RoundAgain is a studio album by Joshua Redman's quartet, consisting of himself on saxophone, Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums.[12] The album was released on July 10, 2020 by Nonesuch Records label.[13][14]

RoundAgain
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 10, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-07-10)
RecordedSeptember 10–12, 2019
StudioSear Sound Studio C, New York City
GenreJazz
Length44:38
LabelNonesuch
ProducerJoshua Redman
Joshua Redman chronology
Sun on Sand
(2019)
RoundAgain
(2020)
LongGone
(2022)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic86/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[2]
AllMusic[3]
Financial Times[4]
Jazz Forum[5]
Jazz Journal[6]
Jazzwise[7]
Le Devoir[8]
PopMatters7/10[9]
The Times[10]
Tom HullB+[11]

Background

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This release is this quartet's first recording since 1994’s MoodSwing.[15] The album features seven new compositions: three by Redman, two by Mehldau, and one each by McBride and Blade.[16] The album was recorded at Sear Sound Studio C, New York City, on September 10–12, 2019.[17] The album was completed just before the pandemic lockdown.[18]JAZZIZ Magazine included the album in its list of "10 Albums You Need to Know: July 2020".[19]

Reception

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At Metacritic, that assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on four reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[1]

Giovanni Russonello of The New York Times wrote, "If “RoundAgain” has anything notably in common with “MoodSwing,” it is the feeling of musicians with a scary level of talent playing into the moment, with full faith that they belong within a lineage. The blend of outside influences into a consensual jazz language, the polyrhythmic play, the scholarly bravado: All those things felt fresh for these musicians in the 1990s, even if they usually don’t for young musicians right now. There’s something undeniable — consoling, even — about hearing them remain true to it today."[20] Phillip Booth in his review for JazzTimes stated, "RoundAgain features a fresh batch of tunes by these acclaimed artists, bolstered by each player’s gifts as a top-shelf instrumentalist, powered by their steadfast ability to sync up, and informed by their collective experience in a wide variety of settings."[21]

Mike Flynn of Jazzwise commented, "Once considered jazz’s 1990s brat pack, the Joshua Redman Quartet’s members are now edging toward elder-statesmen status and all rank among today’s top-billed artists."[22] Matt Collar writing for AllMusic stated, " In some ways, RoundAgain feels like the perfect follow-up to MoodSwing, an album that could have arrived in the late '90s. Yet, it is hard to imagine Redman and his quartet summoning the same warmth and relaxed intensity that they do here without the decades of experience and deep familiarity they've cultivated with each other over the years."[3] Robert Middleton of All About Jazz observed, "This is an album delving deeply into many themes and feelings reflecting life today in our crazy, troubled, dark, and yet somehow extraordinary times. It is alive, sublime, deep and exquisite in its tone and interplay. Four masters deliver a truly satisfying album."[2]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Undertow"Redman7:22
2."Moe Honk"Mehldau7:11
3."Silly Little Love Song"Redman7:01
4."Right Back Round Again"Redman6:00
5."Floppy Diss"McBride5:22
6."Father"Mehldau6:37
7."Your Part to Play"Blade5:04
Total length:44:38

Personnel

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Musicians

Production

  • Joshua Redman – producer, liner notes
  • James Farber – associate producer, engineer
  • Greg Calbi – engineer (mastering)
  • JN-H – engineer (lacquer cutting)
  • James Farber – engineer (mixing)
  • Brian Montgomery – engineer (additional engineering)
  • Owen Mulholland – engineer (assistant engineer)
  • GuessWorks, Inc. (Andre Guess, Cheryl Guess) – management
  • International Music Network – management
  • Middle Way Music – management
  • Wilkins Management, Inc. – management
  • John Gall – design
  • Michael Wilson – photography

Charts

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Chart performance for RoundAgain
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 56
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 143
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 43
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[26] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 8
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[28] 7[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b "RoundAgain by Joshua Redman". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b Middleton, Robert (August 2, 2020). "Joshua Redman: RoundAgain album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b Collar, Matt. "RoundAgain - Brian Blade, Christian McBride, Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ^ Hobart, Mike (10 July 2020). "Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade: RoundAgain — relaxed drive". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. ^ Domagała, Adam (2020). "RoundAgain | Jazz Forum". Jazz Forum. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  6. ^ Fletcher, Thomas (13 July 2020). "Redman, Mehldau, McBride, Blade: RoundAgain". Jazz Journal. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. ^ Harris, Selwyn (July 2018). "Reviews". Jazzwise. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  8. ^ Bourgault-Côté, Guillaume (18 September 2020). "RoundAgain, Redman, Mehldau, Blade et McBride". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  9. ^ Layman, Will (20 July 2020). "Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade Come 'RoundAgain'". PopMatters. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. ^ Pearson, Chris (10 July 2020). "Redman Mehldau McBride Blade: RoundAgain review — a regrouping in more ways than one". The Times. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Joshua Redman". Tom Hull. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  12. ^ Johnson, Martin (13 July 2020). "'RoundAgain' by Joshua Redman Review: Playing Through Jazz's Changes". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  13. ^ Flynn, Mike (March 26, 2020). "Redman, Mehldau, McBride and Blade in the Mood again". Jazzwise. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  14. ^ "New album from original Joshua Redman Quartet on the way". JAZZ.FM91. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  15. ^ "Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride & Brian Blade Reunite After 26 Years with July 10 Release of "RoundAgain" - Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch Records. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Now That They've Conquered The World: Joshua Redman Quartet Readies A New Album". NPR. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  17. ^ "RoundAgain by Joshua Redman + Brad Mehldau + Christian McBride + Brian Blade". Nonesuch Records. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  18. ^ "After 26 years, everything - and nothing - has changed". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  19. ^ Micucci, Matt (2 July 2020). "10 Albums You Need to Know: July 2020". JAZZIZ Magazine. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  20. ^ Russonello, Giovanni (9 July 2020). "Redman, Mehldau, McBride and Blade Take Another Spin, 26 Years Later". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  21. ^ Booth, Philip (10 July 2020). "Redman Mehldau McBride Blade: RoundAgain (Nonesuch)". JazzTimes. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  22. ^ Flynn, Mike (26 March 2020). "Redman, Mehldau, McBride and Blade in the Mood again". Jazzwise. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Redman / Mehldau / McBride / Blade – Roundagain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Redman / Mehldau / McBride / Blade – Roundagain" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Redman / Mehldau / McBride / Blade – Roundagain" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  26. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 30. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Redman / Mehldau / McBride / Blade – Roundagain". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  28. ^ "Josha Redman Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  29. ^ "Joshua Redman". Billboard. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
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