Wish
Tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, the son of the magnificent but undervalued Dewey Redman, was touted as one of the young lions of jazz in the 1990s, spearheading a neo-bop revival upon the release of his 1992 debut. The acclaim was quickly followed by charges of hype, but on his second album,Wish, Redman proved worthy of the accolades. This is a surprisingly mature work for such a young player. Redman's soloing is assured, conversant with the blues, and filled with minor surprises. His exchange with guitarist Pat Metheny is superb, and the master rhythm section of Charlie Haden on bass and Billy Higgins on drums affords Redman plenty of rhythmic subtlety to apply his nuanced playing to.--John Swenson