Compass (Joshua Redman album)

Compass is a studio album by American jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman.[8] It was released on January 13, 2009 via Nonesuch Records label to a critical success, scoring 83% on Metacritic.

Compass
Studio album by Joshua Redman Trio
Released	January 13, 2009
Recorded	March 24–26, 2008
Studio	Avatar Studios, New York City.
Genre	Post-bop
Length	1:12:26
Label	Nonesuch Records 7559-79923-0
Producer	Joshua Redman, James Farber
Joshua Redman Trio chronology
Back East (2007) Compass (2009) Walking Shadows (2013)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[3]
The Guardian	[4]
PopMatters	[5]
Time Out Dubai	5/7[6]
Tom Hull	B+[7]

Reception

Michael Kabran of PopMatters stated "After Back East, it seemed a certainty that Redman would return to his more traditional jazz and fusion roots, that he had gotten experimentation out of his system. He proved this critic wrong by forging ahead, for the most part successfully, into less-traveled terrain (at least on the mixing board). Now, it's anyone's guess, whether you're a trained expert or a musical novice, as to where Redman's compass will take him next. And perhaps that's Compass's most emphatic point of all."

Thom Jurek of Allmusic wrote "Joshua Redman's 2007 album Back East rightfully drew critical comparisons to Sonny Rollins' legendary trio date Way Out West, given everything from the mirror image implication in the title to the manner in which Redman offered the material on the set. The presence of Rollins looms large over Compass as well... on Compass, Redman has finally learned the greatest trick from his mentor -- to walk out on the wire with his horn more, trust the fluid abilities of his incredible rhythm section(s), and let his inner sense of song and freedom take precedence over his already well-established sense of discipline."

Daryl Easlee of BBC added "Bleak, emotional and full of gravity, Compass is the sort of serious-minded album that gives jazz in 2009 a very good name".[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Uncharted"	Larry Grenadier, Gregory Hutchinson, Joshua Redman, Reuben Rogers	2:05
2.	"Faraway"	Redman	6:43
3.	"Identity Thief"	Redman	6:39
4.	"Just Like You"	Redman	7:30
5.	"Hutchhiker's Guide"	Redman	5:47
6.	"Ghost"	Redman	3:38
7.	"Insomnomaniac"	Redman	8:39
8.	"Moonlight"	Ludwig van Beethoven	5:03
9.	"Un Peu Fou"	Redman	5:05
10.	"March"	Larry Grenadier	3:22
11.	"Round Reuben"	Redman	6:26
12.	"Little Ditty"	Redman	8:30
13.	"Through the Valley"	Brian Blade	2:59
Total length:			1:12:26

Personnel

Band

• Joshua Redman – producer, sax (soprano), sax (tenor)
• Larry Grenadier – bass
• Reuben Rogers – bass
• Brian Blade – drums
• Gregory Hutchinson – drums

Production

• Karina Benznicki – production supervisor
• Justin Gerrish – assistant engineer
• Ronen Givony – editorial coordinator
• Rick Kwan – mixing assistant
• Michael Wilson – photography
• Greg Calbi – mastering, remastering
• Eli Cane – production coordination
• James Farber – audio engineer, producer
• John Gall – design

References

1. "Compass". Metacritic. metacritic.com. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
2. Jurek, Thom. "Joshua Redman: Compass". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
3. WILLIAMS, K. LEANDER (January 21, 2009). "Compass". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
4. Fordham, John (9 January 2009). "Joshua Redman: Compass". The Guardian. theguardian.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
5. Kabran, Michael (2 February 2009). "Joshua Redman: Compass". PopMatters. popmatters.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
6. Wilkinson, James (2 February 2009). "Music reviews". Time Out Dubai. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
7. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Joshua Redman". Tom Hull. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
8. "Joshua Redman - Compass". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
9. Easlee, Daryl (2009). "Joshua Redman Compass Review". BBC. Retrieved 11 July 2018.

External links

• Official website