Reviews
A Tribute to Charlie Parker
"Redd is the essence of Powell in spirit but the soulful artistry is his alone. Freddie Redd has turned comping in to an art form. is solos are marked by blistering arpeggios and a 'touch' that one has to be born with. The ballad style of this legendary jazz figure has a sweetness that is reminiscent of Tadd Dameron. As Redd sits hunched over the Piano creating magical sounds and a bit of fury, the audience is transfixed by his mastery and explodes into thunderous applause on the final note....Freddie Redd's improvisational genius is unparalleled." - John Gilbert, JazzReview.com, August 9, 2003
Freddie Redd: Live at the Studio Grill (Triloka 182-2)
"Each of the eight pieces here is different and utterly fresh, and each reaches out with the urgency of making up for three decades of lost time. His right hand is wonderful, ringing large clusters before returning to a delicate single-note tracing of the theme at the end." - Thomas Conrad, CD Review, Disc of the Month, February 1991
The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Freddie Redd
"Owing a stylistic debt to Bud Powell and to a lesser extent Thelonious Monk, his well-constructed solos alternate between fleet, single note lines and solid, full bodied chords. While Redd's music sits firmly on a bop foundation, his tunes possess an appealing unpredictability that allow them to rise above the ordinary....this album shimmers with a strong, passionate drive and a sense of excitement that is hard to surpass....this is hard bop at its best." - Gerard Futrick, Coda
"The recordings show Mr. Redd to be the composer of pungent, often blues-laden melodies and a masterful small-group arranger. As a pianist, he's both a dutiful soloist and an excitable accompanist who made musicians play up to their best." - Peter Watrous, The New York Times