Joshua Redman – Walking Shadows

Joshua Redman’s Walking Shadows is stunningly relaxing, and yet nowhere near smooth jazz. The album sets off with a lush orchestral reinterpretation of Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II’s “The Folks Who Live on the Hill.” His hauntingly clear saxophone weaves in and out of the string orchestration like ghost passing through glass. With Billy Strayhorn’s lyrical “Lush Life,” Redman shows off his fine, articulated chops in his second solo. In “Let It Be,” Redman sings Beatles’ lovely melody with his sax. The sophisticated beauty of the album is courtesy of the jazz-with-strings arrangements as well as the support from his friend and pianist Brad Mehldau.