Wayne Shorter

Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, participating with the Jazz Messengers in the production of 13 albums in four years time. Honing his prodigious skills with side projects with Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, and his own material, in 1964 Wayne joined Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, replacing saxophonist George Coleman in Miles new power hard bop lineup. Despite having started a promising solo career with Blue Note with the albums Night Dreamer (1964) Juju (1965) and Speak No Evil (recorded in December of 1964 but not released until 1966). Despite his "membership" in Miles Second Great Quintet and their touring and production of material seven classic albums in seven years (of which Wayne was the chief composer of the bulk of their original songs), Wayne continued a prolific solo career in which he recorded material for ten albums between 1964 and 1971 (of which Blue Note only had resources in their scheduled for the release of six in the Sixties, the others being released in the late 1970s). In the 1970s, after helping to spawn the "fusion" of Jazz and Rock 'n' Roll through his participation in the recording sessions for the material that would end up on Miles Davis' seminal albums, In a Silent Way (1969), Bitches Brew (1970), Jack Johnson (1971), Live-Evil (1971) and Big Fun (1974), Wayne helped to co-founded the jazz fusion band Weather Report with keyboardist Joe Zawinul.

Apparently Wayne was quite a meticulous composer, often arriving to recording sessions with complete charts of his songs dictating very detailed voices for each of his band-members' performances--a phenomenon for which he became quite known for, especially during his prolific period of creativity from 1964 to 1970.

WAYNE SHORTER Wayning Moments (1962)

This BeeJay Production is neither Wayne's debut as a solo artist nor his first appearance on tape and vinyl this is his breakthrough album in terms of quality, mature music arrangements and compositions, containing no less than four of Wayne's own original compositions (along with one from bandmate Eddie Higgins). Recorded on November 2 and 6 of 1961, the album was released in the next year, the album is noteworthy for being the product of a bunch of twenty-somethings with the sage presence of one mature member, Wayne's collaborator in the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers lineup, bass player James Raleigh "Jymie" Merritt (uncle to the Chi-Lites founder/member of the same name) who was 35-years old at the time of these recording sessions. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone
With:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- Eddie Higgins / piano
- Jymie Merritt / double bass
- Marshall Thompson / drums

1. "Black Orpheus [Take 4]" (4:35) an Antonio Carlos Jobim-Luiz Bonfá composition, a beautiful rendering thanks to pros Eddie Higgins and Jymie Merritt. Smooth and cool. Wayne, methinks, tries a bit hard to impress straight out of the gate, whereas Freddie and Eddie are much more composed, slowly building up their creds. It's okay: Wayne does better next time around. (9/10)

2. "Devil's Island [Take 8]" (3:56) the first of Wayne's original compositions feels a lot like the previous song--in tempo and melodic flow as well as kind of in style and harmony. Opening with Freddie and Wayne operating in tandem as a "horn section" they then move into solos with the order being Wayne (nervous?), silky-smooth Freddie, and Eddie (the longest) before coalescing back as a "horn section" for the finish. (8.875/10)   

3. "Moon Of Manakoora [Take 2]" (3:43) a cover of an Alfred Newman Frank Loesser tune features more of the standard rhythm section work from Marshall and Jymie before Freddie, Eddie, and Wayne take their turns in the solo range. Again Wayne seems to jump in as if he feels he's got something to prove. I'm getting a bit tired of the "standard" drum and bass play. Three songs in a row! (8.875/10)  

4. "Dead End [Take 8]" (4:34) Wayne's second contribution to the album, apparently it took eight takes to meet the composer's satisfaction--and I can see why: it's a rather demanding song both in terms of horn play but more in terms of the much more exacting requirements placed upon the rhythm section--especially the peppy pace. Everybody does very well to pick up their game--especially drummer Marshall Thompson--but Freddie Hubbard is the one that impresses me the most: he's just so solid, so strong and cool. Wayne barely takes any solo time. (8.875/10)

5. "Wayning Moments [Take 2]" (4:21) bandmate Eddie Higgins' contribution to the album (and, thus, the corny song title--which somehow became the album's title as well), it's a Miles Davis "All Blues"-like cool jazz piece that asks Freddie to use a modulating muting cap on his trumpet. Pianist Eddie Higgins does very nicely in the middle and Wayne pulls off one his better, more mature (if Dexter Gordon-sounding) solos. Nice melodies, Eddie! (9/10)

6. "Powder Keg [Take 5]" (3:13) Wayne's third original composition opens like the title says, with an explosion of full-band sound and with the frenetic pace of the panicky scurrying around that people do after such a peace-shattering disruption to their regular routines. Once again, everybody seems to step up to the composition's demands, especially Marshall and Freddie (Eddie and Jymie seem to lack the oomph in their performances). Just wish it had a little more catchiness to it. (8.875/10) 

7. "All Or Nothing At All [Take 3]" (2:58) slowed down for another attempt at covering a standard, this one by Arthur Altman and Jack Lawrence. Nice "My Funny Valentine"-like melodies--one can practically hear the vocalist through Wayne's tenor sax renderings. This one could have (should have) gone longer (because it's nice as well as to allow for the recordings of the solo interpretations by the other musicians). (9.125/10)

8. "Callaway Went That-A-Way [Take 3]" (4:51) the last of the four original compositions Wayne contributed to the album, I comprehend the reference in the song's title but I don't know Cab Callaway's music (or mystique) well enough to hear/feel any references being made in Wayne's music. I love the drum work of Marshall Thompson, and Jymie and Eddie seem well suited to following and filling in the rest of the rhythm track while Wayne and Freddie take their turns soloing: again I find Freddie the most impressive; he has such an aura or presence of maturity! And he was only 23 at the time of these recording dates! My favorite song on this solid if unexceptional album. (9.5/10)

Total time 32:11

Interesting to hear a classic Jazz album containing such relatively-short songs. Several of these musicians I'm hearing for the very first time, but by far the most impressive and consistent performer is Freddie Hubbard.  

90.16 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of solid jazz from a group of relatively young "upstart" Jazz musicians (Wayne, Marshall, Freddie Hubbard, and Eddie Higgins were all under 30; drummer Marshall Thompson was 19). 

In early 1964, while working with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Wayne received a contract to record as a solo artist with Blue Note Records. This event launched a particularly fertile period in which Wayne found the time to sit bands in Rudy Van Gelder's studios on eight separate occasions. During a 22-month time span, ranging from April 1964 through February of 1966, Wayne used these studio sessions in order to try record his propitious flood of compositional ideas--which resulted in Blue Note's eventual release of seven albums (two of which did not see the light of day until 1979 and 1980, respectively)--all of which are considered masterpieces of Jazz music--and all of this achieved during a period of rigorous demands coming from both Art Blakey and, after September of 1964, Miles Davis. 

WAYNE SHORTER Night Dreamer (1964)

This album of Hard Bop--all original compositions penned by Wayne himself--was recorded at the Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 29, 1964. It was the first solo release of Wayne's new contract under Alfred Lion's Blue Note label--the first of a string of seven albums recorded in the space of two years (22 months!).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone, composer
With:
- Lee Morgan / trumpet
- McCoy Tyner / piano
- Reginald Workman / bass
- Elvin Jones / drums

1. "Night Dreamer" (7:15) smooth, melodic, and danceable with complexity that should make it difficult but not for this amazing group of professionals: they start out working seamlessly as a team and transition into solo support effortlessly--each musician retaining compete autonomy over their significant creative instincts while honoring Wayne's composition to the highest degree (probably because it's so good). Wayne himself is the performer who seems to take the most liberties with his tenor sax solos yet I have no complaint with anybody's performance here: they're all beautiful! (14.25/15)

 

2. "Oriental Folk Song" (6:51) what starts rather dully--with some very tightly drawn out whole band chord progressions--turns into something far more loose and individually-marked than I would have ever expected, it's only when the band is asked to turn back to the tightly-proscribed "Oriental" chord sequence that it gets dull again. Man! can Elvin Jones fill a soundscape with his drumming! And I'm sure he is only doing what Wayne has asked of him, he just does it with such flare and such ease! (13.875/15)

3. "Virgo" (7:07) the required ballad. It is achingly beautiful: Wayne's genuinely moving notes feeling as if he is only reluctantly letting them go, each and every one, while McCoy's piano dances around beneath like a ballerina improvising with the frivolous delight of a teenage ingénue. Reggie's bass moves from chord-centricity to a dancer's occasional and expressive flourishes on the tip-toes of his lithe frame as Elvin's brushes move heavily across the bronze and skins. I don't hear a peep from Lee's trumpet: only Wayne's tenor sax as the frontman. (14/15) 

4. "Black Nile" (6:28) the upbeat, uptempo tune with the catchy melody. Has there ever been as buoyant a rhythm section as Elvin Jones, Reggie Workman, and McCoy Tyner?! Their work (throughout the album) is pure perfection. The song opens with the whole-band exposition of the main melody, repeating it a couple of times before moving into the solo sections--all of which are rather extended more than I'm used to hearing/feeling, Wayne taking the first one, Lee Morgan next, followed by McCoy's right hand while his left hand remains firmly committed to the rhythm section (which, in my opinion, is no small feat). The sixth minute is given entirely to Elvin Jones as everyone clears out for that one, but then everyone returns to recapitulate the main them as an ensemble, with Lee, Wayne, and McCoy each exposing elements in harmony along the way. (9.125/10) 

5. "Charcoal Blues" (6:54) the blues standard that plods along despite Elvin's wonderful job of filling all of the boring pockets with virtuosic fills, Reggie's walking bass and McCoy's chord play seem to anchor the song in that solid blues world though they both effortlessly sneak in their own embellishments to show that they're not just sleeping their way through the roteness of the form. Wayne is also testing the waters with his almost-cheeky squeaks and loose-ended squawks (it almost seems to me as if he is defiantly testing the tolerance level of his label superiors while also signaling to his band mates that he's not really taking this one seriously--that he's getting ready to stage a full-fledged revolution upon the industry). For this reason alone I can tolerate listening to this tune: laughing as I listen to the willful obstinacy of Wayne's impetuous behavior. McCoy, on the other hand, is far more respectful and serious in his treatment of his solo issuing instead of cheek more virtuous flare in his perfectly-timed riffs and flourishes--choosing to send ripples of supreme perfection instead of underhanded insolence. (Being five years younger than his bandleader here may have prompted a little more restraint and reservation in McCoy's attitude. (13.5/15)

6. "Armageddon" (6:23) another blues-based tune that feels more grounded in the jazz that Miles, Blakey, and 'Trane had been exploring since the late 50s. Everybody just feels so comfortable, so at ease with their roles, sometimes barely offering any added frosting so contented are they to stick to the charts. Solid. Just solid jazz from some of the best who ever stood a stage for "American Classical" music. (9/10) 

Total time 40:58

The accessibility of these songs and all of its performances is quite remarkable when considering the Hard Bop core of musicians Wayne had chosen to surround himself with on this, his first recording with "his" new label, Blue Note. Reggie Workman, Lee Morgan, and Wayne had been core members of one of Hard Bop's quintessential bands, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, while Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner had both signed on for long-term commitments to one of Jazz's hardest working, fastest moving forces of Nature, John Coltrane--who had been exploring the uncertain fringes and anarchic depths of the abyss of "free jazz" for a couple of years. Yet, here we have 

92.1875 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an excellent display of compositional mastery and virtuosic musicianship, one that I cannot fathom not considering anything less than a masterpiece.  I am coming to the realization that there could never have been a movement of Jazz Fusion without the work of the Hard Bop explorers like these guys--and especially not without the imagination and inventive trailblazing of one Wayne Shorter. 

WAYNE SHORTER Juju (1965)

Recorded on August 3, 1964 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and then released by Blue Note in July of 1965. How Wayne got John Coltrane's bandmates to accompany him is a mystery.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone
- McCoy Tyner / piano
- Reggie Workman / bass
- Elvin Jones / drums

A1. "Juju" (8:30) a solid song that opens in a way that makes me think I'm listening to John Coltrane, not Wayne Shorter--like something from My Favorite Things! During McCoy Tyner's first solo in the second minute I first become aware of how much I love and appreciate McCoy's left hand work on his piano. I mean, his phrases and melodies up top are sublime but his left hand is like all the accompaniment he needs while, at the same time, it seems to remain firmly planted within the fabric built by the other two rhythmatists (who are both extraordinary throughout). When Wayne returns his melody lines feel so comforting and yet the man is feeling charged and empowered enough to really add some grit and gall to his performance. You go, Man! The quartet here is so conjoined, so sympathetic with one another, they feel as if one organism moving across the dance floor. Awesome! A top three song. (18.5/20)

A2. "Deluge" (6:49) a catchy song with some great melodic hooks, it starts with a protracted intro that seems to be setting the listener up like a good James Brown R&B song, but then the band congeals behind a very catchy melodic hook from Wayne--one that feels either quite modern or that has been copied, borrowed, and/or modified many times over by other musicians over the years. The song settles a bit, spacing out Wayne's calls from the end of the second minute on into the meat of the song while Elvin plays around within the rhythm track and Wayne eventually breaks loose and lets his notes flow. At the very end of the fourth minute Wayne backs out leaving McCoy in the spotlight (while Elvin continues to clown around a little beneath) and Reggie just backs everybody up. When Wayne comes back in the middle of the sixth minute, he revives that hook with some little changes to the notes and flow as Elvin continues to flourish and flash around. A top three song, to be sure. (13.75/15)

A3. "House Of Jade" (6:49) after a fancy-flourishing piano intro, the band settles into a nice late-night blues-ballad-like support of Wayne's melodic ideas--here plaintive and yet also persuasive. In the middle of the fourth minute McCoy and Elvin seem to be trying to shift the tempo a little beneath Wayne but I'm not sure they ever really accomplish it. This one falls a little short for me--even loses me a bit. (13.25/15)

B1. "Mahjong" (7:39) slow, mesmerizing drum play from Elvin Jones opens this before McCoy and Reggie join in to lay down the fabric that Wayne then dances over. His repetitive epithets are space so that McCoy's loose monologue feels heard, listened to, and affirmed by an "Amen." This really feels like a song that Wayne is offering up to the much- (and rightly-) revered core members of John Coltrane's accompanists. (13.5/15)

B2. "Yes Or No" (6:34) a dynamic post-big band piece that showcases why Wayne will become a dominant provider of song material for the Miles Davis Quintet over the next five years. The interplay between McCoy, Reggie, and Elvin is so tight, so intuitively connected, it's a privilege just to be allowed to feel as if I'm in the same room with them! And. McCoy's solo in the fourth and fifth minutes is gorgeous (despite somewhat disrupting the wonderful sympathy the rhythm trio had going). When Wayne rejoins to bring the song back to coherence for the closing you feel as if you've had a real treat--a real song. (9.125/10)

B3. "Twelve More Bars To Go" (5:26) more great sax melodies over a "So What"-like chordal and rhythmic foundation (a little more bluesy and swinging than "So What"). Reggie Workman really puts in some extra sauce. Awesome! My final top three song. (9.25/10)

Total time 41:47

91.03 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of high quality and highly-accessible Jazz.

