Wayne Shorter - 1970 - Odyssey of Iska

Wayne Shorter 

1970

Odyssey of Iska

01. Wind (8:00)
02. Storm (8:22)
03. Calm (3:25)
04. De Pois Do Amor, O Vazio (After Love, Emptiness) (11:40)
05. Joy (9:00)

Wayne Shorter / tenor & soprano saxophones
Gene Bertoncini / guitar
Cecil McBee / bass
Ron Carter / bass
Alphonse Mouzon / drums
Billy Hart / drums
Frank Cuomo / drums, percussion
David Friedman/ vibraphone, marimba

Exotic percussion-based proto-World Music worked for Wayne Shorter on Super Nova, so he tried it again the next year (1970) on Odyssey of Iska. The sound is very similar but the lineup completely different: here Wayne plays tenor and soprano; unlike Super Nova, where he stuck exclusively to soprano. Dave Friedman plays vibes and marimba; Gene Bertoncini, guitar; Ron Carter and Cecil McBee on bass; and there are three drummers: Billy Hart, Alphonse Mouzon, and Frank Cuomo.

The pieces are, with one exception, given one-word titles: "Wind," "Storm," "Calm," "Joy," and "De Pois do Amor, o Vazio (After Love, Emptiness)." So like Super Nova, there is one Brazilian tune among a lot of mood music (quieter mood here, for the most part). "Wind" is quieter than "Storm," which comes in with a guitar intro that flirts with rock and roll before resolving into something more rich and strange. Here Shorter doesn’t play nearly as stormily as he does elsewhere. It is always tempting with music titled in this way to speculate on the relation of particular parts to the theme: does Shorter come in playing the role of the storm’s eye? He leaves it to Friedman and the others to stir up most of the fuss, such as it is. For a man who went up ‘gainst the wall with Coltrane, I would have expected more of a storm.

"Calm" is, well, you know. With the possible exception of "Storm," this album should carry a commendation from the FDA for truth in packaging: what you see on the label is what you get. Or is there a subtext for deconstructionists? On "Calm" Shorter does sound as if he has a certain sense of foreboding. Still, he stays within the wider parameters of the mood. "De Pois do Amor, o Vazio" sounds like "Calm—the Sequel" until about a minute in, when suddenly we’re in a funky Rio dance hall. Bertoncini is competent, the backing dutiful. To my barbaric ears, however, Shorter sounds more emptied by love on "Calm" than on this track. He raises some sparks here (not too many), but "emptiness"? I dunno. And "Joy"? Is it joyful? Sure. I make no claim to find Mr. Shorter’s storm, calm, emptiness, or joy wanting. I only wonder if his titles do not impose on the listener and compel him to judge the music by its success or failure in raising the specified feelings. Of course, programmatic titles like this in jazz are older than "Struttin’ with Some Barbecue" (now there would have been a great one to cover on this album), but still always risky.

On August 26, 1970, Wayne Shorter recorded two separate albums for Blue Note (the other one is Moto Grosso Feio), his final projects for the label. For this set, Shorter doubles on tenor and soprano, utilizing a double rhythm section comprised of vibraphonist Dave Friedman, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, both Ron Carter and Cecil McBee on basses, drummers Billy Hart and Alphonse Mouzon, and percussionist Frank Cuomo. On the verge of joining Weather Report (referred to in the liner notes as "Weather Forecast"), it is not surprising that Shorter's originals include titles such as "Wind," "Storm," and "Calm." These moody works were never covered by other jazz players but they work quite well in this context, launching melancholy flights by Shorter.

Wayne Shorter - 1970 - Moto Grosso Feio

Wayne Shorter

1970

Moto Grosso Feio

01. Moto Grosso Feio (12:25)
02. Montezuma (7:50)
03. Antiqua (5:20)
04. Vera Cruz (5:05)
05. Iska (11:20)

Wayne Shorter / tenor & soprano saxophones
John McLaughlin / 12-string guitar
Dave Holland / acoustic guitar, bass
Ron Carter / double bass, cello
Chick Corea / marimba, drums, percussion
Micheline Pelzer / drums, percussion
Miroslav Vitous / bass - not confirmed

Recorded at A & R Recording Studio, New York City on April 3, 1970.

Weird how some sessions fit to make full album get lost or forgotten in the vaults of some of the biggest labels, Blue Note in this case. And just get a load of the participants to Shorter’s second session of that day (the first session had produced the tracks that would make Odyssey Of Iska): Corea & McL (ja, man!!), Carter & Holland (believe, man!!), with only the unknown being a Belgian teenage girl Michelin Prell (whom Shorter had known since infancy) to insure the percussions. Well, it’s when some contract dispute (his moving from Blue Note to Columbia, where he was already with WR) in 75 (five years after its recording) that this session was remembered and finally located (not labelled) and finally released under a quickly thought-out Brazilian-sounding album, just like most tracks on MGF bore Latin names.

