February 6 at the Dakota, is the Joshua Redman Group featuring vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa. As part of the “Where Are We” tour, Redman, a saxophonist who made his debut on the Blue Note label with his new album titled “where are we,” will take listeners on a musical journey across the USA—every track (excluding the title track at the end) references a city or geographic location.
Redman references Minneapolis on the new album with the first track, “After Minneapolis (face toward mo[u]rning).” On this same track, he also references the George Floyd killing with lyrics he wrote that Cavassa sings.
In the liner notes, Redman explains, “On one level, this an album ‘about’ America—at once a celebration and a critique—but it is also, to varying degrees, a ballads album, a standards album, an album of romantic longing, an album of social reflection, an album of melodic invention, an album of improvisational adventure, an album of mash-ups, perhaps even a tribute album of sorts.”
The rest of the personnel for this album include pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Joe Sanders, and drummer Brian Blade. Plus, providing additional instrumentation for the album is Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Peter Bernstein on guitar, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Joel Ross on vibes, and Cavassa also plays guitar.
My favorite track on the album is “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans” featuring Payton. Redman and Payton have played and recorded together in the past and they sound great together now. (Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder)