Shades of Redd: Freddie or Tina?

[Brandon Burke]

A friend of mine recently said he'd always wondered of Shades of Redd was actually a Tina Brooks session. I have to admit, I'd never thought of this before but he has a good point. Nothing in else in Redd's oeuvre sounds like that and, let's face it, "The Thespian" and "Swift" in particular sound a lot like other Brooks heads..

[brownie]

Don't think this was really the case. Tina Brooks was often playing in Redd's group at the time (he was Jackie McLean's understudy in the play 'The Connection').

The album has a full Redd touch!

[bertrand]

I've been hanging around Freddie for the last couple of years and have heard him play a lot of these pieces several times; there is no doubt he is the composer.

I do wonder how soon before the session these were composed. One piece from The Connection appears on an earlier Tommy Potter session, so some of the Shades Of Redd pieces may have been composed earlier as well.

The arrrangements on Shades Of Redd are amazing. I am curious how they managed to get those together. I'm willing to believe that may have been a collaborative effort, like the Brooks/McLean sextet session from Jackie's Bag later that year.

Definitely something I need to ask Freddie about. I wonder how much Tina was responsible for these arrangements.

Bertrand.

[jazzbo]

Good to see you posting Brandon.

[bertrand]

Update: My friend Brad Linde, who is the man responsible for Freddie's return to the East Coast, told me that when they rehearse these pieces, Freddie will sometime correct the chord changes. I think this proves he is definitely the composer.

Bertrand.

[.:.impossible]

Good to see you Brandon.

[Peter Johnson]

Bertrand--any Freddie Redd performances on the horizon?-

[bertrand]

Only one scheduled: 9/30 at Honfleur Gallery (Southeast DC) with Butch Warren and Brad Linde. More brewing though...

Bertrand.