Appetite and Restraint in Modern Jazz
Redman balances technical brilliance with genuine emotional directness, never showing off.
Wish is Joshua Redman working at full confidence, somewhere in the middle of his career when he'd already proven himself but still had something to prove. This isn't his debut—you don't need to start here if you want to understand who he is—but it's the record where everything locks into place. The tenor saxophone sounds warm and slightly dry, cut with a conversational tone that makes even the faster passages feel like he's thinking out loud rather than racing to impress you.
What distinguishes this album is how much it trusts silence and space. Redman doesn't fill every corner of the music with notes. There's a patience here that can feel almost conversational, especially on the ballads where you hear the weight of each phrase before the next one arrives. The rhythm section—whoever's behind him—moves with real groove without ever getting showy about it. The songs themselves are strong without being obvious, and they give Redman room to think rather than just react.
This is a solid album that deepens on repeated listening, the kind of record that makes sense in context but also works fine on its own. It's not a revelation or a peak, but it's honest work from a musician who knows his instrument and respects his audience enough not to waste their time. If you like straightforward, unfussy jazz saxophone played by someone who has real things to say, this lands exactly where it should.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Joshua Redman
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The musicians on this record
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Steal Away: Spirituals, Hymns and Folk Songs 1995
Charlie Haden
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
Secret Story 1992
Pat Metheny
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
First Song 1992
Billy Higgins
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
