Keb’ Mo’, Joshua Redman Featured in Star Tribune

After making his 2023 Blue Note Records debut with “Where Are We” emphasizing vocals, the veteran jazz saxophonist has delivered an exquisite album of original acoustic jazz, “Words Fall Short.” He is joined by a new lineup of younger players: Bassist Philip Norris (Emmett Cohen, Wynton Marsalis), drummer Nazir Ebo (Christian McBride, Marsalis) and pianist Paul Cornish (who studied with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and this year dropped his debut “You’re Exaggerating”). The material, all composed by Redman, ranges from the wistful “A Message to Unsend” to the uplifting “Icarus.” Vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, who was featured on Redman’s previous record, interprets Redman’s lyrics on the melancholy closer, “Era’s End.”