"Wish" is the title track from Joshua Redman's 1993 album, performed live with Pat Metheny on electric guitar, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. This Redman original is a ballad set at approximately 67 beats per minute, built on a 28-bar AABC form in G major. The unusual form and lyrical melody give the composition a searching, hopeful quality that justifies its place as the album's namesake. Metheny takes the first solo with one chorus on electric guitar, his characteristically warm tone and sophisticated harmonic choices painting a luminous soundscape over the gentle rhythm section. Redman follows with an expansive statement of nearly two choruses on tenor saxophone, building from quiet introspection to soaring climactic phrases. The live recording captures an immediacy and spontaneity that distinguish this performance from the studio tracks on the album, with the audience's presence adding an extra dimension of energy and intimacy. Haden's bass provides a deep, lyrical counterpoint throughout, while Higgins's brushwork is the epitome of taste and sensitivity. As the album's closing track and its live centerpiece, "Wish" serves as both a summation and a culmination, demonstrating the profound musical connection these four musicians forged during a brief but remarkable collaboration.
