Father and Son in Conversation
Dewey and Joshua Redman together, finding common ground in tenor and soprano lines.
By 1992, Dewey Redman was well into his sixties, a musician who had spent decades in the shadows of better-known bandleaders before earning recognition as a solo artist and bandmate. African Venus (1992) is not a career-defining moment or a last hurrah — it is something quieter: a chance to document two generations of the Redman family playing together on record. The presence of his son Joshua Redman, already establishing himself as a saxophonist in his own right, frames the album as a meeting rather than a mentorship. The two tenors and soprano saxophones weave through each other without hierarchy, each player listening closely, neither dominating.
The music here is straightforward post-bop, uncluttered and direct. There are no surprises in approach or repertoire, and that restraint serves the session well. The interplay between father and son is genuine without being sentimental; they play like musicians who respect each other's sound rather than relatives trading favors. Redman's tone remains full and flexible, and the younger saxophonist's presence pushes the tempos and harmonic thinking forward slightly.
Al Campbell's Allmusic review caught it accurately: this is not an essential disc, but far from a throwaway. It works as a document of a specific moment — two capable players in the same room — without pretending to be anything larger. For listeners already drawn to Redman's work, it offers a genuine addition. For newcomers, better starting points exist, but this is honest work from two musicians who knew what they were doing.
Who's playing
Anthony Coxbass
Charles Eubankspiano
Joshua Redmantenor saxophone
Carl Allendrums
Daniel Sadownickpercussion
Dewey Redmansuona
Where next?
More by Dewey Redman
All 21 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
