Joshua Redman
Tenor Sax
57 age
February 1, 1969 Birthday
Berkeley, California, U.S. Birthplace
www.joshuaredman.com Website
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About
Joshua Redman is one of the most acclaimed jazz saxophonists of his generation, with over twenty albums as a leader and thirteen Grammy nominations across three decades. After winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991, he formed his first quartet with Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade, whose 1994 album MoodSwing became a landmark recording. His second album, Wish, featuring Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins, reached number one on the Billboard Jazz chart. He served as artistic director of the SFJAZZ Collective from 2004 to 2007 and has led ensembles including James Farm and a collaboration with The Bad Plus. His 2023 Blue Note debut, where are we, marked his first recording with a vocalist, featuring Gabrielle Cavassa, followed by Words Fall Short in 2025. He teaches at Stanford and directs the RJAM program at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Trivia
Redman describes himself as essentially self-taught on saxophone, having never taken formal lessons on the instrument. His earliest music instruction came from gamelan player Jody Diamond at Berkeley's Center for World Music. He composed the score for Louis Malle's final film, Vanya on 42nd Street, and appeared on PBS's Arthur alongside Yo-Yo Ma and on Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton. In 2006, his son Jadon was born in February and his father Dewey Redman died in September — events he has called the two most profound experiences of his life.
Early Life
Joshua Redman was born on February 1, 1969, in Berkeley, California. His father, Dewey Redman, was a renowned tenor saxophonist known for his work with Ornette Coleman, though he was rarely present during Joshua's childhood due to touring. His mother, Renée Shedroff, was a dancer and librarian who studied South Indian dance at the Center for World Music, exposing Joshua to gamelan, Indian classical music, and other world traditions from an early age. He began on clarinet at nine and switched to tenor saxophone at ten. During high school at Berkeley High, he played in the award-winning jazz ensemble for four years. He then attended Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in Social Studies and earning Phi Beta Kappa honors. After deferring Yale Law School, he moved to Brooklyn and within five months won the 1991 Thelonious Monk Competition, abandoning law to pursue music full-time.
Joshua Redman Solos
2018
Tenor Sax solo - On the Trail - 2018
4/4 swing in F major at 135 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Contrafact - 2018
5/4 swing in E♭ major at 243 BPM
1993
Tenor Sax solo - Turnaround - 1993
4/4 swing in C major at 149 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Soul Dance - 1993
6/8 waltz in D minor at 198 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Make Sure You're Sure - 1993
4/4 ballad in D♭ minor at 57 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - The Deserving Many - 1993
4/4 swing in B♭ minor at 266 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - We Had a Sister - 1993
4/4 ballad in G♭ minor at 58 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Moose the Mooche - 1993
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 294 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Tears in Heaven - 1993
4/4 rock in B♭ major at 85 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Whittlin' - 1993
4/4 swing in D minor at 249 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Wish - 1993
4/4 ballad in G major at 62 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Blues for Pat - 1993
4/4 swing in F major at 128 BPM
1992
Tenor Sax solo - Blues on Sunday - 1992
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 133 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Wish - 1992
4/4 ballad in G major at 60 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Trinkle Tinkle - 1992
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 152 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Echoes - 1992
4/4 swing in C minor at 262 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - I Got You (I Feel Good) - 1992
4/4 funk in D major at 146 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Tribalism - 1992
4/4 swing in G♭ minor at 207 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Groove X (By Any Means Necessary) - 1992
4/4 swing in C minor at 142 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Salt Peanuts - 1992
4/4 swing in F major at 330 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - On The Sunny Side Of The Street - 1992
4/4 swing in C major at 121 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Sublimation - 1992
4/4 swing in F minor at 130 BPM