RECONNECTED: THE FREDDIE REDD QUARTET AT MERKIN CONCERT HALL
The Freddie Redd Quartet with Lou Donaldson performs the music of
THE CONNECTION at MERKIN CONCERT HALL (129 West 67th Street, NYC -
212-501-3330 -
http://www.merkinconcerthall.org/
) on Monday, February 19th at 8:00 pm. The quartet includes Freddie
Redd (piano), Lou Donaldson (alto), Mickey Bass (bass) and Louis Hayes
(drums), with added attraction Donald Harrison (alto). The evening
will also feature an on-stage interview with Redd, conducted between
sets by WGBH Radio's Steve Schwartz.
In a remarkable comeback story, forgotten bebop pianist
and stage actor Freddie Redd re-emerges from obscurity to perform
the music he wrote for the 1960 Obie award-winning play The Connection.
Alto saxophonist Donald Harrison will fill in for the late Jackie
McLean, along with bassist Mickey Bass and drummer Louis Hayes.
Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson will open the show with the Trio
to start the evening's performance then Harrison will perform The
Connection tunes on the second half of the concert.
A classic bop pianist and composer of haunting melodies,
Freddie Redd's career has been had its high points as well as periods
where he maintained a low profile. After serving time in the Army
from 1946 to 1949, Redd worked with drummer Johnny Mills and then
in New York played with Tiny Grimes, Cootie Williams, Oscar Pettiford
and the Jive Bombers. Redd appeared with both jazz and early R&B
groups and recorded his debut as a leader for Prestige in 1955.
Freddie has also played with Art Blakey, Coleman Hawkins, Tina Brooks,
Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Lou Donaldson, and many others. It
was Charles Mingus who brought him to the west coast, which is where
he wrote the San Francisco Suite recorded for Riverside.
Redd later settled for a time in San Francisco, where
he worked as the house pianist at Bop City and recorded for Riverside.
He found his greatest fame writing the music for the play The Connection.
He acted and played in the show in New York, London and Paris, appeared
in the film, and recorded the music for Blue Note, the first of
his three sessions for the label (all of which were reissued on
a Mosaic limited-edition box set as two-CD sets).
Single tickets are $30 in advance - $35 day of show.
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