"The Deserving Many" is an original jazz composition by saxophonist Joshua Redman, written for his 1993 album Wish. The piece is a 32-bar AABA form set in B-flat minor with a 4/4 swing feel at an uptempo pace of approximately 266 beats per minute. The melody is both catchy and sophisticated, featuring the kind of rhythmic drive and harmonic depth that characterize Redman's early compositional voice. Its energetic character and well-constructed changes make it a rewarding vehicle for improvisation, balancing accessibility with enough complexity to challenge seasoned players. Redman composed the tune during a period of rapid ascent in the jazz world, having recently won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition and deferred admission to Yale Law School to pursue music full-time. The composition reflects his talent for writing original heads that sit comfortably alongside standards in a working band's repertoire. While "The Deserving Many" has not crossed over into the broader jazz standard canon, it has remained a fixture in Redman's own live performances, appearing in sets by his quartets featuring musicians such as Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade. It stands as a representative example of the original material that distinguished Redman's early career from that of a typical young tenor player working primarily from the existing songbook.
