Momentum

1	Soundcheck / Joshua Redman 1:26
2	Sweet Nasty / Joshua Redman 6:20
3	Just a Moment / Joshua Redman 1:21
4	Shut Your Mouth / Joshua Redman 5:37
5	The Crunge / Joshua Redman 2:38
6	Riverwide / Joshua Redman 6:20
7	Greasy G / Joshua Redman 4:35
8	Lonely Woman / Joshua Redman 6:11
9	Swunk / Joshua Redman 8:15
10	Blowing Changes / Joshua Redman 2:10
11	Double Jeopardy / Joshua Redman 4:41
12	Put It in Your Pocket / Joshua Redman 6:51
13	Showtime / Joshua Redman 1:06

Barnes & Noble

Through several recordings with the Elastic Band, his electric unit, Joshua Redman has made it his business to address vernacular and pop culture styles -- hip-hop, funk, blues, and heartland roots -- from a jazz perspective. Elastic Band's latest, Momentum, comprises primarily groove-based originals, plus covers from Sheryl Crow ("Riverwide"), Led Zeppelin ("The Crunge"), and Ornette Coleman ("Lonely Woman"). Redman deploys environments created by co-producer Sam Yahel on keyboards, and navigates them with a like-minded cohort (drummers Brian Blade, Jeff Ballard, and ?uestlove; bassists Flea and M'Shell Ndgeocello; guitarists Jeff Parker, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Eric Krasno, and Peter Bernstein; vibraphonist Stefon Harris; and trumpeter Nicholas Payton) who weave their individualistic tonal personalities into the sonic fabric at hand. Indeed, the arc of the recital ebbs and flows like the soundtrack to an imaginary film, of which Redman is the multilayered central character, stamped by a burnished, centered sound, an impeccable time feel, and a gift for distilling any musical structure to its essence and creating melodic improvisations that, for all the rigorous logic applied to their creation, project powerful emotion. Ted Panken

All Music Guide

Once again featuring the expansive keyboard talents of Sam Yahel, saxophonist Joshua Redman's Momentum features more of the '70s-influenced jazz the former "young lion" experimented with on 2002's Elastic. Bringing to mind works by such iconic artists as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and especially Eddie Harris, Redman digs into sundry groove-oriented tracks such as the driving and punchy "Sweet Nasty," which finds Yahel and Redman soloing hard over drummer Jeff Ballard's James Brown-ready dance beat. Interestingly, Redman conscribes some heavy sidemen to help stir the funk this time around with bassists Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and jazz-pop iconoclast Me'Shell NdegéOcello adding their signature styles to their respective tracks. Similarly, Roots drummer ?uestlove, drummer Brian Blade, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkle contribute much with appearances here. However, it is organist Yahel who sets the musical tone for the whole album, adding in bubbly ambient synth sounds, clavinet, and Rhodes piano throughout. With all these talents at Redman's disposal it is disappointing that Momentum isn't more adventurous. When set next to such classics of '70s funk as Davis' On the Corner or Hancock's Head Hunters, Redman's album is just too polite and controlled to really live up to such comparisons. Also, the album relies a bit too heavily on in-studio gimmickry such as when trumpeter Nicholas Payton -- who also released his own paean to '70s fusion with Sonic Trance -- solos with himself overdubbed like a trumpet section on "Put It in Your Pocket." The result ultimately comes off as cheesy and gives the impression of a premeditated improvisation rather than a free flow of ideas. It is also unfortunate that some of the best cuts on the disc like the frenetic and angular "Showtime" are merely short interludes that are never fully developed. Momentum may loose some steam as it goes along, but with such talents on board it is still a fun and funky ride. Matt Collar