Freddie Redd (May 29, 1928 – March 17, 2021) was an American

hard-bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gosp ...

pianist and composer. He is best known for writing music to accompany '' The Connection'' (1959), a play by

Jack Gelber Jack Gelber (April 12, 1932 – May 9, 2003) was an American playwright best known for his 1959 drama '' The Connection'', depicting the life of drug-addicted jazz musicians. The first great success of the Living Theatre, the play was transl ...

. According to Peter Watrous, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'': "Mr. Redd hung out at jam sessions in the 1950s and played with many of the major figures,

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

, and worked regularly with

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

. When things got tough, he just moved on, living in Guadalajara, Mexico, and in Paris and London."

Biography

Redd was born and grew up in New York City; after losing his father at the age of one, he was raised by his mother, who moved around Harlem, Brooklyn and other neighborhoods. An autodidact, he began playing the piano at a young age and took to studying jazz seriously when he was 18, after a friend played him a record of "Shaw 'Nuff" by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

during his military service in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

(1946–1949). Upon discharge from the Army in 1949, he worked with drummer Johnny Mills, and then in New York played with

Tiny Grimes Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes (July 7, 1916 – March 4, 1989) 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 rec ...

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

Oscar Pettiford Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. Biography Pettiford was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United ...

and the

Jive Bombers The Jive Bombers were an American R&B group from New York City. The Jive Bombers consisted of members of two previous vocal groups, Sonny Austin & the Jive Bombers and The Palmer Brothers. They first recorded under the name The Sparrows in 1949 f ...

. In 1954, he played with

. Redd toured Sweden in 1956 with

Ernestine Anderson Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, ...

and

Rolf Ericson Rolf Ericson (August 29, 1922 – June 16, 1997) was a Swedish jazz trumpeter. He also played the flugelhorn. Yanow, Scott. Biography ''AllMusic'' Early career Ericson was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He moved to New York City in 1947 and, in 194 ...

. Redd's most successful project was in the late 1950s when he was invited to compose the music for

The Living Theatre The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. It is the oldest experimental theatre group in the United States. For most of its history it was led by its founders, actress Judith Malina and painter/po ...

's New York stage production of '' The Connection'', which was also used in the subsequent 1961 film. In both play and film he performed as an actor and musician. The theater production was a modest hit and the troupe toured the United States and Europe, performing in New York City, London, and Paris. Redd also led a

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

album of his music for the play, featuring on alto sax

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

, who had also appeared in the play. Redd's success in the theater production, however, did not advance his career in the United States, and shortly afterwards he moved to Europe, spending time in Denmark and France. He returned to the United States in 1974 and resettled on the West Coast; he became a regular on the San Francisco scene and recorded intermittently until 1990. In 2011, he resettled in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Redd struggled to establish himself commercially; however, musically, his creative lines, particular voicings and innovative compositions solidified his reputation; he worked with such musicians as Jackie McLean,

Tina Brooks Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks (June 7, 1932 – August 13, 1974) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer best remembered for his work in the hard bop style. Early years Harold Floyd Brooks was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and ...

Paul Chambers Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop era. ...

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger beb ...

Milt Hinton Milton John Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000) was an American double bassist and photographer. Regarded as the Dean of American jazz bass players, his nicknames included "Sporty" from his years in Chicago, "Fump" from his time on the ...

Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

Benny Bailey Ernest Harold "Benny" Bailey (August 13, 1925 – April 14, 2005) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey briefly studied flute and piano before turning to trumpet. He attended the Cleveland Institute ...

Louis Hayes Louis Hayes (born May 31, 1937) is an American jazz drummer and band leader. He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for more than three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band. He i ...

Al McKibbon Al McKibbon (January 1, 1919 – July 29, 2005) was an American jazz double bassist, known for his work in bop, hard bop, and Latin jazz. In 1947, after working with Lucky Millinder, Tab Smith, J. C. Heard, and Coleman Hawkins, he replaced ...

Billy Higgins Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop. Biography Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, be ...

Osie Johnson James "Osie" Johnson (January 11, 1923, in Washington, D.C. – February 10, 1966, in New York City) was a jazz drummer, arranger and singer. Johnson studied at Armstrong Highschool where he was classmates with Leo Parker and Frank Wess. He fir ...

Tommy Potter Charles Thomas Potter (September 21, 1918 – March 1, 1988) was an American jazz double bass player, best known for having been a member of Charlie Parker's "classic quintet", with Miles Davis, between 1947 and 1950. Born in Philadelphia, Penn ...

, and

Joe Chambers Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

, among others. He even contributed organ to

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

's original 1968 recording of "

Carolina in My Mind "Carolina in My Mind" is a song originally written and performed by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. It was Taylor's second single from his 1968 self-titled debut album. Taylor wrote ''Carolina in My Mind'' while overseas recording for ...

