Wish

About

Joshua Redman debuted in 1993 with <i>Joshua Redman</i> on Warner Bro., establishing himself as a tenor saxophonist to watch at the height of the so-called Young Lions era. His sophomore release, however, was on another level: Joined by Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgin, <i>Wish</i> finds Redman not simply holding his own in the presence of three older jazz master, but leading what sounds like his own band, with its own inflections and sense of swing. Interesting, expressive originals like “Soul Dance,” “The Deserving Many,” and “Wish” help make the album an enduring touchstone. Metheny’s ballad “We Had a Sister” resurfaced a few years later on his <i>Trio 99→00</i>. Metheny, Haden, and Higgins had recorded <i>Rejoicing</i> for ECM in 1983 and staked a claim as one of the defining trios of the era. It speaks to Redman’s musical maturity that he could augment the <i>Rejoicing</i> trio and not just emerge unscathed, but in fact take charge and shape the conversation. (The final two tracks are from a live engagement at the Village Vanguard.) .

via Apple Music

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