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Mike LeDonne provides half a chorus of piano on "Body and Soul," the sole featured improvisation on this track from Joshua Redman's 1993 self-titled debut album. At a slow 58 BPM over the AABA form in D-flat, LeDonne's warm, blues-inflected piano style brings a different textural quality to the proceedings, his solo a model of lyrical economy with each phrase carefully chosen and beautifully voiced against the song's rich harmonic framework. The decision to feature a piano solo rather than an extended saxophone statement on this particular standard reflects Redman's thoughtful approach to programming, as "Body and Soul" carries enormous weight in the tenor saxophone tradition from Coleman Hawkins through Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.
Mike LeDonne was 35 to 36 years old at the time.
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