Joshua Redman: (Warners)
By Ray Comiskey
It's almost two years since Joshua Redman last released an album, but it's been worth the wait. This cannily impressive new release is graced by richly varied compositions, all his, a willingness to try unusual time signatures (and, generally, to make them work) and the interactive powers of an exceptional quartet - Redman (alto/tenor/soprano), Aaron Goldberg (piano), Reuben Rogers (bass) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums). The leader is part of what is as much a collective as an individual success, epitomised by the long, beautifully sustained mood and ideas of Twilight . . . And Beyond, the collective give and take of A Life? and, on one track, the off-the-cuff inspiration of Redman and guest tenor Mark Turner on Leap Of Faith.
Tina Brooks: Minor Move (Blue Note)
By Ray Comiskey
Brooks was a fine hard bop tenor whose recording career was confined to a few years either side of 1960; as a result, his albums have remained collectors' items. But they have more than scarcity to commend them. This one, his debut as leader, reveals him as a gifted improvisor, rhythmically pliant, whose supple lyricism was shadowed with melancholy even at the fastest tempos, with a deceptively fragile tone giving his lines a conversational directness. He stands out here despite the heavy company - an inspirational Lee Morgan (trumpet), Sonny Clark (piano), Doug Watkins (bass) and Art Blakey (drums) - and confirms the impression of an original and potentially influential player whose ill-starred life cut short his contribution to jazz.