This rendition of Stevie Wonder's ballad "Make Sure You're Sure" appears on Joshua Redman's 1993 album Wish, featuring Pat Metheny on acoustic guitar, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The track is performed at a slow ballad tempo of around 57 beats per minute, using a 34-bar AABA form in D-flat minor. The choice of a Stevie Wonder composition reflects Redman's willingness to draw from outside the traditional jazz canon, a hallmark of his approach throughout his career. Metheny takes the first solo turn with a half-chorus statement on acoustic guitar, his warm nylon-string tone lending an intimate, chamber-music quality to the performance. Redman follows with a brief but expressive quarter-chorus on tenor saxophone, his sound rich and unhurried against the gentle accompaniment. The restrained solo lengths are notable for a jazz recording, suggesting the musicians prioritized mood and sensitivity over extended improvisation. Haden and Higgins support with remarkable delicacy, maintaining the song's tender atmosphere throughout. The arrangement honors Wonder's original melodic beauty while reframing it within a jazz harmonic sensibility, transforming a pop ballad into a contemplative jazz statement without losing the emotional directness that made the song resonate in the first place.
