Wish - Joshua Redman

Wish is Joshua Redman's second album as a leader, recorded at the Power Station in New York with two additional live tracks captured at the Village Vanguard. Released on Warner Bros. Records in September 1993, the album assembles a pianoless quartet of musicians Redman considered idols: guitarist Pat Metheny, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins — the latter two drawn from Ornette Coleman's circle. Produced by Matt Pierson with engineering by James Farber, the program ranges from an Ornette Coleman tune ("Turnaround") and Charlie Parker's "Moose the Mooche" to jazz reinterpretations of Stevie Wonder's "Make Sure You're Sure" and Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven." Redman described the album as having a "definite collective identity" that transcends the diverse repertoire, achieved through the quartet's spontaneous interplay. The absence of piano leaves space for Metheny's guitar and Redman's tenor to converse directly, with Haden's deep bass and Higgins' light, responsive drumming anchoring the rhythm. The two Village Vanguard tracks — Redman's original "Wish" and Haden's "Blues for Pat" — close the album with the energy of a live set. The album helped establish Redman as one of the leading tenor saxophonists of his generation.