Jazz Pianist Brad Mehldau and Saxophonist Joshua Redman Perform at Jazz at Linc Ctr

The dreary, rainy night blues heading into the weekend were washed away by the cool & classical jazz performance of Brad Mehldau on piano and Joshua Redman on alto & soprano saxophone.  Both American, award winning & Grammy nominated musicians are accomplished composers & arrangers.  The program started without pomp & circumstance.  They walked out on stage without introduction or addressing the audience and simply proceeded to dazzle us with their innovative jazzy style.   Mehldau's playing had a strong classical musical influence that expanded jazz in unexpected & pleasing rhythmic designs.  Redman's virtuoso playing was enthralling on both alto & soprano sax.  His solo performances on the soprano sax were stupendous.  Playing together, Mehldau's piano melodies  highlighted Redman's strong saxophone playing. Both men received the spotlight for showcasing their own talents.  After the first few rich & comforting musical numbers, Redman told us they were performing original compositions off their latest CD. Redman is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman.  Mehldau & Redman mainly performed their own compositions.  They played pieces by Coltrane & Parker with their own ingenious arrangement.  My favorite pieces were the 2 original duo ballads.  The 2 played 1 non-stop set for nearly 2 hours.  This was not nearly long enough but it was a blazing way to start the weekend