A Night In Tunisia – 1994
Joshua Redman
A dazzling version of the standard by four then-young greats
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It was quite an all-star band in 1994 when tenor-saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Brian Blade recorded Mood Swing and went on tour.
However it was early in all of their careers, and despite their talents, it was not certain that each of the young players would have decades of significant music ahead of them.
Fortunately all four were still in prime form when they had a reunion in 2019 (recording RoundAgain) and performing at the 2022 Monterey Jazz Festival; in fact, all of the musicians are household names in the jazz world.
Here they back in 1994 playing a rather remarkable version of Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia.”
Redman begins unaccompanied, having a musical conversation with himself before playing the bop standard at a raging tempo with the quartet; Mehldau and Blade also contribute colorful solos.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald