Redman, who is Black and Jewish, was born in Berkeley, California. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman. He is a graduate of Berkeley High School. Then in 1991 he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Redman won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition the same year and began focusing on his musical career. Redman continued to develop his style through the 1990s, beginning with a sideman appearance on his father's 1992 record Choices. On his sophomore effort as a leader, Wish, he was joined by a notable lineup consisting of guitarist Pat Metheny, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins. He continued to work with various quartets until forming a new trio, Elastic, with keyboardist Sam Yahel and drummer Brian Blade.
In addition to his efforts with Elastic, he is the artistic director of San Francisco's SFJAZZ Collective, which is considered by many to be an emerging geographic and philosophic rival to the stylistically neo-classicist Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Wynton Marsalis.
Redman has also made a guest appearance on an episode of the TV show Arthur as the uncle of Francine, one of the main characters. The episode also depicts him in a boxing match against classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
The Nearness of You
Joshua Redman Lyrics
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That thrills and delights me, oh no
It's just the nearness of you
It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
It's just the nearness of you
All my wildest dreams come true
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
The lyrics of "The Nearness of You" by Joshua Redman explore the idea that it's not external things that excite or thrill the singer, instead it is just the proximity of the person they love. The singer details that it's not the physical presence of the moon that excites them, but rather the closeness of their lover. Similarly, it's not the conversation they have with their lover that brings them sensation, but rather just being near them. The singer describes the feeling of holding their lover so close to them that all of their wildest dreams come true. They don't need any extra fancy lighting or anything else, just the right to hold their lover close and feel their nearness throughout the night.
The overall message of the song seems to be that sometimes the simplest things, like just being near the person we love, can bring us the most joy and fulfillment. It speaks to the power of intimacy and how it can take something that might seem mundane, like just being next to someone, and make it exhilarating and life-changing.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not the pale moon that excites me
The sight of the moon does not thrill me.
That thrills and delights me, oh no
The moon does not bring me pleasure.
It's just the nearness of you
It is being close to you that excites me.
It isn't your sweet conversation
Your words don't bring me joy.
That brings this sensation, oh no
Your conversation doesn't cause this feeling in me.
It's just the nearness of you
It is being close to you that brings this sensation.
When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
When we're holding each other, and I feel your closeness.
All my wildest dreams come true
All my dream scenarios become reality.
I need no soft lights to enchant me
I don't require romantic lighting to be enchanted.
If you'll only grant me the right
If you only allow me to.
To hold you ever so tight
Hold you tightly in my arms.
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
To feel the closeness of you in the darkness of the night.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind