"The Deserving Many" is a hard-driving Joshua Redman original from his 1993 album Wish, featuring Pat Metheny on electric guitar, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Set at a blazing tempo of approximately 266 beats per minute, the tune is a 32-bar AABA form in B-flat minor that demands technical prowess and stamina from every player. Redman opens with four intense choruses on tenor saxophone, his lines combining bebop vocabulary with a muscular, modern approach that pushes against the rapid tempo. Metheny follows with two choruses of electric guitar, matching Redman's energy while bringing his own distinctive melodic logic to the challenging changes. The track also features a two-chorus drum solo from Billy Higgins, the veteran Los Angeles drummer whose crisp, swinging style had been a cornerstone of jazz since his groundbreaking work on Ornette Coleman's debut recordings in the late 1950s. Higgins's solo is a masterclass in rhythmic clarity at high speed, maintaining the tune's form with elegant precision. The inclusion of a drum feature underscores the egalitarian spirit of this session, where each musician is given space to shine. The composition itself reflects Redman's ability to write bebop-influenced vehicles that honor tradition while bearing his own distinctive stamp.