OK, Shorter’s fascination with Brazilian music and language played a role (his wife was Portuguese) in these names, but you won’t find much music that’s really related to Latino music, except maybe the cover of Nascimento’s Vera Cruz. Indeed, most of the tracks are very much in the dissonant avant-garde and free-jazz mode, although it’s still fairly listenable to relatively profane ears (IMHO, at least), but please investigate, rather than take my words for granted. Opening on McL’s acoustic guitar, underlined by Carter’s cello, the 12-mins+ title track is an enchanting and relatively haunting stroll in the Matto Grosso forest, where Shorter’s sax puts a spell on us, before some obtrusive (for the calm climates) drums interventions leap out like hungry jaguar. While the calm returns quickly, the serenity is not as evident, now that we are aware of the menaces that can abound. Montezuma opens a tad more traditionally and might just be the most accessible track of the album, but it’s definitely no cinch either: Prell’s amazing and intuitive drumming is purposely up front in the mix like it would be in some of the best Sun Ra albums, and Carter’s cello shines. Great stuff

On the flipside, Antigua is again starting rather standard, but quickly digresses into dissonant territory, although there is again nothing Latino about the music. Nascimento’s Vera Cruz plunges directly in the inner realms of Shorter’s explorative mood, and there are again not much South American ambiances in there. The album closes on another version of Wayne’s Iska (his baby daughter’s name, Jessica in Hebrew), which is probably the more difficult piece on the album, with McL’s guitar often crossing the sanity borderline, but the amazing presence of the teenage girl Prell is probably the nail that closes the coffin down into the grave. Astounding stuff, but not for the faint-hearted, though.

Recorded on the same day as the superior Odyssey of Iska, this loose session (Wayne Shorter's final one for the Blue Note label) is quite unusual. Although Shorter sticks to his customary tenor and soprano, ianist Chick Corea plays marimba, drums, and percussion; bassist Ron Carter mostly performs on cello; electric guitarist John McLaughlin sticks to the 12-string guitar, and bassist Dave Holland also plays acoustic guitar, with drummer Michelin Prell rounding out the group. Not released until 1974, the music is influenced by early fusion and has its interesting moments although it often wanders. The group performs Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz" and four of Shorter's originals, of which "Montezuma" is the best-known.

Wayne Shorter - 1969 - Super Nova

Wayne Shorter 

1969 

Super Nova

01. Super Nova 4:45
02. Swee-Pea 4:35
03. Dindi (pronounced "Jin-Jee") 9:45
04. Water Babies 4:50
05. Capricorn 7:45
06. More Than Human 6:10

Bass – Miroslav Vitous
Classical Guitar – Walter Booker (tracks: A3)
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Guitar – John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Soprano Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Vibraphone – Chick Corea
Vocals – Maria Booker (tracks: A3)

Recorded at the A&R Studios, NYC, on August 29, 1969 (tracks A1, A2, B1, B2) and on September 2, 1969 (tracks A3, B3).

It was the summer of 1969, flower power was in the air, conventional hard bop was in serious trouble, and Wayne Shorter wrought the hipfest Super Nova in the company of a gaggle of guitarists and percussionists. Super Nova , while typical in many ways of jazz in 1969, is by no means the average Blue Note session or the average Wayne Shorter album, but it has its charms.

He had the help of a stellar lineup. Shorter’s soprano (he plays no tenor on this album) was complemented by guitarists John McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock, who were joined by Walter Booker on one track; Miroslav Vitous on bass; Jack DeJohnette on drums and African thumb piano; Chick Corea, of all people, on drums and vibes (no piano); Airto Moreira on additional percussion; and Maria Booker singing on one track. An unusual lineup today, but not too head-turning alongside the likes of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew or Pharoah Sanders’ Karma , which have more in common than is usually acknowledged, and were the sort of thing that turned heads back then.

"Super Nova" kicks off our love-in with a repeating motive from Shorter, who follows his figure down various paths and returns repeatedly to home base with an oboe-like Coltraneish tone, while behind him his guitarists and drummers bubble and churn. McLaughlin squeezes out an undistinguished solo (with Sharrock thrashing behind him), and then it’s back to Wayne, sounding more like Trane every second. "Swee-Pea" is oddly titled, for the title reminds me of the Popeye’s baby, but the track is the occasion of some beautifully touching playing from Shorter. Romantic and elegiac by turns, he is at his most affecting here. Miles bandmates Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams would have backed this one up capably, but the percussion and guitars create a shimmering backdrop that works quite well. "Dindi" takes us to a hooting, groaning rain forest, which is suddenly broken by, lo and behold, Maria Booker singing a soft Portuguese ballad a la Astrud Gilberto. Playing Joao to Maria’s Astrud is Walter Booker on classical guitar. Then it’s back to the rain forest. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the structure of this song, except that bossa nova was popular in 1969, and Maria’s part is nice. Shorter plays outstandingly all through this album, but especially on "Water Babies," where he is the only soloist. The sidemen get restless on "Capricorn," especially the drum corps, and Shorter’s soprano grows more sonorous to match them. His soprano preaches, brays, and warns; the drums churn and the guitars quiver, but never get solo time to speak of. Wayne is always at the center on this album. Not to take anything away from Wayne: he can pull it off, and does.

Super Nova is ultimately a period piece, although one may claim a wee place for it in history as an early rivulet of the now-mighty stream called World Music. Is it the revanchist success of Wynton Marsalis & Co. that makes it sound more dated today than Speak No Evil, Etc., or any of Wayne’s earlier, more conventional hard bop Blue Notes? T. S. Eliot observes that any new addition to a canon alters one’s perception of the all the existing members. With Etc. begetting numerous children and Super Nova relatively barren, is it any wonder that the latter album would now seem more remote?

Recorded just 8 days after the Bitches Brew session, many of the same artists from Bitches Brew appear here: saxophonist Wayne Shorter, guitarist John McLaughlin, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and pianist Chick Corea (playing drums and vibes on this!). Other Miles Davis alums appear: Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira and acoustic bass player Miroslav Vitous (both later would become members of Wayne Shorter's Weather Report). The band plays new versions of 3 Shorter tracks previously recorded with Miles Davis (but not released until Water Babies in 1976). They are performed much better in this context. Though this is post-bop (stretching into free jazz)... it's far more melodic than the dark moody Bitches Brew. Highly recommended.

