Nonesuch | Joshua Redman (ts, ss), Aaron Parks (p), Matt Penman (b) and Eric Harland (d). Rec. 26-29 August 2010

This is one of those great discs that brings the jazz story right up to date without frightening the horses. You can hear the breadth of the band members’ listening tastes – stretching from soul and folk through rock and on to classical – from the first notes of opener ‘Coax’, but there’s no self-publicising ‘fusion’ going on here. The influences have been completely digested, with the result that James Farm’s ten propulsive song-based cuts are all indisputably and organically ‘jazz’. Rhythmically and structurally complex – the oft-noted ‘cinematic’ quality of pianist Aaron Parks’ writing is much in evidence here – but with a strong melodic sense, the groove-based tracks present the quartet with plenty of opportunities to stretch out and show their chops without ever losing the narrative thread. Former ‘Young

Lion’ Joshua Redman gives extended evidence of the lean, improvisatory genius that drew comparison to John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and most of the other sax greats when his debut album appeared in 1993; Parks is a more than worthy sparring partner, while backline team Matt Penman and Eric Harland – besides providing their share of the tunes – provide meaty rhythmic underpinnings.

- Robert Shore