WAYNE SHORTER Speak No Evil (1966)

Though recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on December 24, 1964, Speak No Evil was not released until June of 1966.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone, composer
With:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- Herbie Hancock / piano
- Ron Carter / double bass
- Elvin Jones / drums

1. "Witch Hunt" (8:07) I love the two horns and piano blasting out the main melody lines together with the opening intro to this. There is then a quick transition into the immediate establishment of a medium tempo modal piece over which Wayne, Freddie Hubbard, and Herbie Hancock take turns dishing out their solos. There's a little Miles Davis-like bravado in Freddie's solo work but I like Freddie's willingness to take more dynamic and legato risks. Herbie's solo in the sixth minute sounds as if he has a little trouble relaxing and articulating exactly what he wants to. Not his best solo. He's actually much better when Wayne and Freddie re-enter as support horns and he switches to chord pronouncements: they're cool! (13.5/15)

2. "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum" (5:50) opens with Herbie hammering down a series of chords while Ron and Elvin establish some moderately-paced, spacious rhythm support for Freddie, Herbie, and Wayne to solo over (and within). Overall, it has a kind of laid-back, fairly standard New Orleans jazz feel to it with some nice solos from Freddie and great piano chordal support from Herbie. This song just sounds so simple and straightforward in comparison to the rest of the album. (8.875/10)

3. "Dance Cadaverous" (6:42) on this waltz Elvin, Ron, and Herbie are playing much more syncopated and individualistically, their contributions weaving into a tapestry that seems to invoke interesting, somewhat off-beat improvisations from the soloists but the opposite is in fact occurring: Herbie's solo in the third and fourth minute is actually rather smooth and continuous (though it is his best solo so far on the album) and both Freddie and Wayne seem equally as oddly duped into surprisingly smooth note-play during their solos as well as during their paired recitations of the very low and subtly-stated main theme (which is, interestingly, where Herbie does the most of his most adventurous playing). The ideas behind this song's structure and execution are so fascinating to me! I want to know more of what jazz experts think of and describe this intriguing song. (9.333/10)

     Addendum: The "alternative take" on the 1998 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster Edition is so different: not nearly as soft, extremely- and noticeably-polarized as the one used on the 1966 release; it's more snappy and in-your-face, less subtle and nuanced--on all accounts: the sonosphere is much more transparent, the individual instruments much more "visible," on the "original."

4. "Speak No Evil" (8:21) Great melodies from the Freddie-Wayne horn section are supported by calm, straightforward bass and drums while Herbie seems to be let loose to really fly around the keyboard. In the second half of the second minute Wayne enters to take his first solo while the band supports him with such vim and vigor from beneath. I'm not really a fan of Wayne's solos as I'm not really very educated in the science, mathematics, and nuances of scales and tricks used to express legato and staccato melodies, but at least these tenor sax solos don't grate me like the soprano sax typically does. Herbie is definitely taking it all in stride now, relaxed and flowing like big water now. Great group melody and tandem expression between Freddie and Wayne with equally amazing plays on harmonics from Herbie in the middle. (18.25/20)

5. "Infant Eyes" (6:51) set up by Herbie's solo piano intro, the rest of the band joins in to establish a very spacious support net for Wayne to express his ideas over. Ron and Herbie are both extraordinary at boosting him, urging him on (and applauding him) with their little flourishes during Wayne's breathing spaces. I must say that Wayne's tender playing feels quite heart-felt and fully-engaged; it almost feels as if he could have played/could be playing by himself he's so introspective with his engagement. It reminds me of the best stuff I've heard from Dexter Gordon. And no Freddie! (13.875/15)

6. "Wild Flower" (6:00) I so love the whole band cohesion of this song: even Herbie's harmonically-accenting flourishes help to shore up the over-all thread count of the tapestry, but the way Wayne, Freddie, Ron and Elvin (and Herbie's left hand) bring it all together when the band comes together to reiterate the main melody between the solos as well as how Ron, Elvin, and Herbie seem entrained as perfectly-cooperative parts of a whole organism beneath the solos of Wayne and Freddie (and Herbie) is so high class, such teachable material. I love jazz like this where everybody seems so locked in. This is my favorite song on the album. (9.5/10)

Total time 41:51

I really dig this album. With the exception of the second song, "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum," I consider each one of these songs to be supreme examples of the sublime, melodic jazz that bridged jazz's Kind of Blue and My Favorite Things era with the melodic beauty of albums like Bill Evans' Conversations with Myself and Vince Guaradli's A Charlie Brown Christmas: they all represent very important, seminal albums for me. Also, I don't really know why, but I've never heard Miles Davis' trumpet as an engaging sound-maker, while I have always had an easy and very positive connection with the playing of Freddie Hubbard. Though I've had a lifelong love-hate relationship with Ron Carter's styles of bass playing, I've always respected it. Same for Herbie: his journey deep into the realms of electronic sounds and effects were never as engaging or alluring for me as his exquisite piano playing. And Elvin Jones is among the very best to every sit behind a drum kit. The most surprising thing about this album is how much I love the compositions: especially Wayne's amazing "touch" with creating long, drawn-out, BEAUTIFUL melodies. (Similar to my lack of connection to Miles' trumpet play, Wayne's sax play within the Weather Report discography has never impressed or engaged me.) This combo makes for such a great unit, it's no wonder that three-fifths of them transferred so easily (so telepathically) into Miles' "Second Great Quintet" (right after the recording of this album!)

91.667 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; while this might not have the peaks of the "greats" with their now-Jazz standards, it is undeniably a masterpiece of incredible, adventurous music.

WAYNE SHORTER The Soothsayer (1979)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, New Jersey on March 4, 1965 but held from release until 1979. On a recording pace that could have seen an album released every three months, Blue Note execs worried about over-saturation of the market with too much Wayne Shorter as well as the release of too much "new" music (innovative, experimental songwriters like Wayne were deemed a risky investment while bands covering old standards and recent pop hits were considered a more solid financial risk). Thus, this album did not reach the public until 1979.(!)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone, composer (excl. track 6)
With:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- James Spaulding / alto saxophone
- McCoy Tyner / piano
- Ron Carter / double bass
- Anthony Williams / drums

1. "Lost" (7:14) though a Blue Note album in 1965 was supposed to open with a song that the listening audience could easily and immediately hook their teeth into, this great song with its odd rhythmic pattern was probably not as smooth as management would have liked: demerit number one that might have contributed to its 14 year delay in finding public release. Otherwise, the waltz-like rhythm pattern the song is founded upon, to my ears, is wonderful--very engaging (making me, of course, want to waltz) and the solos are all very smooth and accessible (with minimal oblique avant-garde melodic phrasings) and excellent coherence between the band members. Perhaps it came across as a bit too laid back? I really like it! (14.125/15)

   
2. "Angola" (4:48) rushing out into the field as a routine hard bop tune, again eschewing any avant or free jazz experimentations, the song cruises along as Anthony and McCoy drive this train while bassist Ron Carter actually acts like the paranoid-hypervigilant conductor on the train, scurrying around willy-nilly as if constantly being distracted and torn as to which way to divide his attentions and actions. Meanwhile, Freddie Hubbard and James Spaulding make their contributions rather straightforwardly--until the band relinquishes to make space for an impressive if brief drum solo at the end of the fourth minute. Nice, solid hard bop though nothing revolutionary. (9/10)

3. "The Big Push" (8:19) opening with a "big band" approach to the horn section's blasted three-part exposition of the main theme, the horns finish and leave the rhythm section to establish a cool weave of walking bass, swinging drums, and unique piano chord play (fast, slow, syncopated, quick change and long sustained chords) over which James, Freddie, and Wayne trade 30-second solo spots. I have to say that the melodies being emitted from all three horn players are quite engaging, quite enticing, earning my attention as horn solos rarely do--and Anthony's work beneath is quite animated and creative though remaining rather "quiet" and hella nuanced. McCoy gets a solo in the seventh minute--the space around him which allows the great work of Ron and Anthony to really be stick out. The horns rejoin at 7:00 in the "big band" fashion with which they opened the song--sounding so strong and great--with great harmonic rapport. I really love this song! Jazz does not get much better than this. (19.5/20)  

