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Saxophonist
Joshua Redman, keyboardist
Sam Yahel, and drummer
Brian Blade had crossed paths frequently before they joined together to form
Yaya3. Each musician has recorded as a leader, and
Blade had appeared as a sideman on
Yahel's albums
Trio and In the Blink of an Eye, and on
Redman's
Freedom in the Groove. But the real crossroads for the three was Small's, a club in New York, where
Yahel was playing twice a week. One night, when
Yahel was scheduled and already had
Blade in the band, guitarist
Peter Bernstein was unable to make the gig, so
Yahel called
Redman to substitute. The results were so positive that the trio scheduled a regular date at Small's, then booked a tour in the winter of 2002. Warner Bros. Records,
Redman's label, became interested and signed the group, which adopted the name
Yaya3 after a nickname of
Yahel's. Their self-titled debut album, released in June 2002, marked Warner's resuscitation of the Loma Records imprint. ~ William Ruhlmann