Wayne Shorter - 1967 - Schizophrenia

Wayne Shorter

1967

Schizophrenia

01. Tom Thumb 6:15
02. Go 4:52
03. Schizophrenia 6:59
04. Kryptonite 6:25
05. Miyako 5:55
06. Playground 6:20

Recorded March 10, 1967 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Alto Saxophone, Flute – James Spaulding
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Curtis Fuller

Wayne Shorter was so important to the world of modern jazz starting around 1960 that it is hard to know where to start. As Richard S. Ginell puts it in Shorter's biography on AllMusic:

Though some will argue about whether Wayne Shorter's primary impact on jazz has been as a composer or a saxophonist, hardly anyone will dispute his overall importance as one of jazz's leading figures over a long span of time. Though indebted to a great extent to John Coltrane, with whom he practiced in the mid-1950's while still an undergraduate, Shorter eventually developed his own more succinct manner on tenor sax, retaining the tough tone quality and intensity and, in later years, adding an element of funk. On soprano, Shorter is almost another player entirely, his lovely tone shining like a light bean, his sensibilities attuned more to lyrical thoughts, his choice of notes becoming more sparse as his career unfolded. Shorter's influence as a player, stemming mainly from his achievements in the '60s and '70s, was tremendous upon the neo-bop brigade who emerged in the early '80s, most notably Branford Marsalis. As a composer, he is best known for carefully conceived, complex, long-limbed, endlessly winding tunes, many of which have become jazz standards yet have spawned few imitators.

After spending four years with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1959 to 1963 (where he eventually became the musical director), Shorter joined Miles Davis' second classic quintet in 1964, staying with him until 1970. During his time with Miles, he recorded a series of albums for Blue Note that were all outstanding and some are even considered stone-cold classics (Speak No Evil, JuJu, Adam's Apple). Towards the end of this run of recordings came Schizophrenia in 1967, a fantastic record that shows off the "two" sides of Shorter - his straight ahead compositions, along with those that moved more into the free jazz and post bop realms.

Just check out the opener "Tom Thumb," which starts out sounding like a typical late-'60s soulful Blue Note number, before it soon shows itself to be a more advanced hard bop and adventurous piece [listen to "Tom Thumb" above]. It shows off how talented Shorter was at choosing sidemen to accompany him: Spaulding, Fuller and Hancock are extremely comfortable with this form of jazz. Fuller, as always, is just pure joy to listen to, he is as underrated as it gets among his fellow brass players of the day. Spaulding also shows just how important he was to this mid-to-late '60s era of Blue Note recordings: how many great sessions from this period did he add his muscular alto and delicate flute playing to? And, Herbie? Well, he's Herbie. Solid as a rock and always showing why he is deserving of all the accolades heaped upon him over the years. It, of course, didn't hurt that Shorter had been recording and touring with Hancock and Carter as bandmates for a few years by 1967, during his time with Miles Davis, forming one of the more memorable symbiotic quintets in the history of jazz.

Compare the soulful and bluesy "Tom Thumb" with the album closer "Playground," a track that fully shows off Shorter's notions of what free jazz can be, it's an intricate and unpredictable composition that illustrates not just how talented this group of players is, but also how much they are on the same page at this point in their respective careers [listen to "Playground" above]. Shorter's meaty and swinging solos are matched by Fuller and Spaulding in turn. The rhythm section of Hancock, Carter and Chambers sound like they are having the time of their lives stepping outside of the standard modern jazz that they would have been accustomed to playing most of the time.

The rest of the record falls somewhere between the opening and closing tunes, most easily classified as post bop, but with that soulful edge that defined much of Blue Note's classic sound. In retrospect, this album doesn't sound nearly as "out there" as it may have to some listeners when it was released in 1967, but what it does sound like is the work of a master at the peak of his powers - both as a player and a composer - who is joined by a group of like-minded and ultra-talented musicians who are thrilled to be along for the ride. It is an under-appreciated and overlooked classic from Shorter's first period of recordings as a leader.

Wayne Shorter was at the peak of his creative powers when he recorded Schizophrenia in the spring of 1967. Assembling a sextet that featured two of his Miles Davis bandmates (pianist Herbie Hancock and bassist Ron Carter), trombonist Curtis Fuller, alto saxophonist/flautist James Spaulding and drummer Joe Chambers, Shorter found a band that was capable of conveying his musical "schizophrenia," which means that this is a band that can play straight just as well as they can stretch the limits of jazz. At their best, they do this simultaneously, as they do on the opener "Tom Thumb." The beat and theme of the song are straightforward, but the musical interplay and solos take chances that result in unpredictable results. And "unpredictable" is the operative phrase for this set of edgy post-bop. Shorter's compositions (as well as Spaulding's lone contribution, "Kryptonite") have strong themes, but they lead into uncharted territory, constantly challenging the musicians and the listener. This music exists at the border between post-bop and free jazz -- it's grounded in post-bop, but it knows what is happening across the border. Within a few years, he would cross that line, but Schizophrenia crackles with the excitement of Shorter and his colleagues trying to balance the two extremes.

Wayne Shorter - 1966 - Adam's Apple

Wayne Shorter

1966

Adam's Apple

01. Adam's Apple 6:40
02. 502 Blues (Drinkin' And Drivin') 6:30
03. El Gaucho 6:25
04. Footprints 7:25
05. Teru 6:10
06. Chief Crazy Horse 7:30

Bass – Reginald Workman
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter

Recorded on February 3, 1966 (track A1) and on February 24, 1966 (tracks A2 to B3).

