For Wish, his sophomore outing as a leader, Joshua Redman enlists the talents of three of the most renowned and respected names in jazz: drummer Billy Higgins, bassist Charlie Haden, and guitarist Pat Metheny. The "wish" in question with this recording, as Joshua describes it, was "to make beautiful, meaningful music with three of my greatest musical idols."
Call that a wish fulfilled. From the brisk opener, Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround," to Joshua's gently swinging original "Soul Dance," to breathtaking ballad performances on Stevie Wonder's "Make Sure You're Sure" and Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven," Redman and his all-star band conjure music of exquisite passion, sensitivity, and drama - not to mention incredible chops! In addition to its eight studio tracks, the album captures the group's sensational live chemistry in two songs - Joshua's "Wish" and Haden's "Blues for Pat" - recorded at New York's legendary Village Vanguard.
"One of the things which I like most about this record," Joshua comments, "is that it has a definite collective identity, a real organic unity. The repertoire is very diverse, but I think there is a feeling which Charlie, Billy, Pat, and myself have as a group which transcends the structural and stylistic differences between the individual compositions."
"One of the reasons I wanted to work with these guys - aside from the obvious fact that they're masters - is because they're master storytellers. They all have an incredible sense of how to cooperate in the creation of coherent musical statements over time. And they do this spontaneously - always preserving and enhancing the emotional immediacy which is essential to jazz."