hints of hope in a tune focused on loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The overall reflective and contemplative aura of <em>Words Fall Short<\/em> fits with the fact that Redman composed these tunes during the pandemic. Nonetheless, the highly lyrical execution and the introduction of this new quartet make it a listen you will likely return to when the mood beckons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u2018Words Fall Short\u2019 will be released on Blue Note Records on June 20, 2025. It can be purchased <a href=\"https:\/\/store.bluenote.com\/products\/joshua-redman-words-fall-short\">directly from the label<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo credit: Jen Rosenstein<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joshua Redman did not follow suit after his first vocal album, where are we (Blue Note, 2024).&nbsp; Sure, vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa appears on a track, but gone is the supergroup rhythm section of Aaron Parks, Joe Sanders, and Brian Blade, all of whom left to honor other commitments. Yet, Redman had compositions in the tank [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":10707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":443,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_2605-1.jpg?fit=813%2C542&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-2ME","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2746,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-xi\/","url_meta":{"origin":10704,"position":0},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival \u2013 Chapter XI: Futures, 1990-1994","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"May 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The 1990s was a period of change. The geopolitical order in place for nearly half a century ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The first American president to be born after the Second World War took office, bringing different attitudes and policies to the office. Rapid technological development\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jazz-Futures.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jazz-Futures.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jazz-Futures.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jazz-Futures.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2997,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-xv\/","url_meta":{"origin":10704,"position":1},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival &#8211; Chapter XV: Passing the Torch, 2009-2016","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"For most music festivals, the loss of a longtime sponsor could be a death knell.\u00a0 After all, organizers killed the Newport Rhythm and Blues Festival due to its inability to maintain a steady sponsor. The death of the company hosting the event on top of it would be - for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage16.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage16.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage16.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage16.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4217,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/peaks-valleys-michael-leonhart-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":10704,"position":2},"title":"Peaks and Valleys: A Conversation with Michael Leonhart (Part Two)","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"March 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"For the second part of our conversation with Michael Leonhart on The Normyn Suites (Sunnyside, 2022), we discuss Elvis Costello, the Avant-Garde, scoring Red Dead Redemption II (Rockstar, 2018), and how the beauty of \"Catharsis\" with Bill Frisell came to life. Check out part one here. PostGenre: How did Elvis\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/LEONHART-BERLIN-NO1-2017-BY-FRANK-JERKE-small.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/LEONHART-BERLIN-NO1-2017-BY-FRANK-JERKE-small.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/LEONHART-BERLIN-NO1-2017-BY-FRANK-JERKE-small.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/LEONHART-BERLIN-NO1-2017-BY-FRANK-JERKE-small.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1502,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/columns-haas-way-in\/","url_meta":{"origin":10704,"position":3},"title":"Jazz from A to G: The Way In","author":"Scott Haas","date":"August 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Early on, listening to Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix, jazz was something in another yard, walled-off, and separated from what I was listening to on the radio.\u00a0 It was an idea--segregated by race, primarily, and from behind that wall, everything else in the music stayed hidden. So when I listened\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Columns&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Columns","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/columns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/scott4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/scott4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/scott4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/scott4.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2977,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-xiv\/","url_meta":{"origin":10704,"position":4},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival \u2013 Chapter XIV: Destinations, 2005-2009","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"With the success of the 50th Anniversary event, Festival Productions Inc. quickly began work on the 2005 Festival. Like the immediately preceding year, George Wein would be unable to attend the Fort\u2019s proceedings. This time it was not due to his own health but that of his wife\u2019s. Joyce Wein\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage13.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage13.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage13.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BeFunky-collage13.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":202,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/five-genre-defying-selections-from-newport-jazz-festivals-first-wave-of-2020-performers\/","url_meta":{"origin":10704,"position":5},"title":"Five Genre-Defying Selections from the Newport Jazz Festival\u2019s First Wave of 2020  Performers","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"February 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The historic Newport Jazz Festival has released a list of 36, out of approximately 60, groups which will appear across its four stages at Fort Adams this summer. As the first modern music festival, one may mistakenly assume that most of the acts reflect a more traditional view of jazz.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Newport 2020","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10704"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10711,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10704\/revisions\/10711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}