Cat Battles – 1997
Joshua Redman
A rare chance to see Redman playing alto-sax
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In 1996, Joshua Redman (who was already a household name in the jazz world) recorded “Cat Battles” on his album Freedom In The Groove.
For that recording, Redman was joined by pianist Peter Martin, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Christopher Thomas, and drummer Brian Blade.
While he is famous as a tenor-saxophonist and sometimes plays soprano, at the time he was also occasionally playing songs on alto.
Redman also performed his original “Cat Battles” at the 1997 North Sea Jazz Festival with the same quintet.
He shows that he was just as fluent and inventive on alto as he consistently is on tenor; pianist Martin also takes a fine solo.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald