Tenor saxophone great Dewey Redman was born on this day (May 17) in 1931.
Dewey was always one of my favorites, especially in a context when Charlie Haden was playing bass. The three areas with a lot of recorded documentation are Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett, and Old and New Dreams.
Much of that Redman/Haden music has no set harmonic structure, and the way the two find melodies and harmonies together is uniquely beautiful. It’s the Ornette Coleman tradition, frequently “time no changes,” usually very euphonious and bluesy.
No piano or guitar interfered with this tenor sax/bass counterpoint in Ornette’s bands or Old and New Dreams. Even when Dewey was with pianist Keith Jarrett in the early 70s, there were rarely conventional standard forms for Dewey solos. Indeed, Jarrett told me about composing for the band, “There had to be a way to have Dewey not play on changes.”
Dewey’s own records from the sixties until post-Jarrett were decidedly avant-garde excursions with angular original themes. On 1978 sessions for the Galaxy label accompanied by Fred Simmons, Mark Helias, and Eddie Moore, the set list suddenly opens up with an energetic reading of the Miles Davis bebop classic “Half Nelson” and a soulful cover of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s "Alone Again (Naturally).” Going forward from this moment, familiar tunes and novelty numbers would feature heavily in Dewey’s repertoire as a leader.
Still, my favorite Dewey Redman would always be with Charlie Haden. During the ‘80s, Charlie also played more and more standards (he always played them more than Dewey) but there’s not so much of them doing that together in the studio.
Bootlegs fill out the picture, especially from tours with Pat Metheny. On the studio date 80/81 both Dewey and Charlie are there: Dewey plays on the more open material, Michael Brecker plays on the changes. However, on tour with the band in Hamburg, Dewey takes the first helping on the blues “Turnaround.” It’s a long solo (whole track is 35 minutes). I fade in the solo because there’s some problem with the start, but this is still very early in the track, I think not more than a chorus of Dewey is missing. Jack DeJohnette is on (spectacular) drums.
It’s a good blindfold test. Dewey is playing a lot of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins kinds of things as well as whatever we are used to hearing from Dewey Redman. The true tradition of the tenor masters who can really play the bebop blues.
From somewhere in the same era, Metheny toured with Dewey, Charlie, and Paul Motian. (Of course this is the Jarrett quartet with a different star in charge. Mick Goodrick also did some gigs with Dewey, Charlie and Paul.)
After Metheny finishes his improvisation on “All the Things You Are,” Motian starts playing a drum solo — but then Dewey barges in. Charlie catches up, and by the bridge they are back in the full swing of “Things.”
In the realm of total speculation: everyone else on the bandstand is surprised that Dewey wants to play on these changes.
Who knows. At any rate, “All the Things You Are” is not a tune I associate with Dewey Redman, so I just love the chance to hear him throw down in this unfamiliar context with Charlie and Paul in stellar accompaniment. (On both of these tracks, Metheny is judicious in his comping; surely he is simply enjoying being a bystander to these magical moments.)
Again, I hear some Rollins, also maybe even some Coltrane. There are also phrases that are perhaps not far from the Lee Konitz/Warne Marsh way of handling a long line. Yeah Dewey!
You’ve unearthed some gems here! I’m always happy to hear any new Dewey or Charlie. Since I struggle with changes myself, I like players that show what you can do with phrases even when changes aren’t in charge. On the other hand, Dewey sounds like he’s on the changes with ATTYA. You can see why more virtuosic players wanted him in their band.
Beautiful stuff. This post makes me want to seek out bootlegs from these lineups, and also to borrow your idea about posting sound clips and discussing them this way on a substack post.
Thanks for posting!