4. "The Soothsayer" (9:36) high tempo Jazz with all of the moving parts running along as if in long-distance mode. While Ron's bass walking is impeccably timed, Anthony's drumming subtleties are so impressive and creative. McCoy is moving those chords, top and bottom, very quickly, hardly holding any one for effect as the horn players take their minute-long windows with a little more speed and aggression than any of the previous songs--yet they somehow continue to remain fairly fluid and melodic. Once again the cohesion of the whole of the six musicians' work is remarkable: they feel so synched in. How these high-speed travelers can stay in sync while still reacting to and feeding off of one another is remarkable! (I guess that's what makes for master Jazz musicians--as all of these players are.) While not quite as engaging or delectable as the previous songs, this one continues to wow me as much any of the others. (17.875/20)

5. "Lady Day" (5:31) the album's ballad, we get that slowed down, wind-down late-night feeling from Anthony's brushed drum skins, Ron's well-spaced, long-held bass notes as well as the horn players' long notes. McCoy, however, is expressing with that melodic fervor that lounge pianists are often wont to do, his phrasings dancing effortlessly, masterfully, between trills, chords, runs, and tinkles. The pianist's genius being expressed on high. When the horns play in synchrony there is a wonderful harmonic arrangement in both pitch and volume. Cool! (9.125/10)  

6. "Valse Triste" (7:35) the only song on the album that is not a Wayne Shorter composition, it is a cover of a Jean Sibelius song that's been arranged/adapted by Wayne for his sextet (something I would have never guessed as I do not know much of Sibelius' work and do not even feel much of a classical presence in the chords or melodies). Anthony's drumming feels a bit out of synch with his band mates but that may, in fact, be the effect that Wayne was aiming for. The solos and piano play are all very much in the pocket for American Jazz with Freddie's resonating with me particularly strongly. I find the tempo changes within the waltz quite intriguing but the musicians seem quite unfazed by them, which is cool. Even Ron gets some time in the spotlight for parts of the sixth and seventh minutes, but it is Wayne and Freddie's work that I find the most satsifying. (13.75/15)  

Total time 43:03

Switching out Speak No Evil's Herbie Hancock for McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones for young phenom Tony Williams as well as Sun Ra graduate-turned-Blue-Note-studio-musician James Spaulding was most definitely going to have the effect of ramping up both the pace and dynamic range of the music of this session. What I didn't see coming was the incredible feeling of rapport that this sextet would emanate--they just sound so smooth and relaxed despite playing Wayne's complex compositions. It makes me wonder if Miles Davis or anybody else in the Jazz or Blue Note world got wind of this album's music and repressed its release due to jealousy! I mean: Miles would've loved to have been gifted some (or all) of these songs for his Quintet albums.

92.64 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; another wonderfully-solid and accessible album of 1960s Jazz from a particularly productive compositional period of Wayne Shorter's still young life. (He was only 31 years old.) Why this album had to wait 14 years to reach the public ear is one of the travesties of Blue Note and Jazz history but here it is. Let's consider it all for the best (despite the fact that its Disco Era 1979 release as an "undiscovered masterpiece" still managed to stay pretty much under the radar--thanks to poor record label marketing and packaging).

WAYNE SHORTER Etcetera (1980)

Recorded on June 14, 1965 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, but never released until 1980. At the time of this recording young drumming phenom Joe Chambers, Blue Note's new "house drummer," was about to turn 23-years old. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone, composer (excl. track 4)
With:
- Herbie Hancock / piano
- Cecil McBee / bass
- Joe Chambers / drums

1. "Etcetera" (6:17) there's an odd, dramatic, cinematic sound and feel to this song that feels like it draws from both classical music traditions as well as recent (1964-5) rock 'n' roll developments. It's not in the melodies or chord progressions so much as in Cecil McBee's bass play and Joe Chambers' unusual (but amazing) drum play. Herbie and Wayne's play seems to merely take advantage of the cinematic groundwork Cecil and Joe are putting in place. With the end of the fifth minute Herbie and Wayne and even Cecil step out to allow for Joe to shine. Even though he doesn't really do a true drum solo, he is alone, which puts all the attention on his extraordinary playing style. At first it was the totality of the song that confused and intrigued me, but, in the end, it could have all been due to Cecil and Joe! (9.25/10)   

2. "Penelope" (6:44) a soft, "late-night" capture of three musicians' separate musings based on an idea or structure set up by composer Wayne Shorter. I'm guessing this is considered a ballad despite the solo contributions of both Herbie and Cecil along with Wayne over its course. Wayne's fully-present playing is absolutely captivating as is Herbie's surprisingly light, nimble, and exploratory piano play on his right hand (while his left remains firmly committed to the rhythm section--which, to my puny little brain, is miraculous in its own right). Beautiful. Fans may also note the reworking of this song under the name of "El Gaucho" for the Adam's Apple album seven months later. A song with a feminine energy inspiring it becomes one of masculinity. I'm sure it's just an example of the way in which jazz artists can reinterpret their songs over and over and barely ever make them sound the same. Wouldn't it be fun to hear every version that Miles Davis played of "So What?"--all on one album or playlist? (9.333/10)

3. "Toy Tune" (7:31) the most "standard" or "milk toast" Jazz tune on the album even has Herbie tripping over his own fingers a few times as well as Cecil and Joe working under severe constraints. It's solid but it's not the innovative, fresh-sounding stuff of the rest of the album. (13.25/15)

4. "Barracudas (General Assembly)" (11:06) on this awesome up-tempo song (which was borrowed from Gil Evans' score for the play Time of the Barracudas) drummer Joe Chambers really steals the show with some incredible play (thanks in no small part to the unusual miking and placement of his drums in the overall panorama of the soundscape). Herbie's piano play not only provides some wonderful glue throughout the song, and Wayne's understated presence hanging out on the lower registers of his tenor sax is all good, with some awesome soloing, but that rhythm section! Those drums! They're like a song all unto themselves. And Cecil and Herbie's magical combinations drive the tension to near-maddening heights--perhaps even elevating the performance of the bandleader himself (though he seems to manage pretty well on his own during those sections in which Cecil and Herbie seem to back off). It's unrelenting! It's wonderful! Even the placement of Joe's drums to the right and Wayne's sax to the left while Cecil and Herbie occupying the center has a kind of purposeful magical effect to it. (19.5/20)

5. "Indian Song" (11:37) another song that includes more of the super-freedoms granted Wayne's collaborators--which translates into some pretty amazing performances from both Joe Chambers and Herbie Hancock (who, himself, was only just 25 years old at the time of this recording date). Cecil McBee is also great throughout performing quite a nice double bass solo in the ninth and tenth minutes. Another highly-engaging, highly-entertaining and delightfully-dynamic Jazz song. (18.75/20)

Total time 43:15

Reverting to a small quartet format for his fourth studio session within a calendar year was probably intended to diffuse and space out the soundscapes of Wayne's most recent compositions but also had the effect of increasing the ease of reactive interplay between the players. I notice a lot more "conversational" like interactivity (more improvisational?) than on either of the two previous albums, The Soothsayer, and Fear No Evil. There is also more reversion to the use of solos for everyone over the course of each song on this album than on Wayne's previous albums. I can see why for many people this album is their favorite from Wayne's solo catalogue. 

93.444 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an undeniable masterpiece of progressive Jazz music; four incredible songs with one solid "standard" that weighs down the rest of the highly spirited, even innovative songs. Definitely a favorite of mine.

WAYNE SHORTER The All Seeing Eye (1966)

Recorded on October 15, 1965 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, it was not released by Blue Note until October of 1966. Though this was the first Wayne Shorter album to see public release after his See No Evil album, it was the product of Wayne's fourth studio session since November of '64: a remarkable pace for any self-composing artist of any era! Why Soothsayer and Etcetera weren't released for 15 years is the tragedy in all this. 

    For The All Seeing Eye Wayne decided to go with an expanded lineup for this recording session--employing several musicians beyond his previous quintet and quartet formats--perhaps eyeing a Big Band component to his compositions (of which four are his).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone, composer
With:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Grachan Moncur III / trombone
- James Spaulding / alto saxophone
- Alan Shorter / flugelhorn (5)
- Herbie Hancock / piano
- Ron Carter / double bass
- Joe Chambers / drums

1. "The All Seeing Eye" (10:32) a many-layered weave that feels like some excellent Big Band work, the wonderfully harmonized whole-band introduction of the main melody and chords is diverted by the sudden arrival, just after the 1:00 mark, of a very active solo drum work from Joe Chambers--establishing a whole new pace and tempo. Ron Carter jumps on board with Herbie Hancock interjecting some very trepidatious piano work to kind of temper and bridge the high-speed rhythm section while Freeddie Hubbard launches into a frenzied trumpet solo that seems hell-bent on feeding off of the energy that Joe and Ron are putting out. (Herbie being the "voice of reason" here.) Wayne takes back the lead around 5:00 as everybody else watches to see how the leader will choose to meet the crazy speeds of Joe and Ron: he chooses to try to follow and yet occasionally reign himself in to meet and match Herbie's more spacious conservatism. The transition into Herbie's solo at 7:00 is quite interesting as it has the effect on Ron and Joe as if the fox has just lost the pursuing hounds. But then in the ninth minute the fox is sighted again--running faster than he has so far (and in a different direction) as the hounds jump on the chase again. Where Freddie, Grachan Moncur, and James Spaulding are during all of this is pure conjecture but they have had absolutely no part in this fox hunt since the second minute. But then, speak of the devil, they horns return as a section for finale in the 11th minute. Interesting song! Quite the drama! Remarkable if only for the odd interplay between Herbie and the rhythm section! (18/20)

2. "Genesis" (11:44) a cinematic avant-garde piece that fails to hold my attention despite admirable performances and interesting instances here and there. (17.375/20)

3. "Chaos" (6:56) fast-paced Hard Bop with more Big Band flourishes from the horn section, that drummer is just awesome! And Herbie seems to really be loosening up well. (13.5/15)

4. "Face Of The Deep" (5:28) the album's obligatory ballad: it comes across more as a New Orleans-style dirge, only a really sad one--one that never emerges from its dolour. Herbie seems especially affected in his sour piano play, but even Wayne's harmonic arrangements of the horn section express a total lack of joy. Powerful and perfect in its expression of total despondency, this is not the kind of music I usually enjoy. (8.875/10)

5. "Mephistopheles" (9:39) the composition of one-song guest flugelhorn player Alan Shorter, it presents a continuation of the grim pessimism lingering over from the previous track, relegating Ron and Herbie to rather monotonous single-note syncopated add-on pulses until the end of the third minute when Herbie's right hand is loosed to accent his own malevolent disapproval of Wayne's sax devilishness. In the fifth minute when Alan is given the space to express his own inner demons it becomes the duty of Joe Chambers' drums to express the polarizing dissent to the Mephistophelean presence. Then it's Freddie's turn: he's much more diplomatic--not letting on to his true nature and true intentions--while Joe again injects his disproving criticism. Interesting but again not something that I'd ever seek out again. (17.5/20)

Total time 44:19

The music on this album draws a lot from Big Band traditions as well as from the modal and avant-garde elements of Jazz, both of which I can enjoy, but when placed next to (and in the chronology) of Wayne's three previous albums (Speak No Evil, The Soothsayer and Etcetera) and wonderful next one (Adam's Apple) it fails to ignite either my praise or joy, only my admiration and respect.

88.53 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent exhibition of Big Band-infused avant-garde cabaret noir music. Ingenious and adventurous but not my cup of tea.  

WAYNE SHORTER Adam's Apple (1967)

Recorded on February 3, 1966 (track 1) and on February 24, 1966 (2 to 6), it was released by Blue Note in October of 1967. All songs here are Wayne Shorter originals save for "Blues (Drinkin' and Drivin')."

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone, composer (excl.track 2)
With:
- Herbie Hancock / piano
- Reginald Workman / double bass
- Joe Chambers / drums

1. "Adam's Apple" (6:40) the album's opener has a pleasant old-time blues (and early rock) feel to it, thanks to the rather unadorned and straightforward play of the rhythm section. Meanwhile, Wayne roams around on top for the first three minutes as if he's just taking a stroll down a store-lined street in Manhattan or L.A. Herbie's piano solo in the fourth minute is still rather circumscribed--respectful, I suppose, of the style of the era in which the song was written to emulate. I feel as if Reggie Workman and Joe Chambers are having a little more fun with it--like Wayne--so it's really Herbie is being the conservative stuck-in-the-mudder. (8.875/10)

2. "Blues (Drinkin' And Drivin')" (6:30) the only cover song on the album this one composed by the great big band trumpeter Jimmy Rowles, there is a progressive feel to this song in the way the flow keeps switching, very subtly, from style to style--even during the solo play of Wayne or Herbie. Is this planned or just the synchronized playfulness of the Workman-Chambers team? Whatever it is, I really love it! Then perhaps getting into the swing of things, Herbie's solo in the middle third of the song is a little more loose and adventurous--something that he is apparently picking up from his band mates. Despite Wayne's seemingly laid-back blowing, there is a playfulness in his play that I also really enjoy--as if all his laid-back "cool" is but an act--and he knows it and is making fun of it. Nice! A song that I've really enjoyed listening to over and over. But, heck! We're just warming up! The best is coming up! (9.25/10)

3. "El Gaucho" (6:25) built over a slightly Latin-ized rhythm track, the stop and go form is quite entertaining and, again, playful. You can really tell just how seasoned these guys have become while, at the same time, bold and confident (even cocky) enough to work their own playful whimsicalities into their performances. (Is it my imagination or does Herbie seem to take a while to warm up to the conditions presented by new collaborators as well as new compositions that aren't his?) Cool, gorgeous song from a collaboration of true masters. (9.75/10) 

4. "Footprints" (7:25) a great song that has become a Jazz Standard and rightfully so. Great melodies over a fairly simple bed to start with, but then we see each of the band members try to subtly stretch out their roles--both rhythmically and harmonically. So cool! I feel so privileged to be listening in to this master class in jazz combo collaboration. (14.25/15) 

5. "Teru" (6:10) gorgeous saxophone and piano interplay, one playing so pensively, the other more flirtatiously, while I have such respect for Wayne's saxophone stylings on this album: he's really totally linked in (which makes me lament even further his change in allegiance to the soprano sax in the future). Reggie and Joe are there but far less so: the bass being almost as playful and audacious as Herbie's piano while Joe's brushed drums are so low that they're almost out of the picture. Weird that Herbie becomes quite serious and sedate in his solo instead of exuding the playfulness he was while Wayne soloed. Then Reggie takes a turn in the spotlight for 30-seconds or so before Wayne grabs it back for his finish. He's so good, who can blame him? (9.25/10) 

6. "Chief Crazy Horse" (7:30) built over a kind of oddly laid out two-chord "So What"-like structure, the drums and piano take different routes while Wayne kind of spreads the weave out with some of his own harmonically-motivated melodies. Each of the band's individuals really stretch out their performances to the greater expression of their individual strengths and preferences, resulting in some fascinating music in which each thread of the overall weave is as interesting and amazing to follow, all on its own, as the chordal, tempo, and melodic wholes. Drummer Joe Chambers provides what is, for me, the most compelling track to listen to though I'm also astonished at both Herbie and Reggie's choices. The end result may not be my most favorite but the means it took to get there is totally worth it! (13.625/15)

Total time 40:40

With music and performances as good as this it's no wonder Blue Note fast-tracked it for quick release.(Note the bitter sarcasm dripping from my tongue: I consider it almost cruel and unjust politics the way Blue Note parsed out their album releases. Here we have one of the most creative, innovative, high-quality composers of his era and they can't even recognize it. From a money-making point of view I can see the point of their strategy, but from the point of view of history missing out--sometimes for decades--on some of Jazz' greatest music, it seems an awful shame.) 

92.86 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a full-blown masterpiece of Jazz that fully displays both the playful genius of each of the four musical superstars but also the amazing growth as composer and player that Wayne Shorter has become.   

WAYNE SHORTER Schizophrenia (1969)

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 10, 1967, but Blue Note did not release this album until May of 1969. For this very popular album, all songs but "Kryptonite" are Wayne Shorter originals, the former was penned by wind player James Spaulding. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Wayne Shorter / tenor sax
- Herbie Hancock / piano

- Ron Carter / bass

- Joe Chambers / drums

- Curtis Fuller / trombone
- James Spaulding / alto sax and flute

A1. "Tom Thumb" (6:15) a salsa over which the soloists embellish the melodies as they feel inspired. I love this kind of melodic, rolling rhythm pattern. (9/10)

A2. "Go" (4:52) a nice slightly-Latinized rhythm pattern feeds and supports solos from James Spaulding on flute and Wayne on tenor sax (getting two segments) with Herbie providing the glue in between as well as a nice piano solo in the third minute and the sexy brass section working to help provide the bridges and  the song's finish. I can't help but admit to feeling surprised at the limited (or absent) time in the spotlight given to the other band members--all of whom were quite capable and, I'm sure, willing. I do, however, hear the increased confidence and maturity in Wayne's own voice--something that perhaps he lacked a bit during his 20s. (8.875/10)

A3. "Schizophrenia" (6:59) a little bit of a rush to get into and through this one as Ron Carter and Joe Chambers speed along, Herbie doing his best to keep up with both punctuation and accents. Wayne takes the first solo before trombonist Curtis Fuller gets a turn, then James on his alto. Joe's ride cymbal work is so dominating that one can almost not hear any of his stick work on the skins much less the bass drum--until, that is, the end of the sixth minute when he finally breaks out (though not for a solo, just as a bridge to the next soloist: Herbie). Not Herbie's greatest solo, the chord work at the end is wonderful before the horn section rejoins to close the door on the end of the song. Competent and crisp if not totally engaging (much less mesmerizng). (13.5/15)  

B1. "Kryptonite" (6:25) more fast-paced bass walking and ride cymbal races for James to play flute over for the first two minutes, the tempo lets up a little--from both Joe's cymbal stick and Ron's bass-walking pace--as James switches to his alto sax. I like the way he moves from longer notes to fast flourishes and diving and soaring runs. Herbie sneaks in during the fifth minute which evokes an odd slow down response from Ron--I mean, really slow--but then he jumps back into fast-walking during the second half of Herbie's solo (an awesome solo, by the way) before regulating his pace again a couple of times; It's as if he's driving in city traffic and has to be mindful of changes in the traffic patterns! I have to say that overall it just feels like a weirdly-constructed song. (8.875/10)   

B2. "Miyako" (5:55) a beautiful and emotional love song for Wayne's first-born child, daughter Miyako. The song has been so analyzed and lauded for so many years that it seems rather pointless for me to express my own take, but it feels obvious that the arrival and presence of his daughter has brought Wayne no small measure of peace and serenity. It's gorgeous: fully deserving of all of the praise and accolades that have been thrown at it through the years. With the opening song, this is my favorite song on the album. (9.5/10)

B3. "Playground" (6:20) this unusual song serves as a stark contrast to the serene beauty of the previous song, and it is certainly playful--especially in the opening minute as the band is establishing the ground rules for such a loose and idiosyncratic song. Solos from Wayne and Curtis definitely convey the serious attitude toward concentrated play coming from each individual while Ron and Herbie seem to be fully engaged in the frivolous, even easy ADD distractability of playground presence. Joe Chambers seems to be expressing the most serious, hyperfocused attitudes--like he's all business on the playground--until the playfulness of Ron's bass, Wayne's horn, and Herbie's twinkle-toed piano solo start to stir him out of his robotic athleticism. Then it's all for himself as Herbie, Ron and Joe seem to be left alone playing off one another--though the horns rejoin, sometimes as a unit, sometimes fractioning off into individual silliness, before the producer/engineer starts to slow pull down the faders on the master, dimming everyone's fun. Interesting and, yes, kind of fun. (9/10)  

Total Time: 36:38

While many reviewers I've found cite this album as either their favorite Wayne Shorter album, a revolutionary transitional album, or otherwise very important to Jazz and Wayne's personal evolution, I do not find it quite as engaging as several of his previous albums (two of which won't be released until 1979 and 1980, respectively). Wayne seems to be stingy with his gifts of giving the spotlight to his collaborators, even shutting them out on a few songs despite each their own impressive legacies. Also, I'm not quite as much of a fan of the shorter song formats as some of the longer layouts he allowed with previous recordings (including compositions he gifted to Miles Davis' albums during this period). I get the fact that he's older, more mature and composed with his own voice--and that his compositions have provided a launching pad for so many of his collaborators in the past--I just miss the more generous space he seemed to  

90.38 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz--perhaps the last Bop album we'll be hearing from the ever-evolving Wayne Shorter.

WAYNE SHORTER Super Nova (1969)

Recorded at A&R Studios on August 29 & September 2, 1969--within two weeks of the landmark sessions with Miles Davis for the material that would become Bitches Brew--Super Nova would then be released before the end of the year (before Bitches Brew).

Line-up / Musicians:

- Wayne Shorter / soprano saxophone

- Miroslav Vitous / bass

- Jack DeJohnette / drums, kalimba [African thumb piano]
- Chick Corea / drums, vibraphone [vibes]
- John McLaughlin / electric guitar, classical guitar (A2)

- Sonny Sharrock / guitar

- Airto Moreira / percussion

With:

- Walter Booker / classical guitar (A3)

- Maria Booker / vocals (A3)

A1. "Super Nova" (4:45) frenetic avant-garde bordering on free jazz. (8.75/10)

A2. "Swee-Pea" (4:35) slow, spacious, and much more interesting and accessible than the furious pace of "Super Nova." At times Wayne's sax sound veers toward an oboe-like sound while lots of tuned and untuned percussive sounds "blow" around in the background. John McLaughlin's classical guitar would be barely detectable had I not been prepared to listen for it. Pretty! (8.875/10)

A3. "Dindi" (pronounced "Jin-Jee") (9:45) opening with some African-sounding percussion play--both hand-driven and drummed--while squeaks and snorts emanate from both John and Sonny's guitars as well as Wayne's sax. In the fifth minute female vocalist Maria Booker is paired with her husband Walter's classical guitar. It just seems weird that this is considered part of the same African parade song that it opened with. For the final minute the song turns to an African-rhythm-backed sax frenzy. It's interesting but too disjointed to make sense to me. The motif with the Booker husband-wife duet is pretty. (17.5/20)

B1. "Water Babies" (4:50) nice jazz that could come from the 1970s--the element of jazz musicians trying to resist (or having trouble grasping) the J-R F concept and trend: it's Miroslav, Wayne and the two guitarists that really bend this music toward the new melodic styles, Mr. DeJohnette fighting fiercely to remain firmly anchored in jazz traditions. (9.125/10)

B2. "Capricorn" (7:45) Wayne's poised, composed sax lines play over Jack's continually roaming, roving, and rolling tom-tom play while John, Sonny, and Miroslav seem to struggle to find a place within the music--thus leaving the textural feel of the song something akin to a shag rug. Wayne is okay but I don't really like drumming like this (or the previous song). (13/15)

B3. "More Than Human" (6:10) more frenzied sax and drumming that seem to render the others as mere amateurs trying to contribute from the fringes. What a waste of talent. (8.375/10)

Total Time: 37:59

An album that is slanted surprisingly far more toward the avant-garde styles of the Sixties than any of Miles Second Great Quintet sounds or styles or any of the other rock-infusions that other jazz musicians are leaning toward in 1969. As I said with the Swee-Pea review, had I never been told that John McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock were playing throughout this album I would have never guessed it--but, then, this is 1969: early in the two legends' careers.

87.50 on the Fishscales = C+/3.5 stars; an album that might satisfy lovers of free jazz but this is a total negation, in my opinion, to the development of that which will become Jazz-Rock Fusion. Wayne and Jack are on the same wavelength but this leaves the other superstars groping around for ways to contribute. Too bad. 

WAYNE SHORTER Odyssey of Iska (1971) 

Using a Miles-like expanded lineup of multiple musicians for each spot (three drummers, two bassists, two percussionists) Wayne reaches out to create some spacious, moody, and experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion. The man definitely was trying to push the envelope: which is the reason he's so beloved in the jazz and jazz-rock fusion worlds. The material for the album was recorded on August 25, 1970, at A&R Studios in New York and then released by Blue Note in June of 1971.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor & soprano saxophones, composer (excl. track 4)
With:
- Gene Bertoncini / guitar
- Cecil McBee / bass
- Ron Carter / bass
- Alphonse Mouzon / drums
- Billy Hart / drums
- Frank Cuomo / drums, percussion
- David Friedman/ vibraphone, marimba

1. "Wind" (8:00) Jazz-Rock Fusion at its most experimental: pushing boundaries of rhythm and sound choices with Al Mouson, Billy Hart and Frank Cuomo playing only metallic percussives, Ron Carter and Cecil McBee playing off one another on electric bass and upright double bass, respectively, and guitarist Gene Bertoncini and vibraphonist David Friedman providing the melodic waves beneath Wayne's soprano sax--which is providing a most-excellent interpretation of the title character. I like this very much. I'm not usually a fan of any saxophone, especially the soprano, but this works very well. In fact, I'd say this is one of my favorite expositions of a soprano sax that I've ever heard. (14/15)

2. "Storm" (8:22) a more "normal" but still exploratory palette of jazz instruments. Gene's guitar, Frank's percussion, and David's vibes play a much bigger role here than one might expect, but the two drummers and two bassists are the guys that really shine beneath Wayne's rather fickle and desultory runs on his soprano sax. Billy and Al's wave-like battle give the song the feeling of being at sea. Again, the way the music is used to express Nature is quite wonderful: fulfilling in many ways the progressive potential that musicians were finding in the early 70s in both the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement but also in Progressive Rock in general. (18.3333/20) 

3. "Calm" (3:25) despite the fairly lively activity of the bass and rhythm makers, all is still quite gentle--we are persuaded so by the beautiful fullness of Wayne's tenor sax. (9/10)

4. "De Pois Do Amor, O Vazio (After Love, Emptiness)" (11:40) Wow! What a gorgeous song. The Latin near-samba song penned by drummer Bobby Thomas is performed with such tenderness as to evoke many pleasant visions of things like sunny beach cabanas, romantic island nights, and amorous dancing of the tango or "dirty" kind. For the first six minutes Wayne's soprano sax is so gentle, then he starts going wild, inciting a spirited street riot among his ensemble (though guitarist Gene Bertoncini has been a little more demonstrative throughout). But by the end of the eighth minute the rabble has spent its vim and has returned to a more calm and civil demeanor--Wayne returning to his romantic whispers and squeals. Another song that I like very much! (19/20)

5. "Joy" (9:00) while coming across a little more serious and circumspect than the title might suggest, even with the tempo and rhythm changes (and "A Love Supreme" melody use in the final third), this is the first song on this album that fails to engage or interest me; it's just free jazz drivel. (17/20)

Total time 40:27

Despite the disappointing listening experience of trying to penetrate the oddly-titled final song, this is an amazing album of wonderfully successful impressionistic music--one in which the bandleader and his entourage magically capture the essence of their song titles through their music. In fact, I'd have to say that this is one of my favorite Wayne Shorter products and one that I feel strongly that I will return to from time to time for the sheer fascination and enjoyment.

90.98 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of wonderful impressionistic Jazz-Rock Fusion.

WAYNE SHORTER Moto Grosso Feio (1974)

Recorded at A & R Recording Studio, New York City on April 3, 1970. Why it took so long for so many of Wayne Shorter's solo studio recording sessions to reach the public I'll never know. (Poor record label decision-making.) [Author's note: Further research leads me to a theory that the album was abandoned during production due to the sudden retirement of producer and Blue Note executive Duke Pearson. This sudden chaos in the Blue Note hierarchy might have caused the album to be shelved until a replacement crew could be lined up (or the album lined up for attention from one of the label's other producers). Plus, Wayne was keeping up such a hectic, non-stop schedule with touring and other projects that he probably couldn't find much time to insert himself into the situation (remember: this well before our current era of cordless or cell phone accessibility).] 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor & soprano saxophones, composer (excl. track 4) & arranger
With:
- 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 (unconfirmed)

1. "Moto Grosso Feio" (12:25) a long, mostly-slow, richly-textured piece that included marimba (from Chick Corea!), drums, bowed instruments like double bass (Dave Holland and maybe Miroslav Vitous) and cello (Ron Carter), multiple basses, and even some odd 12-string guitar, not to mention Wayne's soft and lilting soprano sax coos and ! How/Why that guy never jumps to the front to completely At the end of the tenth minute the whole band comes together behind Dave Holland's bass, Micheline Pelzer and Chick Corea's drumming and/or percussion play to propel things forward with a thick but still Genius! I have tears! Pure genius! (24.25/25)

 
2. "Montezuma" (7:50) this one opens up with a fade in to a period in which the rhythm section is falling into a groove that sounds like something from the world of rock 'n' roll--or future Trip Hop. Once established--everybody grooving in sync (same lineup as the previous song)--Wayne finds inspiration to join in, employing a melody line that sounds/feels like a kind of variation on . I really like this big, loose, "high school jam" like feel coming from the rhythmatists--all of them being big-time superstars! Chick's marimba and Dave and Miroslav's bass lines are so melodic in and of themselves but gel perfectly together. Ron Carter's bowed cello comes in to back and sometimes mirror Wayne's melody lines while Micheline (and, later, Chick) continues to play solid Latin-feeling drum lines. By the second half of the song Wayne and Ron are in a direct harmonic duel between the cello and sax. (13.75/15)

  

3. "Antiqua" (5:20) bass harmonics, tremolo strummed treated 12-string guitar (Johnny Mac) and acoustic guitar (Dave Holland), and tremolo marimba high notes, cymbal-heavy reactive syncopated drumming, deep bass flourishing, and incessant mosquito-like soprano sax legato runs make up the fairly chaotic weave of this avant garde piece of free jazz. (8.875/10) 

4. "Vera Cruz" (5:05) gentle and constant marimba notes, strummed and calypso-harmonics 12-string guitar, then bass and cello with Wayne joining in from beneath with what sounds like a tenor sax (yay!) all gel together into a textural cushion of serene soul support. Even the chords, harmonies, and melodies all have a balming effect even if they're not major chords but slightly chromatically-arranged. This is an edge of chromatic chord construction that my puny little uneducated brain can tolerate--not unlike those proffered by Pat Metheny at his mastery level in the 80s and beyond. Beautiful if totally representative of the subtle, underlying decay of Western Civilization the second half of the 20th Century. (9.333/10)

5. "Iska" (11:20) opening with a kind of free-for-all of marimba, distant sax, hesitant tom and cymbal rolling, and some truly weird-effected strings playing at the highest pitch-ends of their fret-/fingerboards. John's 12-string, especially, sounds unhinged, untuned, and so-distorted. All the while the crazed frantic frenzy tries to find a center, a common direction and goal. I can appreciate the energy and intelligence that went into this song but I cannot say that I find it inspiring or enjoyable. (17.333/20) 

Total time 42:00

This is definitely one astonishing collection of boldly experimental songs that push well beyond the accepted boundaries of Jazz music and don't even qualify as avant garde. They're more impressionistic and proggy than avant garde, even fusions of world music. Having now gotten pretty intimate with each of the songs I have a better appreciation for the job left to the producer in order to polish and finish an album for public consumption: there were so many tracks being used, so many virtuosic threads to shape, balance, and then mix, that I can better understand the daunting task Blue Note members may have been intimitated to take on after Duke Pearson had abandoned it. 

91.93 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of early, experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that explores a direction that very few jazz artists chose to take at that time. Would that others would have for we might have been able to see a more sustainable jazz-friendly niche genre for musicians to continue exploring instead of the more commercially-successful options that they were being pressured into following (like Jazz-Funk, Latin Jazz, Smooth Jazz, and other easy listening/adult contemporary forms and styles). While I am NOT a fan of the instrument Wayne Shorter prefers (soprano sax) or the way in which Wayne Shorter shapes and organizes melodies, I am really beginning to understand him fro being the creative genius that inspired so many others to ascend to such great heights.

WAYNE SHORTER featuring MILTON NASCIMENTO Native Dancer (1975)

Recorded in Los Angeles on September 12, 1974, Native Dancer was released by Columbia Records on January 18, 1975, this was Milton Nascimento's breakthrough album in the American world of music.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor & soprano saxophones, piano (5-7), electric piano (8)
With:
- Milton Nascimento / acoustic guitar (3, 4, 6, 8), vocals (1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
- David Amaro / acoustic guitar (4, 6, 7, 9)
- Jay Graydon / guitar (1), bass (2)
- Herbie Hancock / piano (1, 2, 7, 9), electric piano (3)
- Wagner Tiso / organ (1, 3, 4, 7), electric piano (1, 2, 4, 6, 9), bass (8)
- Dave McDaniel / bass (1, 3-7, 9)
- Roberto Silva / drums, percussion (5, 9)
- Airto Moreira / percussion (2, 4, 5, 7, 8)

1. "Ponta de Areia" (5:18) opening with a Brasilian-sounding melody being announced by Herbie Hancock's piano and Milton Nascimento's upper register voice is soon joined by Dave McDaniel's bass, Roberto Silva's drums, and Wagner Tiso's electric piano, eventually devolving into Wayne's soprano sax and Wagner's Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood-like electric piano with some incidental drum contributions. It is a beautiful melody and reinforces its power when the full band rejoins to get behind it for the final 90-seconds. Nice if a little rudimentary. (8.875/10)

2. "Beauty and the Beast" (5:04) Herbie, Wagner, and the rhythm section (which now includes Milton's countrymate, Airto Moreira) set up what sounds like a simple song motif (one that does not sound far from the pace and structure of the first motif of a song Wayne contributed to Weather Report's 1977 release, Heavy Weather, called "Harlequin"). There's a fun urban USA vibe to this song, as if Wayne were writing music for Bob James or some television show like Sesame Street or Starsky and Hutch. The section around the four-minute mark is rather sublime. The fadeout at the end lets me know that the studio time spent on this jam was much longer. (8.875/10)

3. "Tarde" (5:49) the album's second Milton Nascimento composition shocks me for how similar it is to Pedro Aznar and Pat Metheny's song, "Más Allá" from the Pat Metheny Group's 1984 masterpiece, First Circle--which leads me to ask the question, Is this a common song structure and style for Brasilian music? I mean, we all know that Latin singers--and especially Brasilian singer-songwriters--have a gift for expressing emotions from a far deeper depth than American singers, but how many of these incredibly powerful, heart-wrenchers have we Americans missed by not being deluged with Brasilian music? (9.125/10)

4. "Miracle of the Fishes" (4:48) multiple tracks given to Milton's amazingly-ranged voice as well as his and David Amaro's acoustic guitars. Nice bass, drums, and keys (organ and electric piano) to ground this high-flying song. Wayne's sax jumps to the fore in the third minute with some genuine-sounding feeling and emotion. What a cool (if, for our ears, unusual) song! (9.25/10)

5. "Diana" (3:04) Wayne on the piano and soprano sax while Airto, Roberto, and Dave McDaniel support. No help from Milton on this one. Nice. (8.875/10) 

6. "From the Lonely Afternoons" (3:15) great melodic Jazz with all of the Latin help and Milton's great worded and wordless vocalizations for the first 90-seconds and then Wayne takes over on his tenor sax.  So this is where Pat Metheney's inspiration for all of the recruitment of great Brasilian musician/vocalists comes from. Wayne, once again we are indebted to you (especially we lovers of Pat Metheny Group's 1980s production). Again he sounds and feels inspired. This must be a really soul-healing collaboration for Wayne as I can really feel his connection to the music. (9.25/10)

7. "Ana Maria" (5:10) piano and soprano sax (both coming from Wayne--though Wagner Tiso is also playing his own piano) performing a rather heavy, almost-Burt Bacharach-like ballad. (8.875/10)

8. "Lilia" (7:03) an unusual (for this album) heavier mood pervades this song--mostly anchored in the low end bass work performed by Wagner Tiso and the militaristic drumming coming from Roberto Silva and Airto but even expressed in the "sadness" of Milton's upper-register wordless vocalizations as well as Wayne's more urgent sounding sax and electric piano. A very interesting, almost Weather Report-sounding song. (13.375/15) 

9. "Joanna's Theme" (4:17) the album's final song starts with some pensive, even melodramatic piano play, heavy bass chords and all. This is Wagner Tiso masterfully manipulating the ivories. It's not until 1:50 that anybody else joins in--Wayne on his soprano sax and Roberto with his crashing, crescendoing cymbals. Kind of a lachrymose swan song. (I'm sad it's over, too!) (8.875/10)

Total Time 41:41

After the joy and enthusiasm for life first half of the album they had to turn to some rather heavier, even sorrowful music for the second half. I guess that's the Latin/Brasilian way. (Is it Buddhist, though?)

89.87 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of world fusion: successful but not quite convincing as to the polish and development of each song. I think the parties involved could have used more practice time together before pushing the "record" button.    

The rest of Wayne's production during the 1970s was, of course, primarily through medium brought to him through the WEATHER REPORT project that he and Joe Zawinul captained. They coordinated the release of eleven (11) albums over the course of the decade (one of them a live album) on which Wayne contributed to over 25 compositions (about one-third of the band's original compositions) as well as his strong and always-empowering presence as mentor and co-leader. (See my Weather Report page for more details.)

Here is a list of Wayne's solo albums in order of their ratings on the Fishscales:

1. Etcetera (1980) - 93.444

2. Adam's Apple (1967) - 92.86

3. Soothsayer (1979) - 92.64

4. Night Dreamer (1964) - 92.1875

5. Moto Grosso Feio (1974) - 91.93

6. Speak No Evil (1966) - 91.6667

7. Juju (1965) - 91.03

8. Odyssey of Iska (1971) - 90.98

9. Schizophrenia (1969) - 90.38

10. Wayning Moments (1962) - 90.16

11. Native Dancer (1975) - 89.87

12. The All Seeing Eye (1966) - 88.53

13. Super Nova (1969) - 87.50

Due to the relatively poor opinion of Weather Report that I had acquired over a period of 50 years of listening to their albums and watching video footage of their live performances, I had formed quite a resistance to the exploration of anything to do with either Wayne Shorter or Joe Zawinul. Now I am sad for all of that lost time because, over the past year, as I've gone deeper into the Jazz music of the 1960s that helped to bring about the revolution that became Jazz-Rock Fusion, as I became acclimated to the talents and gifts of the musicians associated with Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet," and now, finally, become attuned to the brilliance of Wayne Shorter as both a composer and bandleader, I've come to hold Wayne's rarefied genius as something with very few peers, a talent and phenomenon to revere with almost godlike veneration.