Freddie Redd - Redd's Blues (1961) ( BN connoisseur) (eac-log-cover)

Freddie Redd - Redd's Blues (1961)
jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 320MB

Blue Note | connoisseur limited edition 20-bit SBM

Allmusic:
Redd's Blues didn't make it to LP until 1988 and CD until 2002 and that's a tip-off. It's a generic Blue Note disc, journeyman in the sense of not offering any great revelation, no undiscovered "shoulda-been-a-standard" composition, nothing to supplant The Connection as the first Freddie Redd disc to look for or add any greater luster to his welterweight reputation. The sextet lineup reads better than it plays -- it's perfectly adequate, but no one sounds inspired except for trumpeter Benny Bailey, who was back in the U.S. for a handful of recording dates. Jackie McLean's tart tone is immediately recognizable on the up-tempo opener "Now," with a solid groove from Paul Chambers and drummer Sir John Godfrey, the latter fond of Art Blakey bombs that aren't obtrusive. He's miked very high, so every stick click and cymbal sizzle is audible, which may account for why Tina Brooks' tenor never sounds more than just present in the room. Redd is a pretty fundamental player, with a bluesy feel lurking close beneath the surface that comes out on "Old Spice" and some nicely down-home soloing on the light, springy "Blues for Betsy" following Bailey's opening solo blast. But Chambers' arco solo discordantly derails the momentum and some nice horn harmonies on the head to "Love Lost" is about the only other thing worth noting. It's puzzling why the performances are so lukewarm because McLean and Brooks were well familiar with Redd's music, Chambers is Chambers, and Bailey is probably the most impressive player here apart from the leader. Great labels have their uninspired sessions, too, and Redd's Blues sounds like one of those off-days where the music just came out sounding generic and lifeless.

Tracks:
All compositions by Freddie Redd
-1. "Now" - 7:15
-2. "Cute Doot" - 6:17
-3. "Old Spice" - 7:04
-4. "Blues for Betsy" - 5:02
-5. "Somewhere" - 5:56
-6. "Love Lost" - 7:12
*All compositions by Freddie Redd
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 17, 1961.

Personnel:
* Freddie Redd - piano
* Benny Bailey - trumpet
* Jackie McLean - alto saxophone
* Tina Brooks - tenor saxophone
* Paul Chambers - bass
* Sir John Godfrey - drums

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Freddie Redd, Hampton Hawes - Piano East West (1952&55) (eac-log-cover)

Freddie Redd, Hampton Hawes - Piano East West (1952&55)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 190MB

OJC limited edition | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
This CD reissue has two unrelated early sessions from pianists Hampton Hawes and Freddie Redd. Hawes, heard in a quartet with vibraphonist Larry Bunker, bassist Clarence Jones and drummer Larence Marable, already ranked as one of the top bop-based pianists in 1952. He performs eight straight-ahead numbers (five bop standards and three originals like "Hamp's Paws"), including a two-minute version of "Move" that lives up to its name. Redd, who recorded much less during his longer career, stretches out a bit more on four numbers (including three originals) in a trio with bassist John Ore and drummer Ron Jefferson. Excellent music, easily recommended to bop collectors.

Tracks:
01 - Hampton Hawes - Terrible T
02 - Hampton Hawes - Fanfare
03 - Hampton Hawes - Just Squeeze Me
04 - Hampton Hawes - I'll Remember April
05 - Hampton Hawes - Hamp's Paws
06 - Hampton Hawes - Move
07 - Hampton Hawes - Once In A While
08 - Hampton Hawes - Buzzy
09 - Freddie Redd - Debut
10 - Freddie Redd - the Things We Did Last Summer
11 - Freddie Redd - Lady J Blues
12 - Freddie Redd - Ready Freddie

Personnel:
Larry Bunker (vib), Hampton Hawes (p), Clarence Jones (b), Lawrence Marable (d)
-
Freddie Redd (p), John Ore (b), Ron Jefferson (d)

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Freddie Redd - Shades of Redd (1960) (RVG 2007) (eac-log-cover)

Freddie Redd - Shades of Redd (1960)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 390MB

BN-EMI | RVG 2007 24-bit rem | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
In an all too small discography, Freddie Redd's Shades of Redd is without a doubt his crowning achievement. Completed after a successful stint composing music for the stage play The Connection, Redd wrote music specifically geared for his two formidable front line saxophonists -- emerging alto giant Jackie McLean and the unsung hero of the tenor, Tina Brooks. Redd, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Louis Hayes, fresh out of the Detroit scene, took New York City by storm playing clubs and working with Redd when he was not doing production music. All of these tracks, originals by Redd, are brimming with the hope, optimism, and fresh ideas of the early '60s, music perfectly rendered and representative of the time period. The darting, daring, tart sweet alto of McLean and the robust, lean, protein enriched tenor of Brooks fit beautifully together when they play in unison, and they do that a lot. The calm, lovely, then bursting into bop piece "The Thespian" sets the tone, followed by the swinging, head nodding "Blues-Blues-Blues," and the happy, hip, swing/shuffle "Melanie" brings the cream to the top. The teamwork displayed here rivals any seasoned veteran band of the era. Redd's piano playing, never spectacular or boisterous, is instead literate and street smart, and comes to the forefront in any tempo, whether the fleet hard bopper to Latin tinged near-show tune "Swift" and the spicy calypso to swing strutter "Ole," where Brooks steps up and takes a marvelous John Coltrane cum Hank Mobley solo. McLean's feature on "Just a Ballad for My Baby" illustrates his unique style, slightly but purposefully using microtones that might seem somewhat off-putting to the non-cognoscenti, but is remarkable upon closer inspection. Considering this is 1960, and Ornette Coleman was also making his way beyond conventional means, McLean is innovating just as much. Stretched out alternate takes of "Melanie" and "Ole" are included on this single CD, and are also available on Redd's 1988 Mosaic label reissue of his complete Blue Note efforts. Redd is still alive as of this writing, performing occasionally in his Los Angeles area home and in New York in 2007 for a revisited production of The Connection. Shades of Redd, his zenith as a jazz musician, would be a wonderful addition to any collection, and shows that the lesser known musicians have plenty of music to play, in addition to a unique perspective aside from the giants of this music.

Tracks:
1. The Thespian 6:58
2. Blues-Blues-Blues 5:57
3. Shadows 7:20
4. Melanie 5:03
5. Swift 3:59
6. Just A Ballad For My Baby 4:11
7. Ole 6:22
8. Melanie (Alternate Take) 5:26
9. Ole (Alternate Take) 7:38

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

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