October 9, 2026
Saxophonist Joshua Redman has shared a deeply expressive rendition of “God Bless the Child” featuring vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Marcus Gilmore from the forthcoming Sonny Rollins tribute album, If Ever You Would Leave Us (we play for Rollins), a remarkable paean to the indelible impact of the Saxophone Colossus. Rollins famously recorded Billie Holiday’s signature song for his landmark 1962 album, The Bridge. Redman and Co. decided to model their version on Rollins’ arrangement, adhering to his harmonizations and form with Cavassa handling the main melody while Redman supports. It’s a profound meta exercise in musical elegy, “a tribute to a tribute.” Just as Rollins lamented the passing of Holiday, so does Redman offer a requiem for Rollins.
When Redman woke up on the day following Rollins’ passing on May 26, he felt a cathartic need to do something for Sonny, but he didn’t quite know what. So he started making calls to friends and colleagues, and a loose coterie of great players readily made themselves available for studio sessions in New York that were assembled within a couple weeks. The album also features contributions from bassist Larry Grenadier, pianist Kevin Hays, saxophonist Chris Potter, and vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant.
To trace Redman’s journey with Rollins’ music is to trace his trajectory as a musician. “I discovered Sonny Rollins right around the time I picked up the saxophone, at age 10 or 11,” he recalls. “I remember going to the Berkeley Public Library and browsing through the bins, I saw this album, Saxophone Colossus. And I thought, ‘Hey, that’s a pretty bold title.’ [laughs] That was my eureka moment. I remember putting it on, and hearing Sonny made me understand: It awakened me to the true power and potential of jazz improvisation. When I discovered Sonny Rollins, that was my gateway, and my North Star.”
