Happy 73d birthday to two of my favorite musicians, Jackie McLean and Dewey Redman, both born on this day in 1931, in NYC and Texas respectively. What are the odds?

They have yet to record together. Neither has a contract with a label in the U.S. Anyone want to start a record company?

Bertrand.

Happy birthday to both of them!

However, on the record project: while I think McLean is still pretty good, Redman... well, it's sad, but me and another person posting here had a quite similar and somehow quite sad experience recently seing him live (on different occasions, a year or even longer apart).

ubu

Playing out of focus, not able to really construct a solo that makes sense. Not maintaining much interest. Also, he was almost more entertainer then musician - two sets, both of them only some 50 minutes and four tunes, both of them ended with a lengthy rock'n'roll clap-your-hands-and-sing-along number... One fourth of the concert was just that... I thought it was pretty sad.

Even more so if you know what he was (hope he still IS, but I just don't know!) capable of! I also recently got the Red/Black in Willisau disc, and his playing there is indeed awesome!
He IS a favourite of mine.

ubu

Sorry to hear that.

Dewey has been slowed down a bit (principally due to illness), but he can still catch fire. I saw him last year in a septet setting with Jane Bunnett and Stanley Cowell (they did a CD with this lineup), and Dewey took some beautiful solos - not too long, but extremely melodic and thought out.

He's been doing that crowd-pleasing/clap yo' hands blues/rock and roll tune for years at a lot of gigs - it's usually either 'Turn Over Baby' or 'Blues For J.A.M.' It's fun the first few times, but it's kinda getting old. But for people who only see him once in their lives, it's probably fun.

Bertrand.

They're both just a few months or so older than my parents. . . quite interesting to put their careers into THAT perspective!

Many, many happy returns to these gentlemen. And may they continue to produce more
great music!

I saw him play up in Baltimore a couple of years ago and it is still one of the best jazz concerts I have ever seen.

I had the honor and the pleasure to see Dewey Redman 5 or 6 years ago here in Tel-Aviv with a group of local players. Dewey was great. I think The Ear of the Behearer will find the way to my CD player this evening.

to both of these gentleman. Jackie McLean, in particular, has long been a jazz love of mine... DESTINATION OUT and LET FREEDOM RING rocked my world when I first heard them, and to this day he remains my favorite living alto saxophonist (even ahead of Konitz) and right up there w/Parker & Pepper when it comes to my alltime faves list. The man has the soul of jazz in his sound.

I couldn't have put it better, ghost!

Happy Birthday Jackie!

Last year at this time Lesley and I were sitting at a table at the front of Iridium toasting Jackie Mac's birthday with a room full of fans as Jackie and Rene played their tails off. This year, I'll be featuring J-Mac all night on the radio. Starting with Demon's Dance....Happy Birthday to Dewey, too!!!!

Lazaro

Been spinning a lot of Jackie Mac lately, mostly the Blue Note stuff: Right Now, Let Freedom Ring, Jacknife; great stuff, all of it. Happy Birthday to a true jazz ARTIST!

Dewey, btw, sounds together on the "new" Cameron Brown release from Omnitone, "Here and How!" with Shelia Jordan recorded in Belgium in 1997.

Dewey Redman's playing is one of the reasons I like Keith Jarrett's recordings for Impulse between 1973-1977.