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Joshua Redman follows Pat Metheny with a brief quarter-chorus statement on tenor saxophone on this ballad reading of Stevie Wonder's "Make Sure You're Sure." At approximately 57 BPM, his sound is rich and unhurried against the gentle accompaniment of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, his few phrases drawing out the composition's tenderness and melancholy. The extreme brevity of the solo, among the shortest on the album, reflects a commitment to serving the song's emotional core rather than using it as a springboard for extended improvisation. The arrangement transforms Clapton's pop ballad into a contemplative jazz statement without losing the emotional directness that made the original resonate.
Joshua Redman was 23 to 24 years old at the time.
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