Thirty years ago, Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded “Streets of Philadelphia” for the soundtrack of Jonathan Demme’s film Philadelphia. To be more specific, he wrote the song, recorded a demo, and later went into a proper studio to track a version featuring a pair of jazz icons, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman and vocalist Jimmy Scott. That version, which appears briefly in a scene of the film, has never seen a proper release. The version that Springsteen did release — featuring his own haunted vocal over steady drum programming and a solemn toll of synthesizer chords — racked up an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and no fewer than four Grammy Awards.
As of today, it can also claim a notable cover by Joshua Redman, from his forthcoming album where are we, which is due out on Blue Note on Sept. 15. In addition to Redman’s tenor saxophone, the track features an assured vocal turn by Gabrielle Cavassa, and subtle accompaniment from a rhythm team of pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Brian Blade. The song’s unaccompanied guitar intro comes courtesy of a guest, Kurt Rosenwinkel, who knows the streets of Philadelphia about as well as any jazz musician can.
If the defining trait of Springsteen’s recording is the play of his vocal atop the beat, that’s also how the first verse in this version takes shape: with Cavassa and Blade in a low-gloss tandem, setting the mood. When the rest of the band comes in, it becomes clear that Redman has amplified the gospel current flowing through the song. This “Streets of Philadelphia” holds some hope of redemption, even as Cavassa sings of wasting or fading away.
That hint of a hopeful outcome is embodied in Redman’s brief solo. It brackets the bridge, which Cavassa fashions into a dramatic monologue:
Ain’t no angel gonna greet me
It’s just you and I, my friend
And my clothes don’t fit no more
I’ve walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.
She holds that last word softly, with a tremulous vibrato. The tenor statement that follows is soulful and yearning, reflecting Redman’s investment in the narrative. (Left unsaid is the incidental tether between his own story, as the son of Dewey Redman, and the song, with its tangential connection to Coleman, Dewey’s close collaborator.)
Redman conceived where are we during the pandemic lockdown, starting with the personnel. “It was a dream come true to finally have a chance to connect Aaron, Joe, and Brian — three of the most sublimely lyrical and deeply grooving musicians on the planet, who, somehow, had never before played together as a rhythm section,” he says in a press statement. “And it was a transformative experience to collaborate with Gabrielle — a vocalist of uncommon style, sincerity, and soul. This was my first time ever recording with a singer on one of my own projects; and I relished the challenge of discovering and inhabiting new musical roles for myself — not only as a featured soloist and ‘lead,’ but also as supportive accompanist and interlocutor.”
Joshua Redman's where are we will be released on Blue Note on Sept. 15
