*The Wallis opens its 2026/27 season with one of the most acclaimed and influential saxophonists in contemporary jazz, Joshua Redman. For more than three decades, Redman has distinguished himself through his commanding musicianship, adventurous spirit and unmistakably expressive sound, earning recognition as one of the defining jazz artists of his generation.
Born in Berkeley, California, Redman is the son of celebrated saxophonist Dewey Redman, yet his own path to jazz stardom was anything but predetermined. A Harvard University graduate who initially planned to attend Yale Law School, Redman instead followed his passion for music after moving to New York. His breakthrough came in 1991 when he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, launching a career that would quickly place him alongside many of jazz’s most respected musicians.
Since then, Redman has built an expansive body of work as a bandleader, composer and collaborator, performing and recording with such luminaries as Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones, among many others. His celebrated quartet with Mehldau, McBride and Blade became particularly influential, bringing together four musicians who would emerge as major figures in modern jazz. Redman has also appeared on many of the world’s most prestigious concert and festival stages, establishing a reputation for performances that balance technical brilliance with spontaneity, warmth and emotional depth.
Redman returns to The Wallis with Words Fall Short, a new program that shifts away from the vocal collaborations of his previous album and turns toward the limitless expressive possibilities of instrumental storytelling. While the title may suggest that words are insufficient, the music is prepared to speak for itself.
The program represents an organic next chapter in Redman’s continually evolving career, featuring previously unheard original compositions performed by a new quartet with pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Philip Norris and drummer Nazir Ebo.
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Joining them as a special guest is Skylar Tang, the Bay Area-born trumpeter and composer whose lyrical depth, imagination and striking originality have quickly established her as an exciting emerging voice in jazz. Skylar Tang began playing trumpet at nine and composing at 14. She has performed with the SFJAZZ Collective, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sean Jones and Rufus Reid, among others. In 2024, Joshua Redman invited Tang to record on his 2025 album Words Fall Short. She joins Redman onstage as a featured guest with the Joshua Redman Quartet.
There may be no better way to launch The Wallis’ new season than with an artist who has helped shape the sound and direction of modern jazz for more than three decades. Words Fall Short promises a season opener defined by interplay, invention and musical conversation—the kind of electricity that happens when master musicians walk onstage prepared to listen, explore and surprise one another, while taking the audience along for the ride. For tickets and info on other performances visit www.TheWallis.org.
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