''MoodSwing'' is a 1994 studio album by American jazz saxophonist

Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman ...

. All compositions on this album are originals written by Redman. The album was re-released on vinyl in 2009. Redman's bandmates here are

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Qua ...

on piano,

Christian McBride Christian McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner. McBride has performed and recorded with a number of j ...

on acoustic bass, and Brian Blade on drums. The next album by this quartet, ''

RoundAgain ''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. The album was released on July 10, 2020 by Nonesuch Records label. Bac ...

'', was released 26 years later in July 2020.

Reception

Will Layman of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' wrote "Moodswing seeks to be that one jazz record you really want to play for your “non-jazz” friends". Scott Yanow of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

stated "Redman performs a full set of originals which, although not derivative, do fit into the straight-ahead tradition. At this point in time, Redman was growing from album to album, having already started at a high level. A fine outing." Howard Reich of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' added "The artistic growth of the young tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman remains something to behold, with virtually every major appearance showing significant advances in the musical breadth, emotional depth and intellectual savvy of his work. Consider "Mood Swing," his most deeply communicative recording to date. Redman, for all his technique and improvisational gifts, has taken pains to make a recording that speaks eloquently to the connoisseur and the casual listener alike." ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...

'' review by Jeff Simon commented, "Disc titles don't come more apt and succinct than Joshua Redman's "MoodSwing," which collects 11 moods of steadily ascending liveliness in some gorgeous Redman originals that can mostly be reduced to little more than artful vamps. Therein lies the problem. As beautiful and clever as some of these tunes are by everyone's favorite Generation X tenor player... and as superb as his quartet's playing is, there is some unnecessary monotony to this disc." Doug Ramsey of ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

'' added, "Redman's authority and presence do not depend on volume... But he commands attention and holds it through the album." The album was nominated in 1995 for Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Album.

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians * Joshua Redman –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

, soprano saxophone *

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

– bass * Brian Blade – drums Production *Matt Pierson – producer *James Farber – engineer (recording, mixing) *Greg Calbi – engineer (mastering) *Scott Hull – engineer (mastering) *Rory Romano – engineer (assistant) *Tony Black – engineer (assistant) *Mary Ann Topper – management, booking *Jennifer Zeitlin – production coordinator *Jeri Heiden – art direction, design *Tom Recchion – art direction, design *Jim Merrill – photography of band *Marc Hom – photography of Joshua

References

External links

* {{Authority control Joshua Redman albums 1994 albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Matt Pierson