Featured Album
Freddie Redd and His International Jazz Connection
- 1. Speakin' of the Blues
- 2. Don't Lose the Blues
- 3. Waltzin' In
- 4. Emily Reno
- 5. Let's Split
- 6. Thats Dancin' Man
- 7. I'm Gonna Be Happy
- 8. And Time Marches On
In the summer of 1956, I toured Sweden as a member of an all-star, Swedish-American Jazz group that included jazz vocalist Ernestine Anderson. The tour was sponsored by the Swedish government, and we performed mostly in Swedish folk parks. Rolf Eriksson was the leader. It was a smashing success.
In July of 1991, I was invited to the Pori Jazz Festival, and while there, I became aware that Sweden was just an overnight ferry ride away. Sparks from an old flame warmed me all over as memories raced by. My wife an I decided to go to Stockholm.
In Stockholm, I met the artists with whom I wanted to work; they fit perfectly into the concept I had been nurturing for some time. I wanted an International Jazz Group. For a very simple reason, I wanted to bring into focus the universal affinity of jazz artists of diverse cultures, and "the International Jazz Connection" was born.
Culturally speaking, our videos are intended to bring to viewers everywhere, talented jazz artists known and unknown and to document and proliferate the jazz arts.
With everybody's approval, my partner Nils Edstrom and myself began to set up the session. The only time and place available for the project would occur at 8 a.m., one rain-chilled winter day in Stockholm. Everyone showed up on time despite the fact that some of them had performed the previous evening. Each and every take is a first take. We rehearsed the music and then recorded it. We had to be finished by 5 p.m. What you will be hearing is just half of what we recorded that day. It was simply amazing how these artists performed my original music on such short notice.
Freddie Redd
(from liner notes in Freddie Redd and His International Jazz Connection)