Joshua Redman did not follow suit after his first vocal album, where are we (Blue Note, 2024).  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 –  left over from the pandemic period –  and was eager to find a new crew to give these mostly instrumental tunes life. With Words Fall Short (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, “My 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 –who know how to express their individual brilliance through group improvisation and collective interaction.“

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’s 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. “We 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 ‘intelligent’ or ‘productive’ or ‘creative.’ At heart, I’m a humanist, and I believe in the shadows of the words, the things you can’t crunch with technology.” Thus, unlike so many jazz albums of today, there’s nary a hint of electronic textures on this fully acoustic album.

The opener, “A Message to Unsend,” 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’ 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. 

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 “So It Goes.” 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’s award-winning “Where Reasons End,” features a stirring bass intro from Norris, leading to a flowing ballad with Redman‘s improvisation expressively soaring soprano over a subtle, simpatico rhythm section. “Borrowed Eyes,” named after a Cormac McCarthy book, is another delicately rendered tenor ballad with support from a steadily plucking Norris, Ebo’s brushwork, and minimal piano from Cornish. Redman, as in the opener, becomes more aggressive in his second entrance.

True to its title, “Icarus,” 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’s not the least bit timid, not hesitating to go toe to toe with Redman. Yes, there’s some cutting taking place here, perhaps. “Over the Jelly-Green Sea,” 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. “She Knows,” 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 “Era’s End” 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.

The overall reflective and contemplative aura of Words Fall Short 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.

‘Words Fall Short’ will be released on Blue Note Records on June 20, 2025. It can be purchased directly from the label.

Photo credit: Jen Rosenstein