Joshua Redman Takes a Longer View of Time

Tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman--who manages the seemingly incompatible task of selling tons of records while earning laudatory critical reviews--is rushing across California this weekend. Tonight and Saturday he performs at Founders Hall in the Orange County Performing Arts Center. On Sunday he heads up to San Francisco to perform on the climactic program of the SFJAZZ Spring Season 2001.

Redman arrives with a new album, “Passage of Time,” his first extended work--an eight-segment piece that will be premiered at San Francisco on Sunday, with a few forecast samples expected to turn up in his Orange County performances.

Interestingly, “Passage of Time” did not start out as a large-scale composition.

“I was basically writing the way I always write,” says Redman. “I was sitting at the piano, sometimes procrastinating, just letting ideas come to me. But there was this theme that kept speaking to me, even though I was working on it as though it was just another typical piece. The difference was that every time I would get to a point that seemed like an ending, I would start to hear a new beginning. It was almost as though I couldn’t stop writing. So it gradually became obvious that it was more than one piece--some sort of extended thing.”

But not an “extended thing” that Redman likes to refer to as a “suite,” even though the record company is marketing “Passage of Time” with suite-like references.

“I don’t call it a suite,” he says. “That feels weird coming off my tongue, maybe a bit pretentious. So I don’t call it anything other than maybe a unified composition. It has different themes, and the different parts of it can be played separately.

“But the real experience of playing this music and listening to it--as I intended it--is the sense of continuous flow. Yes, you can hear sometimes where a new theme is beginning, but it’s really continuous music. The parts are tied together by the actual act of playing the music and the flow that we experience through the music. For me, some of the most exciting musical events are what happens in the gray areas, in the places where we improvise a transition from one segment to the next.”

“Passage of Time” includes sections that employ less familiar meters--5/4, 7/4, etc.--an approach to rhythm also explored on his previous album, “Beyond.” But Redman’s emphasis once again is upon finding the appropriate rhythmic phraseology rather than experimenting with offbeat rhythms. And it’s likely that many listeners will experience the full benefit of the music with no awareness at all of its rhythmic underpinnings.

For Redman, the album is one more step in a progression into artistic maturity that has escalated over the course of the past few years.

“Turning 30 made a difference, I think,” he says. That was two years ago; he turned 32 on Feb. 1. “I know that I started practicing again, figuring that I couldn’t go on taking my playing for granted. And I’ve finally gotten to the point at which I can listen to my playing, to what I’ve done, and learn from it--what works, what doesn’t work. I guess that’s part of growing up, as well.”

As the artistic director of the SFJAZZ Spring Season, Redman has been a guiding force in the selection of the festival’s unusually thematic programming. In addition to his performance Sunday, the weekend’s musical events include two Saturday concerts featuring the Avishai Cohen Quintet and Matt Small’s Crushing Spiral Ensemble. Joining Redman on the Sunday night bill will be Russell Gunn’s Ethnomusicology.

The weekend is further enhanced by a simultaneous series of discussions and symposiums on the topic “Jazz & Race.” The programs include Harry Edwards from UC Berkeley, saxophonist Steve Coleman, author Angela Davis, jazz critic Nat Hentoff and others. The initial panel takes place tonight, with symposiums and discussions continuing on Saturday and Sunday.

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The Joshua Redman Quartet at Founders Hall in the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tonight and Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Ticket prices $46 for the 7:30 shows, $42 for the 9:30 shows. Info: (714) 556-ARTS or on the Web at https://www.ocpac.org.

* SFJAZZ Spring Season 2001, tonight through Sunday at various locations in San Francisco. Info: (415) 788-7353 or on the Web at https://www.sfjazz.org.