If you just want to know whether or not you should buy this album, you get a yes from me. It's a nice piece of work from some truly great musicians, and while it doesn't get into any really deep explorations of musical ideas, it will give you hours of listening pleasure.

The songs on this album tend to be bluesier and more lyrical than most Shorter offerings. On the title track, I get the sense that Shorter is taking his cues from the R&B tunes that were filling the radio waves and climbing the pop charts in the mid-60s. It's upbeat, fun and, as noted by other reviewers here, not particularly adventurous. 502 Blues also seems to be strongly influenced by popular music. I can almost hear some Sinatra or Tony Bennet-like stylist crooning some lines about lost love and late nights at the bar in place of Shorter's sax work.

El Gaucho reminds me of typical Shorter fare from the years just prior to this album's release, the sort of work you'll find on albums like Speak No Evil. Still, I get the sense that I'm listening to supremely accomplished musicians playing with ideas they have long ago mastered. It's a good composition, well played, but it isn't attempting to explore any new territory.

Footprints is the gem of this collection. I even think it might be the conceptual center of the album. This is one of Shorter's greatest and most enduring compositions. You'll also find it on the album Miles Smiles, by Miles Davis' second great quintet, and numerous live recordings by that group, and in quite a few more live clips from Shorter, dating into the early 2000's. Here, in its debut recording, the song has a certain swing that you won't hear in many (if any) other versions (and certainly not in any of the recordings by the Davis Quintet). As with most of the songs on this album, Shorter's style is lyrical. That, in combination with the swing-like rhythm, makes this rich composition exceptionally approachable. If I were to choose one song to introduce someone to the mid-60s hard bop / post bop sub genre, it might have to be this recording of Footprints. Oh, and as an added bonus, since this recording is by a quartet, Hancock gets a good portion of space for his solo, and he makes marvelous use of it.

Teru is a lovely ballad. Shorter's playing here is soulful and sweet. The final cut of the original album, Chief Crazy Horse, strikes me as a variation of Footprints, almost like a reminiscence to close out the set.

The bonus cut, The Collector, is a real outlier. Composed by Herbie Hancock, it is more stylistically adventurous than the rest of the set and it does seem to presage Shorter's next album, Schizophrenia, but it also just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of this album. I'd recommend making a playlist of Adam's Apple's original six songs and adding this to another playlist of various and sundry Shorter songs from the same period.

With the possible exception of its song, "Footprints," which would become a jazz standard, Adam's Apple received quite a bit less attention upon its release than some of the preceding albums in Wayne Shorter's catalog. That is a shame because it really does rank with the best of his output from this incredibly fertile period. From the first moments when Shorter's sax soars out in the eponymous opening track, with its warmth and roundness and power, it is hard not to like this album. It might not be turning as sharp of a corner stylistically as some of his earlier works, like Speak No Evil, but its impact is only dulled by the fact that Shorter has already arrived at the peak of his powers. Taken in isolation, this is one of the great works of mid-'60s jazz, but when Shorter has already achieved a unique performance style, compositional excellence, and a perfectly balanced relationship with his sidemen, it is hard to be impressed by the fact that he manages to continue to do these things album after album. But Shorter does shine here, while allowing strong players like Herbie Hancock to also have their place in the sun. Especially hypnotic are two very different songs, the ballad "Teru" and Shorter's tribute to John Coltrane, "Chief Crazy Horse," both of which also allow Hancock a chance to show what he could do.

Wayne Shorter - 1965 - The All Seeing Eye

Wayne Shorter

1965

The All Seeing Eye

01. The All Seeing Eye
02. Genesis
03. Chaos
04. Face Of The Deep
05. Mephistopheles

Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Joe Chambers
Flugelhorn – Alan Shorter
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Freddie Hubbard

Recorded on October 15, 1965.

“For the composer, it’s almost a decree that the chamber orchestra and string quartet are the height of individualism,” Wayne Shorter stated in 2002. “Composers like Gabriel Faure wrote things that were like stories, complex, but in color, and as you follow them, you can go away on a trip. Playing that music, you have a lot of companionship and exchange, and you don’t have one job. You’re supporting. Then you have something to say, someone disagrees, and the line you play saves the second violinist over there, then he comes or she comes and saves your ass! Then you go out in space. You go out into the unknown.”

Shorter’s remarks present an interesting perspective on The All Seeing Eye, a programmatic five-piece suite recorded in October 1965 on which the composer, 13 months after leaving the “sock ‘em dead” hard bop verities of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers for the wide-open spaces of Miles Davis Quintet (Miles was five months into a protracted convalescence from hip surgery that had sidelined him from performing, giving Shorter much time to dream), convened an ensemble of best-in-class contemporaries to fulfill John Milton’s admonition to the “heavenly muse” in Paradise Lost to sing the story “In the Beginning how the Heav’ns and Earth/Rose out of Chaos,” while also offering a hip perspective on “Th’ infernal Serpent” who “Mov’d our Grand Parents in that happy State,/Favour’d of Heav’n so highly, to fall off/ From their Creator, and transgress his Will.”

Propelled by the nonpareil rhythm section of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Joe Chambers, each a master of compositional improvisation, and informed by consistently virtuosic soliloquies on Shorter’s sparse, pungent themes from the composer, Freddie Hubbard, Grachan Moncur III, and James Spaulding, all at the top of their respective games, The All-Seeing Eye offers nothing if not a master class in hardcore jazz expression. The soloists operate along team-first imperatives, following Shorter’s emotional roadmap while also fully expressing their personalities, both in the melodies they weave and the orchestral array of sounds and timbres that they elicit. In Nat Hentoff’s superb liner notes for the original issue, Shorter explicates his intents and purposes for each piece in abundant detail, more literally he has done before or since, so a blow-by-blow is not necessary. Still, it is useful to note that each piece sounds like an abstraction for a more fully fleshed-out work, a notion that Shorter confirmed in 2002, with such orchestral masterworks as Phantom Navigator, Atlantis, and High Life under his belt.

“The All Seeing Eye is not finished,” Shorter said. “When I was doing it then, I was thinking, ‘Okay, this is just for now, but this is only a framework.’ I realize that everything I’ve done has been bricks, building a larger architecture. Now I think there’s a part of us that knows everything. Music cannot stop wars, but, like the judge says, ‘What are your intentions?’ I want the music to carry the good intentions, the good dialogue, the impetus for people to start thinking things they never thought before.”

In many ways The All Seeing Eye feels like the most fleshed-out and comprehensive composition of Wayne Shorter's career. The playing is all uniformly stellar, the music veers into places and dark corners you don't expect jazz to necessarily go (see "Genesis" or the touches of Miles's "Spain" in the last track). It amounts to compelling evidence that Shorter deserves the recognition he receives next to the likes of Coltrane, Blakey, and Mingus, among other legends.

Wayne Shorter - 1964 - Speak No Evil

Wayne Shorter

1964

Speak No Evil

01. Witch Hunt
02. Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum
03. Dance Cadaverous
04. Speak No Evil
05. Infant Eyes
06. Wild Flower

Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Elvin Jones
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trumpet – Freddie Hubbard

Recorded December 24, 1964 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

On his third date for Blue Note within a year, Wayne Shorter changed the bands that played on both Night Dreamer and Juju and came up with not only another winner, but also managed to give critics and jazz fans a different look at him as a saxophonist. Because of his previous associations with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Reggie Workman on those recordings, Shorter had been unfairly branded with the "just-another-Coltrane-disciple" tag, despite his highly original and unusual compositions. Here, with only Jones remaining and his bandmates from the Miles Davis Quintet, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter on board (with Freddie Hubbard filling out the horn section), Shorter at last came into his own and caused a major reappraisal of his earlier work. The odd harmonic frameworks used to erect "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum," with its balladic structure augmented with a bluesy regimen of hard bop and open-toned modalism, create the illusion of a much larger band managing all that timbral space. Likewise on the title track, with its post-bop-oriented melodic line strewn across a wide chromatic palette of minors and Hancock's piano pushing through a contrapuntal set of semi-quavers, the avant-garde meets the hard bop of the '50s head on and everybody wins. The loping lyric of the horns and Hancock's vamping in the middle section during Shorter's solo reveals a broad sense of humor in the saxophonist's linguistics and a deep, more regimented sense of time and thematic coloration. The set ends with the beautiful "Wild Flower," a lilting ballad with angular accents by Hancock who takes the lyric and inverts it, finding a chromatic counterpoint that segues into the front line instead of playing in opposition. The swing is gentle but pronounced and full of Shorter's singular lyricism as a saxophonist as well as a composer.

On the spectrum of jazz challenges, Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil” appears to lean toward the easy side. The title track of the eminent saxophonist and composer’s 1964 masterpiece Speak No Evil sits in a comfortable and utterly approachable medium swing. Its primary theme is a series of long tones outlining placid, open-vista harmony. Its bridge resembles something from the notebook of Thelonious Monk – a simple staccato motif that stairsteps up and down, each phrase defined by strategic accents.

Yet as often happens in the music of Wayne Shorter, things are not entirely what they seem. There are layers. The notes of the melody tell one story; the chords nudge the musicians someplace else, a realm where theory lessons are of limited value and instinct matters more than intellect. To thrive in this place, the musicians have to relinquish the tricks of the jazz trade – the lightning-fast bebop runs, the killer licks they lean on to navigate chord changes. The tune, simple though it may be, comes with its own specific language – a trait it shares with many of Shorter’s pieces. Before diving into the conversation, the improviser has to discover the specific quirks of the form, its textures and temperament. How challenging is this? Even Shorter, who wrote the tune, sometimes struggles. He begins “Speak No Evil” by repeating a deftly tongued single note over and over, as though chopping his way into new territory. Shorter’s first few lines are simple declarations with a smidgen of blues in them – he’s not thinking about solo hijinks, he’s just trying to hang with the slalom course that is his creation. As he steers around tight curves, his lines coalesce into a kind of spontaneous lyricism – he’s singing through the horn, linking seemingly disconnected phrases into one (!) hauntingly memorable chorus. The subsequent soloists embrace his melody-first example when improvising: trumpeter Freddie Hubbard blows wistful then tender then fierce; pianist Herbie Hancock follows spry modal lines into quiet introspective corners.

This subtle “guiding” of soloists is a crucial component of Speak No Evil, and much of Wayne Shorter’s compositional output. The last of three monumental works Shorter recorded in 1964 (the others are Night Dreamer and Juju), this album frequently turns up on shortlists of essential jazz, and one reason is Shorter’s ability to coax those around him out of their comfort zones, and into new ways of playing. Shorter’s melodies encourage musicians to stretch, and so do his vividly imagined harmonic environments – playgrounds, really. No other jazz figure found such innovative ways to balance hard bop rhythmic fire against delicately loosened (yet, crucially, still tonal) harmony. And where some contemporaries built brainy maze-like contraptions, Shorter went straight for the heart, trusting that the poignancy he embedded in his structures would stir something similar within the soloists. The moods he explores here are deep and absorbing, far from typical jazz club fare: “Dance Cadaverous” offers a macabre tour of a haunted house (or, perhaps, a haunted mind), while the keening octaves of “Infant Eyes” sketch human vulnerability with a rare sustained empathy. Incredibly, these pieces become deeper and thicker in the solo passages, as each of the players gingerly endeavors to enhance the beauty already on the page.

That’s what every composer wants – the chance for the vague notions he scribbles on paper to take root, expand and blossom as music. Shorter managed that with astounding consistency over the years, creating a songbook that’s regularly described as the “mother lode” of jazz composition. That songbook has many riches – some are stone simple, some merely sound simple, and some are deceptively sophisticated and complex. It’s a vast trove of heady music, and the high-level sorcery at work within Speak No Evil is a great way to begin exploring it.

This is pure inner city Jazz, vintage Hardbop, intellectual, cultivated and super-cool, ideal music to be used as a soundtrack for a discourse on modern Western life.

The album is well-balanced, the choice of songs as well as that of the participating musicians. It simulates the Miles Davis quintet (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter) minus Miles but plus Freddie Hubbard, and minus Tony Williams but plus Elvin Jones, so, what can you say. No downer here, but Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, the ballad Infant Eyes and the waltzes Wild Flower and Dance Cadaverous are special highlights.

I wouldn't want to join in with the crowd saying "this is the perfect Shorter album", simply because there are more than one perfect Shorter albums. This one, however, may be the most representative for Shorter's specific mid-sixties Hardbop.

Wayne Shorter - 1964 - Night Dreamer

Wayne Shorter 

1964

Night Dreamer

01. Night Dreamer
02. Oriental Folk Song
03. Virgo
04. Black Nile
05. Charcoal Blues
06. Armageddon

Bass – Reginald Workman
Drums – Elvin Jones
Piano – McCoy Tyner
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trumpet – Lee Morgan

While this was Wayne Shorter's first solo album for Blue Note, he had been playing with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for 5 years and was already a mature saxophonist and composer. But with this 1964 album, he was free to write music to suite his own taste rather than Blakey's. He was free to dream his own dream. Shorter did this very successfully, emerging as a major jazz composer, a painter of vivid soundscapes.

He was backed up by outstanding musicians. I happen to be a big fan of Lee Morgan and already owned some Morgan CDs that featured Shorter --"Search for the New Land" and "The Gigolo"; I would have been glad to have any additional album featuring them together, but that is especially true when the compositions are so distinctive. Actually, Morgan only plays on "Night Dreamer", "Oriental Folk Song", "Black Nile", and "Armegeddon". Maybe Shorter wanted to prove to Blue Note that he could sustain listeners' interest in a quartet; his next album "JuJu" did in fact feature the same quartet heard here on "Virgo" and "Charcoal Blues" for that entire album.

The album and title track open with a wonderful series of runs on the piano played by McCoy Tyner before launching into the theme. Shorter, Morgan, and Tyner all deliver solos which maintain the dream-like mood which Shorter extends with a second solo before the return of the closing theme statement. Even then, Shorter is not done and spins out one more solo. This tune really sets a high bar for the album, but the remaining tunes meet this challenge.

"Oriental Folk Song" doesn't really sound that oriental to me, but it is a charming, mellow tune featuring more fine solos and some drum breaks. "Virgo" is a lovely ballad full of mystery; one of the most beautiful original jazz melodies I know of. "Black Nile" is a fast, hard bop number. It is followed by "Charcoal Blues" which needs no explanation (except for Morgan's absence). The entire quintet caps off the session with the vibrant "Armegeddon" which Shorter described as the "focal point of the whole album"; despite the title, it is not at all gloomy since Shorter does not view "Armegeddon" as being the final battle of good and evil, but "a period of total enlightenment in which we will discover what we are and why we are here".

Tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter's Blue Note debut found him well prepared to enter the big time. With an impressive quintet that includes trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Elvin Jones, Shorter performed a well-rounded program consisting of five of his originals, plus an adaptation of "Oriental Folk Song." Whether it be the brooding title cut, the Coltrane-ish ballad "Virgo," or the jams on "Black Nile" and "Charcoal Blues," this is a memorable set of high-quality and still fresh music. [Some reissues add an alternate take of "Virgo."]

Evolution is the operative word when looking back at Wayne’s Blue Note debut, Night Dreamer, recorded in the Rudy Van Gelder Studio on April 29, 1964 and released later that year. While Wayne had already recorded three albums for Vee-Jay Records as a solo artist (1959’s Introducing Wayne Shorter, 1960’s Second Genesis and 1962’s Wayning Moments), the tenor saxophonist and composer ascended to a new level of artistic maturity when he was signed by Blue Note, telling original liner note writer Nat Hentoff that for his first album he wanted “to say something substantial!”

Substantial indeed as Wayne begins his exceptional enlightenment journey to substitute compositional complexity and a flurry of chords for the essence of song simplicity, heartfelt saxophone expression and a sanguine outlook that the title, Night Dreamer, points to with its suggestion of earthly darkness and otherworldly luminosity. Along for the ride is trumpeter Lee Morgan, another Jazz Messengers alum and future Blue Note hit maker; pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones moonlighting from their John Coltrane classic quartet; and bassist Reggie Workman, another Coltrane alum pre-Jimmy Garrison.

Night Dreamer comprises a six-pack of Shorter compositions beginning with the title track, where the tenor blows with urgent brio over Elvin’s ¾ time drum drive. Arranged from an old Chinese tune, “Oriental Folk Song” features Shorter and Morgan sketching the theme before the improvisations swing into action, and Shorter offers lyrical melancholy on “Virgo” (his astrological sign). The buoyant “Black Nile” has a flow akin to a river with plenty of splashes from Elvin’s drums bash, “Charcoal Blues” grooves as a smooth, bluesy swinger, and the pensive end piece “Armageddon” catches a groove that the rhythm team pushes ahead with McCoy’s sparkling runs, Elvin’s muscular and tumbling drums, and Reggie’s solid pulse. It makes for a dramatic close to an arresting album.

Returning to that chat in Melbourne, when asked what he saw as the role of the artist, Wayne sagely replied, “Being the lone voice in the wind. To be on a mission and not be afraid.” On Night Dreamer, with its optimistic outlook despite the minor keys that pervade the compositions, the intrepid tenor was just beginning to lift off. A few months later he joined the magical express ride of the Miles Davis Quintet within which he was compositionally instrumental in its quicksilver evolution. At the same time, he was continuing his own assured journey with Blue Note (eleven albums in his six-year run with the label), a rich period of fearless exploration that nearly a half century later in his return to the label continues to abound with soaring beauty.

Wayne Shorter - 1964 - Juju

Wayne Shorter 

1964 

Juju

01. Juju
02. Deluge
03. House Of Jade
04. Mahjong
05. Yes Or No
06. Twelve More Bars To Go

Bass – Reginald Workman
Drums – Elvin Jones
Piano – McCoy Tyner
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter

When Wayne Shorter recorded this date in 1964, he was asserting his own voice as both a saxophonist and a composer after his years with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He's joined here by pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones, essential parts of the then dominant John Coltrane Quartet, but Juju serves to emphasize what was distinctive in Shorter's approach as well as the similarities. Though he shared something of Coltrane's twisting line and hard sound, Shorter was far more interested in crafting conventional compositions, and there's a range of everyday emotions to be felt in this music that went untouched in Coltrane's more intense work. Shorter's a master of tension and release, using contrasting elements in a piece, mixing major and minor, consonance and dissonance, and different rhythms to evoke complex moods of doubt and playfulness or constraint and joyous swing. Those structures are a happy fit with Tyner and Jones as well, who can bring their characteristic welling intensity to "Juju," a relaxed bounce to "Yes or No," or a subtle oriental emphasis to "House of Jade." --Stuart Broomer

Fulfilling the potential promised on his Blue Note debut, Night Dreamer, Wayne Shorter's JuJu was the first great showcase for both his performance and compositional gifts. Early in his career as a leader, Shorter was criticized as a mere acolyte of John Coltrane, and his use of Coltrane's rhythm section on his first two Blue Note albums only bolstered that criticism. The truth is, though, that Elvin Jones, Reggie Workman, and McCoy Tyner were the perfect musicians to back Shorter. Jones' playing at the time was almost otherworldly. He seemed to channel the music through him when improvising and emit the perfect structure to hold it together. Workman too seemed to almost instinctively understand how to embellish Shorter's compositions. McCoy Tyner's role as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time was played here as well, and his light touch and beautiful, joyful improvisations would make him a much better match for Shorter than Herbie Hancock would later prove to be. What really shines on JuJu is the songwriting. From the African-influenced title track (with its short, hypnotic, repetitive phrases) to the mesmerizing interplay between Tyner and Shorter on "Mahjong," the album (which is all originals) blooms with ideas, pulling in a world of influences and releasing them again as a series of stunning, complete visions.

Wayne Shorter - 1962 - Wayning Moments

Wayne Shorter 

1962

Wayning Moments

01. Black Orpheus
02. Devil's Island
03. Moon Of Manakoora
04. Dead End
05. Wayning Moments
06. Powder Keg
07. All Or Nothing At All
08. Callaway Went That-A-Way

Bass – James Merritt
Drums – Marshall Thompson
Piano – Eddie Higgins
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trumpet – Freddie Hubbard

The liner notes, the originals of which are included with this reissue, reflect that "this is not experimental jazz." It isn't. It is finely performed mainstream jazz of the era in which it was made. While this recording does not equal the quality of the sessions to be recorded by Shorter later in the decade for Blue Note, it is pleasantly played bop. Shorter's tenor saxophone shows a conservative side, to be sure, and a young Freddie Hubbard hardly takes any chances. Still, the rhythm section anchored by pianist Eddie Higgins and including bassist Jymie Merritt and drummer Marshall Thompson, keeps a solid beat and the results are pleasant enough. Double takes of all but one of the eight charts is included, though there are really not any important substantive differences from the originals. The short recording times of each track limits the solos, but there is nonetheless an attractive simplicity infusing the set. Overall, this does not represent the best work of either Shorter or Hubbard, but it is still an interesting, if non-essential part of the discography of each of them.

Even at a tender young age, Wayne Shorter could exhibit the kind of sensitivity and creative lyricism that would make him one of the giants of modern jazz. This early set – which features playing by Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Higgins, and Jymie Merritt – is filled with haunting original compositions ("Devil's Island", "Dead End", "Powder Keg") and the kind of mature playing that you'd hardly expect from a little tike like Shorter (who, with Lee Morgan, was just a kid when the two of them were playing with Art Blakey). This excellent CD reissue delivers these early tracks in stunning fidelity, and includes alternate takes of the tracks on the orginal LP!

