Joshua Redman announced If Ever You Would Leave Us (We Play for Rollins) on September 15, with Blue Note scheduling the album for November 20.
The tribute contains eleven selections from Sonny Rollins’ repertoire, performed in changing configurations. The named contributors include Marcus Gilmore, Christian McBride, Larry Grenadier, Kevin Hays, Peter Bernstein and Chris Potter, alongside singers Cécile McLorin Salvant and Gabrielle Cavassa.
Grand Street introduces the project
The lead single is Grand Street, associated with Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass. Redman’s recording features Bernstein, McBride and Gilmore.
That named lineup applies to this selection. The full album’s wider list of collaborators should not be read as a claim that every musician appears together on every track.
A repertoire tribute can change its shape
The project offers a way to follow Rollins through compositions and performance choices rather than only through a biography. An instrumental group and a recording with a guest singer can draw on the same wider repertoire while setting different musical tasks.
For a first encounter, the lead single establishes one clearly identified ensemble. The album’s credits then provide the map for moving between other configurations, keeping the individual contributions attached to the recordings on which they appear.
The announcement establishes an upcoming release, rather than a review of the finished album. The official track and format information remain the reference as publication approaches.
Scheduled release: November 20, 2026 · Blue Note Records.
Source: Official release announcement.
