The band at the core of saxophonist
Joshua Redman
's warmly engaging 2019 album,
Come What May
, has played together in various configurations for almost 20 years. Featured are pianist
Aaron Goldberg
, bassist
Reuben Rogers
, and drummer
Gregory Hutchinson
. They have worked as a quartet on 2000's
Beyond
, and 2001's
Passage of Time
, and as a pianoless trio (minus
Goldberg
) on 2014's
Trio Live
. Each musician has a wealth of experience and bring it to bear on their work here. In some ways,
arrives as an intimate counterpoint to the saxophonist's more outre 2018 album
Still Dreaming
, in which he drew upon his father
Dewey Redman
's work with
Ornette Coleman
in the '70s and '80s. In contrast,
feels looser, more off the cuff, like a relaxed meeting between old friends. There's a dance-like quality to many of the songs here, like the 3/4 "Circle of Life," which has a kaleidoscopic energy reminiscent of
Dave Brubeck
's work. Similarly, "Stagger Bear," with its bluesy piano, brings to mind the cabaret swagger of
Bob Fosse
. The humorously titled "DGAF" also has a kinetic sense of movement, as
Redman
propels himself through the song's contrapuntal, klezmer-esque design. However, it's during the album's more ruminative moments as on the wave-like "Vast" and the plaintively earthy title track, that
achieves a more restful apotheosis. In these moments, with his sax cradled in his band's empathetic embrace,
evokes the feeling of letting go and sinking into a soulful, late-afternoon reverie. ~ Matt Collar