Wayne Shorter - 1959 - Introducing Wayne Shorter

Wayne Shorter

1959

Introducing Wayne Shorter

01. Blues A La Carte

02. Harry's Last Stand

03. Down In The Depths

04. Pug Nose

05. Black Diamond

06. Mack The Knife

Bass – Paul Chambers

Drums – Jimmy Cobb

Piano – Wynton Kelly

Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter

Trumpet – Lee Morgan

With this, his November 1959 maiden voyage as a leader, Newark native Wayne Shorter came out of left field with an already mature vision of the saxophone and modern harmony. This rare insight into a jazz icon's early days comes to us courtesy of Koch Jazz, who have displayed a welcome propensity for seeking out and rescuing a host of abandoned strays from sundry indie and major label kennels, such as this long out-of-print Vee Jay master.

And what a find Introducing Wayne Shorter is, just as fresh and swinging and bluesy now as it was some 40 years ago. While the liquid cherry center of Shorter's tenor sound itself was still in its formative stages, the distinctive harmonic outlines of his writing ("Pug Nose") and the elliptical rhythmic and melodic thrust of his lines ("Black Diamond") were already quite assured and engaging, as played in the fast company of fellow Jazz Messenger Lee Morgan and what was then the take-no-prisoners rhythm section of the Miles Davis Quintet: Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Despite a clear connection to Coltrane, no one ever seems to pick up on the influence of Lester Young, as seems plainly evident in both the theme and variations to "Blues à la Carte" (whose melodic contours bear a more than passing resemblance to his Jazz Messengers' masterpiece, "Lester Left Town"). The tenor saxophonist's laid-back demeanor; imaginative use of space; long, twisting melodic lines; and proclivity for impressionistic voicings and altered chords mark him as a Lestorian thinker, if not an acolyte.

Visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, devout Buddhist, devoted husband, father, and grandfather Wayne Shorter has passed away at age 89, departing the earth as we know it and embarking on a new journey as part of his extraordinary life. Shorter was surrounded by his loving family in Los Angeles at the time of his transition and is survived by his devoted wife Carolina, daughters Miyako and Mariana, and newly-born grandson Max. Always inquisitive and constantly exploring – ever the fearless and passionate innovator – Shorter had just won his 12th GRAMMY Award in February. A gentle spirit, sci-fi and cartoon enthusiast, the last few prolific years of his life saw the realization of Shorter’s opera …Iphigenia, written in collaboration Esperanza Spalding, which played to widespread critical acclaim across the country in 2020, and the 2018 release of his GRAMMY-winning triple album and graphic novel EMANON.

Herbie Hancock, Shorter’s closest friend and collaborator for more than six decades, said “Wayne Shorter, my best friend, left us with courage in his heart, love and compassion for all, and a seeking spirit for the eternal future. He was ready for his rebirth. As it is with every human being, he is irreplaceable and was able to reach the pinnacle of excellence as a saxophonist, composer, orchestrator, and recently, composer of the masterful opera …Iphigenia. I miss being around him and his special Wayne-isms but I carry his spirit within my heart always.”

“Maestro Wayne Shorter was our hero, guru, and beautiful friend,” said Blue Note President Don Was. “His music possessed a spirit that came from somewhere way, way beyond and made this world a much better place. Likewise, his warmth and wisdom enriched the lives of everyone who knew him. Thankfully, the work he left behind will stay with us forever. Our hearts go out to Carolina and all who loved him.”

Born August 25, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, Shorter has left an indelible mark on the development of music for more than 60 years. He first rose to prominence in 1959 when he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, a precocious 26-year-old tenor saxophonist who transformed the group into a modern jazz juggernaut with his inventive improvisations and brilliant compositions such as “Lester Left Town,” “Children of the Night,” and “Free for All” which were heard on Blue Note albums including The Big Beat, Mosaic, and Indestructible. Alfred Lion eventually signed him to his own recording deal and Shorter went on to make a spectacular run of classic albums for Blue Note between 1964-1970 including Night Dreamer, Juju, Speak No Evil, Adam’s Apple, Schizophrenia, and Super Nova. These albums introduced some of Shorter’s most beloved compositions such as “Witch Hunt,” “Infant Eyes,” “Footprints,” and many more.

This time period also paralleled Shorter’s years with Miles Davis, first as a member of the trumpeter’s trailblazing quintet with Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams (Davis called him the “intellectual musical catalyst” of the band), and later as a part of Davis’ early fusion masterpieces. Shorter went on to co-found the pioneering group Weather Report in 1970 with keyboardist Joe Zawinul. Since 2001, he has led his own highly acclaimed quartet with Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade.

Shorter made a momentous return to Blue Note in 2013 with the release of Without a Net, a musical thrill ride that featured his quartet with special guests The Imani Winds. In 2018, Shorter returned with EMANON, an extraordinary musical and visual experience that presented a triple album of original music by Shorter performed by the quartet and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. The music was accompanied by a graphic novel penned by Shorter with Monica Sly and illustrated by Randy DuBurke.

Shorter’s works have been performed by the Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Lyon Symphony, National Polish Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic, Royal Concertge-bouw Orchestra, and he has received commissions from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, and others. In all, Shorter has realized over 200 compositions, and dozens of these works have become modern standards. Shorter is an NEA Jazz Master and his many accolades include 12 GRAMMY Awards and a 2018 Kennedy Center Honor.