Redman has suffered greatly from being grossly over-hyped in the early stages of his career. That said, he is still a fine tenor saxophonist who produces highly listenable mainstream jazz. Beyond is by far his best and most original in recent years, although the delightful Wish from 1993 is also well worth checking out.
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Corridors & Parallels David S Ware Quartet 2001 [AUM Fidelity]
By the late-90s tenor Ware had been crowned by critics as the "King of Free Jazz" - a title that can be traced back to his 1970s work with avant-garde luminaries. For this date pianist Matthew Shipp switches to synthesiser and - to borrow from one of the song titles - the result is something close to 'Jazz Fi-Sci'. Fascinating and challenging.
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Footprints Live! Wayne Shorter 2002 [Verve]
It was certainly worth the long wait for freeform tenor Wayne Shorter to lead his first live effort. This record sees him backed by a trio of prominent young avant-garde luminaries - pianist Danilo Perez, John Patitucci on bass and hotshot drummer Brian Blade. With uncanny intuition they help Shorter reinvent some of his best known work.
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Nightlife in Tokyo Eric Alexander 2003 [Milestone]
Straightahead post-bop tenor who is getting better by the minute. This is a fine studio set featuring pianist Harold Mabern and Ron Carter on bass. Toss in drummer Joe Farnsworth and it is obvious why no beats go missing. While earlier efforts on the Milestone label are terrific, it will be hard to top this one for pure jazz enjoyment.
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Elements of Style… Exercises in Surprise The Vandermark Five 2003 [Atavistic]
Reed-man Ken Vandermark continues his steady evolution as a composer and arranger, while adeptly straddling the razorback between post-bop and free jazz. Sometimes criticised for being effective but samey, the 20-minute closing track should dispel any lingering doubts about his group's ability to turn it on when required.
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The Great Divide Von Freeman 2004 [Premonition/Koch]
Born in 1922 and boasting a career that has lasted over sixty years, tenor Von Freeman has had chances to play with many of the greats. His unique sound, however, probably owes more to his time with the eclectic Sun Ra than anybody else. His recorded output is not voluminous, but Great Divide is a good example of his work.
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Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert Sonny Rollins 2005 [Milestone]
While not the saxophone colossus he used to be, the 9/11 terrorist attacks provided ample inspiration for the legendary tenor to deliver his best performance in many a year. Rollins was a stone's throw away in his New York apartment when the attack on the World Trade Center occurred. Four days later he did his bit to lift some spirits.
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Pilgrimage Michael Brecker 2007 [Heads Up]
Despite dying of a rare blood marrow disease Brecker pulled out all the stops to produce his defining jazz moment. It is a fiery blowing session completely devoid of any wallowing that one might expect given the unfortunate circumstances. Accompanied by an all-star lineup Brecker delivers an all-original set that will be hard to beat as 2007's best.
