Jazz Saxophonist Joshua Redman '91 to be Awarded 2008 Harvard Arts Medal
Kicking off the ARTS FIRST festivities, Joshua Redman ’91— Grammy nominated saxophonist, recording artist and jazz bandleader—will receive the 2008 Harvard Arts Medal on Thursday, May 1, 2008. President Drew Gilpin Faust will present the medal as part of an event hosted by the Learning from Performers Program at 5pm in the New College Theatre. Redman will be the 14th distinguished Harvard or Radcliffe alum or faculty member to receive this accolade for excellence in the arts and contributions to education and the public good through arts. Past medalists have included composer John Adams ’69, MA ’72, (2007), cellist Yo-Yo Ma ’76 (2004), filmmaker Mira Nair ’79 (2003), and director Peter Sellars ’80 (2001).
Redman is one of the most acclaimed and charismatic jazz artists to emerge in the decade of the 1990s. He has performed around the world and released numerous recordings including the Grammy nominated Joshua Redman (Warner Bros. 1993), Momentum (Nonesuch 2005) and Back East (Nonesuch, 2007). In 1991, he graduated from Harvard summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Social Studies. He was accepted to Yale Law School, but requesteda year deferment and moved to New York City, where he began to perform regularly. Four months later, he was named the winner of the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition.
Redman released his first, self-titled album from Warner Bros. Records in 1993, which featured him on tenor saxophone. That same year saw the release of Wish, on which Redman was joined by an all-star supporting cast of Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and the late Billy Higgins. His next recording, MoodSwing, introduced his first permanent band.
Over a series of celebrated recordings including Spirit of the Moment/Live at the Village Vanguard, Freedom in the Groove and Timeless Tales (for Changing Times), Redman has established himself as one of the music’s most consistent and successful bandleaders, and added soprano and alto saxophones to his instrumental arsenal.
The son of tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman and dancer Renee Shedroff, Redman grew up in Berkeley, California, where was exposed to a world of artistic influences including Indonesian gamelan, Indian raga, South Indian drumming, and African dance. “I feel like those sounds are there,” explains Redman. “They’ve always been there, kind of a part of my musical perspective; the way my ears are tuned to harmony and to melody.” In his most recent recording Back East, he explores those multi-cultural roots through the language of jazz in works by Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter.
Beginning his freshman year at Harvard, Redman was lead saxophone soloist with the Big Band and smaller Jazz Combos. Tom Everett. Director of Harvard Bands, recalls his vision, dedication, and exceptional ability to learn from a great variety of music. Though Redman played in the Big Band, Everett could see the young tenor saxophonist thrived in small combos. “He was a born improviser,” notes Everett.
During his sophomore year, Redman participated in a jazz band tour to the Dominican Republic. On that tour, Everett recalls one particular concert in which Redman played a solo to the Duke Ellington classic, In a Sentimental Mood, “He incorporated source influences and improvised with pure emotion unlike any player I’d ever heard. And, when he finished, the room was silent.”
The Harvard Bands also provided Redman with opportunities to learn from and perform with jazz legends Benny Carter, Joe Henderson, and Illinois Jacquet. “It was a coincidence that all of these great artists all happened to be saxophonists, but what luck for Joshua,” says Everett.
Affirms Redman, “Those experiences have been invaluable to me. They’re definitive, life-changing experiences, and it’s because of those opportunities that I wanted to learn how to play and pursue a life in music.”
For more information on the Harvard Arts Medal, ARTS FIRST, and related events, visit the Office for the Arts website or call 617.495.8676.
