Joshua Redman

Joshua Redman’s Compass finds the saxophonist a long way from the Eddie Harris–influenced jazz-funk of his Elastic Band. You may recall Redman writing tunes like “Sweet Nasty” and “Greasy G,” jamming with Flea and ?uestlove, and blowing tweaked saxophone over synth-basslines. He reclaimed acoustic jazz in 2007 with the extraordinary Back East, which he dedicated to his father, the idiosyncratic tenor icon Dewey Redman, who appeared on two tracks recorded only months before his death. Compass is similar in mood but adds the complicating twist of two bassists (Reuben Rogers, Larry Grenadier) and two drummers (Gregory Hutchinson, Brian Blade). Unorthodox models like these bring to mind the post-postbop headspace of Ornette Coleman and his successors—Dewey Redman among them.

Playing tenor and soprano sax, the younger Redman spars with his rotating cast in combos ranging from straight trio to full band. Amid elements of abstraction we get strong melody, involved yet visceral rhythm and a perpetually shifting sound mass. Doubling instruments doesn’t mean louder music; Redman’s subtler than that. At times there’s a mirage effect, where one drummer can sound like two and vice versa. You’ve got to listen closely.

Compass is a brave, unusual effort—not as intense and multihued as Back East, yet treading provocative ground with the call-and-response themes of “Identity Thief,” the charged swing of “Round Reuben” and the brisk, asymmetric meter of “Un Peu Fou.” But the studio can only capture so much: Onstage is where Redman and crew could really catch fire.

The Joshua Redman Double Trio plays Highline Ballroom Jan 20 and 21.