Dewey Redman

b. 17 May 1931, Fort Worth, Texas, USA. After first playing clarinet at school, where one of his musical companions was Ornette Coleman, Redman turned to alto saxophone and later still took up the tenor. One of many well-versed students at North Texas State University, Redman became a professional musician on graduation. In the late '60s and through into the mid-70s he played and recorded with Coleman, Charlie Haden, Roswell Rudd, Keith Jarrett and Carla Bley. In 1976 he formed Old and New Dreams, a quartet completed by Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell and Haden, touring and recording into the mid-80s. An eclectic musician, seamlessly linking the blues with freeform music over a hard bop base, Redman's playing style constantly demonstrates his technical mastery of his instruments which sometimes include the Arabian musette. He also composes and arranges much of the material he performs and records, drawing inspiration from eastern music as well as that of his own heritage.