Vi Redd

Despite limited opportunities to document her work on record over the course of her professional life, Vi Redd performed with deep conviction as a bop-rooted alto saxophonist and delivered performances as a compelling vocalist. Growing up as the daughter of drummer Alton Redd placed her in an environment filled with music from an early age. After performing in her hometown, she stepped away from jazz to serve on the board of education from 1957 to 1960, only to reenter the jazz scene afterward. In 1962 she appeared in Las Vegas, joined Earl Hines two years later, and headed a San Francisco ensemble alongside her husband, drummer Richie Goldberg, during the middle of the decade. Additional collaborations included work with Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie in 1968, and Count Basie. Vi Redd made Los Angeles her home in 1969, where she performed locally on a sporadic schedule while maintaining an active role as an educator. She recorded as a leader for United Artists in 1962 and for Atco across 1962-1963, and she later contributed to the Gene Ammons/Dexter Gordon duo album The Chase! in 1970 as well as Marian McPartland's Now's the Time in 1977.