As one of the emerging new voices in jazz during the 1990s, this 39-year-old Berkeley native has solidified his career through his performances with the likes of Pat Metheny, Roy Hargrove and his late father, saxophonist Dewey Redman, with whom he began playing after moving to New York after his graduation from Harvard University in 1991. Redman paid tribute to Sonny Rollins on his latest disc, “Back East” (Nonesuch), which earned a Grammy nomination this year. The CD contains new arrangements for compositions by John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter in addition to a handful of original material by the bandleader and also by his father, who duets with him on two tracks. Among the highlights a guest appearance of saxophonist Joe Lovano on Shorter’s “Indian Song” and the title track, an almost six-minute-long tour-de-force played in double time that demands much of the trio. For his appearance in Chicago, Redman will feature special guest Branford Marsalis, a legend in his own right who has appeared both as a leader with the Branford Marsalis Quartet and as a sideman with several other performers. Marsalis is currently involved in the efforts to build homes for New Orleans musicians displaced by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. (Ernest Barteldes)
Friday, March 28