Freddie Redd
Encyclopedia
Freddie Redd is an American hard bop
pianist
and composer
.
His greatest success came in the late 1950s in the play and movie The Connection
, in which he both played and acted in New York City
, London
, and Paris
. He also played on the soundtrack album. His success in the play did not help his career in the United States
, however, and shortly after he moved to Europe
. He returned to the United States in 1974. Although he has never been able to establish himself in the first rank of jazz
figures, he has worked extensively with highly regarded musicians and recorded several albums as leader.
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
His greatest success came in the late 1950s in the play and movie The Connection
The Connection (1961 film)
The Connection is a 1961 feature film by the noted American experimental filmmaker Shirley Clarke. It was Clarke's first feature; she had made several shorts over the previous decade....
, in which he both played and acted in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He also played on the soundtrack album. His success in the play did not help his career in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, however, and shortly after he moved to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He returned to the United States in 1974. Although he has never been able to establish himself in the first rank of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
figures, he has worked extensively with highly regarded musicians and recorded several albums as leader.
As leader
- 1955 - Piano - East/West (SavoySavoy RecordsSavoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
) one half of an album shared with Hampton HawesHampton HawesHampton Hawes was an American bebop and hard-bop jazz pianist, recognized as one of the finest and most influential of the 1950s.-Biography:... - 1955 - Introducing the Freddie Redd Trio (PrestigePrestige RecordsPrestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
) - 1957 - San Francisco SuiteSan Francisco SuiteSan Francisco Suite is an album by American pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1957 and released on the Riverside label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "An excellent effort"....
(RiversideRiverside RecordsRiverside Records was a United States record label specializing in jazz. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer under his firm Bill Grauer Productions, Inc. in 1953, the label was a major presence in the jazz record industry for a decade...
) - 1960 - The Music from ″The Connection″The Connection (Soundtrack)The Connection is an album of music composed for Jack Gelber's 1959 play of the same name by jazz pianist Freddie Redd which was released on the Blue Note label in 1960...
(Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
) - 1960 - Shades Of ReddShades of ReddShades of Redd is an album by American pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album 5 stars and stated "In an all too small discography, Freddie Redd's Shades of Redd is without a doubt his crowning...
(Blue Note) - 1961 - Redd's BluesRedd's BluesRedd's Blues is an album by American pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1961 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1988.-Reception:...
(Blue Note) - released 1988 - 1963 - Movin' (New Jazz)
- 1971 - Under Paris Skies (Futura)
- 1977 - Straight Ahead! (Pony Canyon)
- 1978 - Extemporaneous (Interplay)
- 1985 - Lonely City (Uptown)
- 1988 - Live at the Studio Grill (Troika)
- 1990 - Everybody Loves a Winner (MilestoneMilestone RecordsMilestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....
)
As sideman
- Albert AmmonsAlbert AmmonsAlbert Ammons was an American pianist. Ammons was a player of boogie-woogie, a bluesy jazz style popular from the late 1930s into the mid 1940s.-Life and career:...
: All Star Sessions (OJC, 1955) - Rolf EricsonRolf EricsonRolf Ericson was a Swedish jazz trumpeter. He also played the flugelhorn.- Early career :He moved to New York City in 1947 and in 1949 joined Charlie Barnet's big band and with Woody Herman in 1950...
: Rolf Ericson & The American All Stars (Dragon, 1956) - Art FarmerArt FarmerArthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
: When Farmer Meets Gryce (OJC, 1955) - Tiny GrimesTiny GrimesLloyd "Tiny" Grimes was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He was a member of the Art Tatum Trio from 1943 to 1944, was a backing musician on recording sessions, and later led his own bands, including a recording session with Charlie Parker...
: The Complete 1950-1954, Vol. 3-5 (Blue Moon) - Howard McGheeHoward McGheeHoward McGhee was one of the very first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for lightning-fast fingers and very high notes...
: The Music from the ConnectionThe Music from the ConnectionThe Music from the Connection is a jazz album by trumpeter Howard McGhee recorded on June 13, 1960, and released on the Felsted label. It features performances by McGhee, Tina Brooks, Freddie Redd, Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson...
(Felstead, 1961)