Despite the success of artists like Wynton Marsalis, the 1980s were a somewhat dark period in jazz. There was no particular movement breathing new life into the music, as fusion had done in the ’70s, and the masters who came up during the classic days were aging. Fortunately, jazz experienced a bit of a renaissance in the ’90s as a crop of young lions came to the fore. These musicians were all highly trained, and steeped in jazz tradition, but not beholden to it.

Among the most well-known of this set is saxophonist Joshua Redman, a familiar face here in the District. His career got its kickstart in D.C. in 1991, when he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. In the few years immediately following the prize, Redman went on to top critics’ polls from numerous publications, including Down Beat, Jazz Times, and Rolling Stone.

“Winning that was career changing, life changing for me in many ways,” Redman recalled during a recent interview with DCist.

Son of influential saxophonist Dewey Redman, the 41-year-old musician was raised by his mother in Berkeley, Calif. Though he began playing saxophone at age 10 and continued on through high school, his initial path was not that of a professional musician. Instead, he chose to attend Harvard, where he majored in Social Studies, graduating summa cum laude in 1991. Redman deferred his acceptance to Yale Law School for a year, and that was the year he won the Monk Competition, which led to him recording with his father and beginning a short stint with legendary drummer Elvin Jones. Needless to say, law school got the shaft.