Words Fall Short [180g LP]

by Joshua Redman

Overview

Saxophonist Joshua Redman introduces a new quartet on his second Blue Note album, 2025's intimate yet exploratory Words Fall Short. The group initially formed as a touring unit for 2023's where are we and features Houston-born/Los Angeles-based pianist Paul Cornish, N.Y.C.-by-way-of Winnipeg bassist Philip Norris, and Philly drummer Nazir Ebo. Although they each bring a wealth of experience to the quartet, compared to Redman (an elder statesman at a youthful 56 as of this album) they are all still essentially "young lions," talented twenty-somethings working within the boundaries of jazz tradition and hoping to push its boundaries at the same time. The difference makes for an exciting dynamic, one that recalls Miles Davis' second great quintet of the 1960s when he brought in younger players like Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams to get a bit of that "new thing." For Davis, that "new thing" was harmonically expansive modalism, punctuated by moments of free improvisation. For sure, there is some of that here, as on "She Knows," where Redman weaves thread after thread of interwoven soprano lines, building into a kaleidoscopic fury of throaty skronks and moans as his drummer Ebo and the band offer their own bashing retorts. Yet Redman's goals are often more nuanced. He opens in understated fashion with "A Message to Unsend," a classically influenced chamber ballad where Cornish takes the spotlight with his tender, Chopin-like piano prelude intro. His generosity extends to his band elsewhere, as on the title track, a Wayne Shorter-esque waltz whose dancerly tempo is nicely set up by Norris' warm, Middle Eastern-tinged bass solo. Other influences pop up, as on "Borrowed Eyes," a slow, soulful ballad that nicely evokes saxophonist Joe Henderson's earthy '70s recordings, while the poetically titled soprano feature "Over the Jelly-Green Sea" finds Redman catching a creative headwind off Wayne Shorter and Lee Konitz's lyricism before cutting his own creative path toward the horizon. The group is also joined by several rising stars, including tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, who spars with boxer-like pugnacity with Redman on "So It Goes." Elsewhere, trumpeter Skylar Tang conjures the spirit of Roy Hargrove on the minor-key Latin piece "Icarus," while vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa (the star of where are we) brings a warm resonance and a little throaty grit to the moody "Era's End." While it doesn't feel like Redman is looking to completely redefine his sound here, he sounds engaged and encouraged to explore new sonic areas. He's never been one to sit still creatively, and his work on Words Fall Short speaks to his ability to both draw from his idols and from his quartet while pushing himself beyond his comfort zone. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	06/20/2025
Label:	Blue Note Records
UPC:	0602475915102

Tracks

1. A Message To Unsend
2. So It Goes
3. Words Fall Short
4. Borrowed Eyes
5. Icarus
6. Over The Jelly-Green Sea
7. She Knows
8. Era's End

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Joshua Redman   Primary Artist