". Redd recorded several albums as leader, including two other Blue Note albums (although the last of these was not issued for many years). In 1989, his three Blue Note albums were reissued as ''The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Freddie Redd'', the liner notes of which quoted Jackie McLean as saying: "You never know what town you'll see

Freddie Freddy or Freddie may refer to: Entertainment *Freddy (comic strip), a newspaper comic strip which ran from 1955 to 1980 * Freddie (Cromartie), a character from the Japanese manga series''Cromartie High School'' * Freddie (dance), a short-lived 19 ...

in. He's always been itinerant. Freddie just appears from time to time, like some wonderful spirit." Redd completed a European tour in 2013, and two albums he made that year – ''Reminiscing'' and (with

Butch Warren Edward Rudolph "Butch" Warren Jr. (August 9, 1939 – October 5, 2013) was an American jazz bassist who was active during the 1950s and 1960s. Biography Warren's mother was a typist at the CIA. His father, Edward Sr., was an electronics tech ...

) ''Baltimore Jazz Loft'' were issued in February 2021. Redd died in New York City on March 17, 2021, aged 92.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* 1955: ''Introducing the Freddie Redd Trio'' (

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1955) – also released as ''Piano:East/West'' (

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

, 1956) and ''Movin (Status Prestige, 1965) * 1956: ''Get Happy with Freddie Redd'' (Pye Nixa, 1958) * 1956: ''In Sweden'' (Baybridge, 1973) * 1957: '' San Francisco Suite'' (

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

, 1957) * 1960: '' The Music from "The Connection"'' (

, 1960) * 1960: ''

Shades of Redd ''Shades of Redd'' is an album by American pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1961) * 1961: '' Redd's Blues'' (Blue Note, 1988) * 1971: ''

Under Paris Skies ''Under Paris Skies'' is the seventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the fall of 1960 by Cadence Records. This, his final LP for the label, is a collection of songs that Joseph Laredo describes in the liner ...

'' (Futura, 1971) * 1977: '' Straight Ahead!'' ( Interplay, 1978) – also released as ''Jazz Is'' (Trio, early 1990s) * 1978: ''

Extemporaneous Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

'' (Interplay, 1978) * 1985: ''

Lonely City ''Lonely City'' is an album by pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1985 and released by the Uptown label in 1989.Fitzgerald, Freddie Redd Leader Entry accessed March 28, 2019 Reception In his AllMusic review, Scott Yanow states: "Pianist Freddie ...

'' ( Uptown, 1989) * 1988: ''

Live at the Studio Grill ''Live at the Studio Grill'' is a live album by jazz pianist Freddie Redd recorded in Hollywood in 1988 and released on the Triloka label in 1990.Fitzgerald, MFreddie Redd Leader Entryaccessed April 3, 2019 Reception The Allmusic review by Sc ...

'' (Triloka, 1990) – live * 1990: '' Everybody Loves a Winner'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

, 1991) * 1998: ''Freddie Redd and his International Jazz Connection'' (Fairplay INJazz, 2001) * 2013: ''Reminiscing'' (Bleebop, 2021) * 2013: ''Butch Warren & Freddie Redd: Baltimore Jazz Loft'' with

(Bleebop, 2021) * 2014: ''Music for You'' (Steeplechase, 2015) * 2014-15: ''With Due Respect'' (Steeplechase, 2016)

As sideman

With

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

* ''

All Star Sessions ''All Star Sessions'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded between 1950 and 1955 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1956) – recorded in 1950-55 With

* ''Rolf Ericson & The American All Stars'' (Dragon, 1956) With

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...

* ''

When Farmer Met Gryce ''When Farmer Met Gryce'' is an album by trumpeter Art Farmer and saxophonist Gigi Gryce, featuring performances recorded in 1954 and 1955 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1955) With

* ''The Complete 1950–1954, Volume 3 (1950)'' (Blue Moon, 1995) – compilation * ''The Complete 1950–1954, Volume 4 (1950–1953)'' (Blue Moon, 1995) – compilation * ''The Complete 1950-1954, Volume 5 (1954) / The Complete 1949 J.B. Summers'' (Blue Moon, 1995) – compilation With

* ''

Music from the Connection ''Music from The Connection'' is a jazz album by trumpeter Howard McGhee recorded on June 13, 1960, and released on the Felsted label.

'' (

Felsted Felsted (sometimes spelt Felstead) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Bannister Green, Bartholomew Green, Causeway End, Coblers Green, Cock Green, Frenches Gre ...

, 1960) With

Joe Roland Joe Roland (May 17, 1920 – October 12, 2009) was an American jazz vibraphonist. Roland began as a clarinetist, attending the Institute of Musical Art (later known as the Juilliard School) from 1937 to 1939. He started on xylophone in 1940 and ...

* '' Joltin' Joe Roland'' (Savoy, 1955) – recorded in 1950-54 * '' Joe Roland Quintette'' (Bethlehem, 1955)

References

External links

* Nat Hentoff
From the liner notes of ''Shades Of Redd''
Blue Note. * Peter Watrous

''The New York Times'' (Archives), September 3, 1989. * Greg Burk
"Freddie Redd interview, 2005"
from ''LA Weekly'', August 6, 2005.
"Remembering Jazz Pianist Freddie Redd"
''All Things Considered'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, March 18, 2021. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Redd, Freddie 1928 births 2021 deaths American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz pianists American male pianists Hard bop pianists Blue Note Records artists Milestone Records artists Prestige Records artists Riverside Records artists African-American jazz musicians American jazz keyboardists American expatriates in France American expatriates in Denmark 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Jazz musicians from New York (state) African-American jazz composers African-American jazz pianists People from Harlem Musicians from New York City 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians