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Monthly Archives: October 2012
Wayne Shorter
New Wayne Shorter album in February 2013!
The legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter has re-signed to Blue Note Records, and will release his first album as a leader for the iconic label in 43 years with the February 5, 2013 release of Without A Net, his searing new album with his long-running quartet featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade.
Shorter—who will be entering his 80th year in 2013—first recorded for Blue Note in 1959 as the precocious 26-year-old tenor saxophonist (and prolific composer) in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, which brought him to the attention of label founder Alfred Lion who eventually signed him to his own recording deal. 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 during a period of time that also paralleled Shorter’s years with Miles Davis, first as a member of the trumpeter’s trailblazing quintet, and later as a part of Davis’ early fusion masterpieces.
“Wayne Shorter is one of the greatest musicians and composers of our time,” said Don Was, President of Blue Note Records. “At age 80, we witness him at the height of his powers and performing with one of the most incredible bands he’s ever assembled. Although welcoming him back to Blue Note Records after 43 years is a romantic notion, Wayne’s enduring appeal is rooted in his steadfast refusal to trade in such nostalgia. In fact, it is Mr. Shorter’s determination to constantly move forward that makes his new album, Without A Net, such an essential listening experience.”
Reflecting upon his perpetual path of musical discovery, Shorter expounded that “The challenge we as artists face today is to create a ‘singularity’ or an ‘event horizon’ so that as human beings we will break the cycle of ego dominated actions which through repetition keep us bound to stagnation which denies us entrance to the Portal of Life’s Ultimate Adventure!”
Without A Net is a 9-track musical thrill ride that consists of live recordings from the Wayne Shorter Quartet’s European tour in late 2011, the one exception being the 23-minute tone poem “Pegasus” which features the quartet with The Imani Winds recorded at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The album features six new Shorter compositions, as well as new versions of his tunes “Orbits” (from Miles Davis’ Miles Smiles album) and “Plaza Real” (from the Weather Report album Procession). The quartet also reinvents the title song from the 1933 musical film Flying Down To Rio, which film buffs (such as Shorter) know as the first on-screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
The track listing for Without A Net is as follows:
1. Orbits (4:49)
2. Starry Night (8:48)
3. S. S. Golden Mean (5:17)
4. Plaza Real (6:56)
5. Myrrh (3:03)
6. Pegasus (23:06)
7. Flying Down to Rio (12:44)
8. Zero Gravity (8:13)
9. UFO (4:12)
Keith Jarrett
Some Keith Jarrett albums I really like.
Kenny Wheeler – Gnu High (ECM)
1975, this is a killer album: Kenny Wheeler (flugelhorn), Keith Jarrett (piano), Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums).
Gary Peacock – Tales of Another (ECM)
An early 1977 version of the Standards trio, before they became “Jarrett’s band”. I’ve had this album for years, I feel so comfortable with it. Another kick ass platter.
2010 duo with Charlie Haden, this is an intimate set and has really grown on me.
Jarrett on pipe organ. I wrote about this one before. Could we have more albums like this 1976 recording, please?
Keith Jarrett – Live at the Deer Head Inn (ECM)
1992 live trio with the late Paul Motian on drums. All ya gotta do is use a different drummer and everything changes.
Keith Jarrett – Dark Intervals (ECM)
Solo piano, I don’t like ’em all, but I do like this one from 1987.
Recently released 1979 archive recording from ECM, quite a winner. I really like the studio recordings from this band too.
I can’t say his work with Miles Davis tickled my ears, but it could still happen someday.
Yes to the Standards Trio playing standards, I’m working on liking the other albums from that band.
Yusef Lateef on flute
Another in an ongoing series of horn players who double on flute. Today, Yusef Lateef.
From “The Golden Flute” (1966)
Yusef Lateef – Flute, Tenor Saxophone & Oboe
Hugh Lawson – Piano
Herman Wright – Bass
Roy Brooks, Jr. – Drums
listening to…October 1-7, 2012
A couple of things I was listening to last week:
Dave Holland – Extensions (ECM)
Dave Holland – Emerald Tears (ECM)
Dave Holland – Seeds of Time (ECM)
Susie Ibarra – Flower After Flower (Tzadik)
Marc Johnson/Eliane Elias – Swept Away (ECM)
Sonny Sharrock – Ask The Ages (Axiom)
Axoim Dub (Axiom)
Steve Lacy with Don Cherry – Evidence (Prestige)
McCoy Tyner – Fly With the Wind (Milestone)
Julius Hemphill on flute
Another in an ongoing series of horn players who double on flute. Today, Julius Hemphill.
the Painter
Trumpet — Baikida E.J. Carroll
Drums — Philip Wilson
Cello — Abdul Wadud
Alto Saxophone, Flute, Composed By, Producer — Julius Hemphill
Recorded at Archway Studios, St. Louis, MO in February 1972.
Album:”Dogon A.D.”
Label:Arista
listening to…September 14-30, 2012
Steve Lacy – the Straight Horn of Steve Lacy/Reflections
The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy features Charles Davis on baritone saxophone resulting in a unique sound…the front line of soprano and baritone saxophone playing a few Monk tunes plus Charlie Parker’s Donna Lee. Reflections is an all Monk program.
Joe Morris – Eloping With The Sun (Ritti Records)
Eloping With The Sun = Free jazzer Joe Morris (banjo, banjouke), William Parker (sintir) and Hamid Drake (frame drum). Very hip and groovy, even.
John Stowell/Michael Zilber – Shot Through With Beauty (Origin)
I think the world of John Stowell, he’s such a wiz with chord voicings. Guitar players know about him because he’s done some ear opening vids on jazz guitar, but the rest of the world hasn’t quite discovered him yet.
Stan Getz – My Foolish Heart (Hyena)
Stan Getz and Richie Bierach with the kick ass rhythm section of Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette.
Music Revelation Ensemble – In the Name of… (DIW/Columbia)
James Blood Ulmer group with Sam Rivers on three tracks. I’m not sure this is essential for Rivers fans.
John Coltrane – the John Coltrane Qt Plays (Impulse)
John Coltrane – First Meditations (Impulse)
John Coltrane – Transition (Impulse)
John Coltrane – Sun Ship (Impulse)
John Coltrane – Coltrane (Impulse)
John Coltrane – Expression (Impulse)
I thought I’d grab a handful of Coltrane for the road, not realizing his birthday was just a few days away and there would be a full day of birthday broadcast on WKCR.
Chim Chim Cheree on the John Coltrane Qt Plays has a soprano sax meltdown that I never hear anybody mention.
To Be from Expression is such an amazing and unique track, I listened to it quite a few times.
Love from First Meditations is such a beautiful tune.
..and a bunch of other stuff too.
Dave Holland
When I was 18, I was getting hip to the ECM sound and I saw this album in the rack. I thought solo bass could be interesting and bought it. I had no idea that Dave Holland played with Miles Davis. I had no clue who Anthony Braxton was. I just thought a solo bass album was a good idea.
Emerald Tears sounded amazing, as if the bass was right there in the room. I heard a Miles tune, Solar and got my first exposure to a Braxton tune with Composition 69Q (aka B-40/RS-4-W/M23-6K).
Later I followed up by buying lots of music with Holland as the bass player. It certainly seemed like he was on a lot of albums with Jack DeJohnette in the ’70s, so I added those to my collection too. How could such a busy bass player still provide a solid foundation? I still don’t know, so I keep listening.
Mr. Holland must be keeping a tight grip on YouTube, I can’t find any examples from this album, so just buy a copy of Emerald Tears and listen to it.
update Sept 21, 2014
an example:
harmonicsdb 