On Wednesday night, Joshua Redman and Branford Marsalis had Town Hall packed with lovers of good jazz. The show was part of the JVC Jazz Festival, an annual tradition which offers live jazz performances in cities across the country, as well as in Paris, Rotterdam and Warsaw. 2007 marks the Festival’s 24^th year.

In Redman’s latest release, Back East, the California native returns to New York and teams up with some the area’s finest musicians, including his late father, Dewey Redman. Aside from the obvious reference to geography, the record’s title is representative of Eastern influences that work to make this acoustic trio album both sophisticated and sensual.

As Redman took the stage, he was welcomed with a gentle wave of applause. He spoke briefly to the audience, joking about how being back in New York (where neurosis is considered normal) rendered him “a lot less stressed out.” The crowd was smitten, and it was clear that New York was overjoyed to have Joshua Redman back again.  

The trio, featuring Ruben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums, opened with a fun, smooth rendition of “The Surrey With the Fringe On Top.” The equation was simple and linear—solely drums, bass, and sax—yet the sound was satisfyingly whole. Redman traded in his usual tenor for a soprano sax during “Zarafah,” an enchanting original dedicated to his mother. Harland’s use of various brushes, strokes, taps and bells coincided perfectly with Rogers’ precise strumming as Redman glided in and out of sensibility.

After an enjoyable interpretation of Thelonious Monk’s “Trinkle Tinkle,” Redman turned to the crowd to give his thanks and express his excitement at sharing a stage with Brandford Marsalis, a man Redman considers a tremendous musical influence, especially in the sax/bass/drum format. The trio closed with “Back East,” leaving the audience buzzing in awe after Harland’s incredibly layered and seemingly infinite drum solo.

Marsalis’ quartet entered the stage after a small intermission. Opening with “The Crease,” the crowd was instantly energized as each musician played with passion.  Drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts was all smiles, using every inch of his drum set and not looking down once. At the peak of intensity, the quartet melted into “Hope,” a gentle, powerful piece written by pianist Joey Calderazzo that explodes wildly with emotion and then softens again. For their third song, bassist Eric Revis used a bow to give the song a semi-western feel. Marsalis led the group with ease, leaving them plenty of room and freedom to allow each performance to come to life.

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