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Jazz at the Bowl: With a few exceptions, there were no major surprises in this week’s announcement of the programming for the summer’s eight jazz programs at the Hollywood Bowl. Diana Krall will be back, as will George Shearing, Poncho Sanchez, Shirley Horn and Etta James. The thematic events once again include a Latin Jazz evening (July 11); a Smooth Soul program (July 18); the Krall concert (July 25); After Hours, with Dianne Reeves and Shirley Horn (Aug. 1); a blues set with Etta James (Aug. 15); the return of Oscar Peterson (the one major surprise in the lineup), with special guests Clark Terry and James Moody (Aug. 22); Shearing, with the John Pizzarelli Trio and the Ray Brown Trio (Sept. 5); and an evening of jazz film music featuring the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with Wallace Roney (Sept. 12).

It’s a solid set of concerts, at least in terms of the world-class talent represented. In terms of innovative programming of the sort that piques the public interest, however, only the Clayton-Hamilton film evening--which promises to explore the evolution of the jazz soundtrack via live performances with projected film clips--is a standout.

But there are a pair of other developments worth mentioning. The first is the presence of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra in just four of the eight jazz events. That’s half the CHJO’s participation of the past two years, when they were on stage for every event. Does this mean that the notion of establishing a Hollywood Bowl resident jazz ensemble comparable to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra has been set aside? Stay tuned for further developments.

The second development--perhaps related to the first in some fashion--is the scheduling of a performance of Wynton Marsalis’ composition “All Rise” via a collaboration between the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting) on Sept. 13. Granted Marsalis’ high visibility (especially since the Ken Burns jazz documentary) and the successes of his Lincoln Center Jazz program, the performance triggers the thought that there has not yet been a collaboration between the L.A. Phil and the CHJO, despite their close proximity over the past couple of years. Stay tuned on this one too.

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Jazz Fledglings: The Young Artists Jazz Series is celebrating its fifth anniversary April 23 with a performance by the Young Jazz Giants (Y.J.G.) at Catalina Bar & Grill. The series, which began March 31, 1996, has provided opportunities for young, local jazz artists to showcase their skills before live audiences.

Since that time, producer Barbara Brighton--with the full support of Catalina Popescu and her club--has presented a talented lineup of performers, many in their first significant public appearance.

Among the many who have appeared in Young Artist programs: the now highly regarded saxophonist Zane Musa, only 17 when he opened the series; guitarist-composer Anthony Wilson with the debut appearance of his octet; trombonist Isaac Smith, a regular in the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, now leading his own big band; drummer Willie Jones III, currently playing with Roy Hargrove. In addition, Young Artist programs have also showcased local school bands, including groups from Washington Prep, Los Angeles High School for the Arts, the Thelonious Monk Institute, CalArts, USC and CSUN, as well as the L.A. Multi-School Band.

For Brighton, who is a psychotherapist in her other profession, producing the Young Artists Jazz Series has been a labor of love. “It became very clear over the years that we were witnessing the future of jazz in these young artists,” she says. “And every time we hear of the success of one of the young talents who have been part of our series, it makes it all worthwhile.”

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Riffs: BET on Jazz: The Jazz Channel has been unavailable to most viewers in the Southland since its inception five years ago. On Monday, however, it will be make its debut on Channel 218 of the AT&T; Broadband service. The programming, which rotates in 12-hour cycles, includes a far-ranging collection of musical genres, historic documentaries, original productions and music videos. Beyond Los Angeles, BET on Jazz is distributed to more than 250 markets serving 49 states. . . .

The City of Hermosa Beach is considering installing plaques to honor the many jazz artists who have performed in the seaside community over the years. Discussions are still being held regarding design of the plaques, qualifications for choices, etc. Veteran jazz producer Ozzie Cadena is the driving force behind the project. He can be contacted at (310) 937-4693. . . .

Naxos of America, primarily known as a classical label, has announced that it will distribute a new line of jazz recordings, Naxos Jazz Legends, to complement its existing Naxos Jazz and Naxos World labels. Albums will average 15 to 18 songs each and all material will be previously unreleased in CD format. The first three releases will be Django Reinhardt’s “Djangology, Vol. 1, 1934-35” (featuring Stephane Grappelli), Woody Herman’s “The Band That Plays the Blues, 1937-41,” and Sidney Bechet’s “Spreadin’ Joy, 1940-50.” They will be available in retail outlets May 8, at the remarkably low suggested price of $6.99.