js When it comes to inspired performances captured with a natural unfiltered sound, Joshua Redman’s “Trios Live” is one of the better CDs to come out so far in 2014. This is about as non-pretentious as music can get, three guys improvising on tunes live with no phony compression or added reverb to kill the energy. Although this CD sounds like one gig, its actually two combined together, with tracks 1 and 5-7 recorded in 2009 at NY’s Jazz Standard and tracks 2-4 recorded in 2013 at DC’s Blues Alley. Matt Penman man’s the bass on the Jazz Standard cuts and Reuben Rogers on the others. The high energy Gregory Hutchinson handles the drums at both shows. As is usual with Redman, there is a nice diversity to this set which ranges from Louie Armstrong to Led Zeppelin, plus a couple of standards and three originals, but everything is played as if they were all Redman originals. Joshua’s approach to improvising does not treat his rhythm section as mere backdrops, but instead most of these jams work more as three way conversations with Redman always open to letting his sidemen lead the way. This conversational approach also affects the nature of the improvisations in that things don’t always follow a typical arch design of building, then waning intensity, instead Redman and his group feel free to wander in more unpredictable patterns.

Most of the tunes feature Redman on tenor, although there are two that feature soprano, but generally Redman sounds a bit stronger on the tenor. Joshua’s style on here is rooted in post bop that veers in and out of freer moments, somewhat along the lines of early 60's Coltrane or Ornette. Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins are also good references, but Redman’s eclecticism puts him right in the sound of today. Both bassists are great, but Gregory Hutchinson’s ambitious drumming almost makes him a co-star alongside Redman. Gregory’s sound is rooted in aggressive semi-free drummers like DeJohnette and Tony Williams, but with a bit of modern rock/fusion slam bang thrown in. He really seems to take to the cover of Led Zep’s “The Ocean”.

Every song on here is excellent, with the cover of “Mack the Knife” taking top honors. Who knew you get so much out of that well worn old tune. If there is one problem with this CD, it’s the volume of the drums. This is a live CD and the raw unfiltered sound is a real treat in this age of overly compressed digital dreariness, and the drums sound very real which is great, but it sounds like they are mixed a bit higher than the sax, but given Joshua and Gregory’s constant interplay, its not a big problem