The Struggle Continues (1982)

'Album pick' bij Allmusic (4,5 uit 5 sterren): "This date has Redman fronting a standard rhythm trio: Mark Helias (b), Charles Eubanks (p), and Ed Blackwell (d) (a bandmate from Ornette Coleman days through to Old and New Dreams). Redman was versatile, as comfortable playing inside as outside, and here he does a bit of both, straying in and out of free and hard bop mode. It is one of the saxophonists most consistent and "melodic" recordings, but that doesn't mean he's any less adventurous. Perhaps those who dug hard into brilliant albums like "Tarik", "Look for the Black Star", and "Ear Of The Behearer" weren't ready to hear music that stayed so close to the bop tradition. But it was in his musical DNA and he never tried to prove otherwise. This is as fine as any of those albums, with an ensemble that understood his considerable strengths and played directly to them. Inspired and inspiring, this album is one of the gems of the ECM catalog in the '80s and a shining star in jazz, period." (Thom Jurek)