Oh, the places you'll go: Joshua Redman brings his geographical play list to the Jazz Kitchen

Center stage are Gabrielle Cavassa and Joshua Redman, with support from bassist Philip Norris and (barely visible) pianist Paul Cornish and drummer Nazir Ebo.

You're free to supply the punctuation in the title of the album Joshua Redman is touring behind, because there's no question where he is. He's centered in a format in which a vocalist is fully a member of the band, and she's the mesmerizing Gabrielle Cavassa.

"Where Are We" tracks, interpreted live, formed the basis of the saxophonist's two-night stand at the Jazz Kitchen this weekend. Hearing the first set Saturday night, it was evident Redman wanted to give himself lots of territory for sheer blowing, but he also was emphasizing his collaboration chops.

His discography is rich in a tendency to share the spotlight as a bandleader, but this is his first undertaking  including a vocalist in the front line. And there are plenty of places to be celebrated in song from the early 20th century into the present day.

Since references to places are more to the point in a repertoire loaded with lyrics, the "Where Are We" band has a natural tendency to give free rein to a singer. Cavassa exemplifies the central point of jazz singing: it's got to bring forward "the sound of surprise" (the inevitable Whitney Balliett phrase and a forgivable cliche). The melody must be shown respect but not reverential devotion. Tweaking the tune and the rhythm and playing hopscotch with the phrasing are part of an imaginative singer's signature. Cavassa applied that consistently over the nearly 90-minute set.

But she wasn't going her own way exclusively. She was also mindful of collaborative duties. The stamp she put on the songs, such as the Eagles' "Hotel California,"  seems to have encouraged the freshness of the solos that followed, especially from bassist Philip Norris and pianist Paul Cornish. 

The latter solo spot was notable for being amply swinging and busy in texture, but also well-directed and focused. It confirmed what I said  about his trio set when he competed here as a finalist in the 2023 American Pianists Awards: "There's astonishing variety in Cornish's piano style. At times he superficially sounded like two different pianists.... He is often comfortable with dissonance, but it's rarely of the jarring kind. Harmonically, he's a free spirit, though he never seems to lose his respect for structure."

To return to the singer in context: A laidback version of the Jimmy Rushing classic "Going to Chicago" opened the set, introducing a pattern of deft "fills" by Redman between phrases of the song. When Cavassa dropped out for the sake of insrumental display, the saxophonist showed his comfort with the horn's upper register, getting a piercing tone without screeching. On "After Minneapolis," an original with a vein of social criticism about the police killing of George Floyd, Redman's solo featured a breathtaking (for the audience) illustration of circular breathing. Then there was anger and frustration musically expressed through split tones. 

Norris had some blazing, intricate solos during the set. He fits a lot of notes into his turns in the spotlight, sometimes vocalizing in unison a la Slam Stewart (but sticking with plucked notes).  Some exchanges between bass and drums, both inspired, put a cap on a set-ending rendition of a classic clearly answering the implied "Where Are We" question: "(Back Home Again in) Indiana." A jazz standard as well as a local favorite, the song doesn't need to evoke the smell of new-mown hay or the vision of moonlight on the Wabash to make a strong impression when it is done this well.

[Photo by Rob Ambrose]