Wayne Shorter Gave Us Lives

 

Photo: Robert Ashcroft



Wayne Shorter (1933-2023) has been a musical presence in Creative Black Music since the late 1950s. Starting out his professional career with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and then moving to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers where he helped to shape the sound of Hard-Bop for five years before moving on to the Miles Davis Quintet for the balance of the 1960s and into the early days of 1970.  He and keyboard master Joe Zawinul formed Weather Report in 1970 initially as an avant-garde creative ensemble before turning to more earthly rhythms to become one of the more popular jazz-fusion ensembles in the mid-70s through the mid-1980s.  Shorter had started his solo recording career in 1960 with Vee-Jay Records before moving to Blue Note Records in 1964 and recorded over 10 albums that showed his growth as a composer, tenor and soprano saxophonist, and a leader.  

Photo: Christophe Simon

He moved to CBS/Sony as a member of Weather Report and, in 1975, as a leader with his stunning "Native Dancer", a collection of songs influenced by Brazilian music that featured, among others, Milton Nascimento and Herbie Hancock.  During the 70s and 80s (and beyond), he would add his saxophone to songs on albums created by Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Carlos Santana,  and Don Henley (among others). After leaving Weather Report in 1985, the saxophonist released three fusion albums for CBS between 1985-1988 but it was not until signing with Verve Records in 1994 and releasing the ambitious "High Life" that Shorter's career began the renaissance that would last for the rest of his creative life. 

In 2000, Mr. Shorter organized what turned out to his final, and arguably his best, working ensemble.  Danilo Perez (piano), John Patitucci (bass), and Brian Blade (drums) became an extension of the saxophonist's imagination and so in tune with his constant desire to be exploring that the group never rehearsed––they would get on stage and hit.  Over the years, the group would be augmented by orchestras and chamber ensembles, becoming the proving ground that would help lay the groundwork for "Iphigenia", the opera Mr. Shorter created with librettist esperanza spalding, set designer Frank Gehry (and the Quartet) that had its first full production (with the librettist in the lead role) in Boston, MA, in late 2021.  Considered (at that time) as a "work-in-progress"), the show went on to play in Washington, DC, Berkeley, CA, and Los Angeles, CA, working out many of the issues that beset the earliest productions.  
 

Though the physical presence that was Wayne Shorter has departed, those of us who loved his musical and artistic adventures have much to buoy our spirits, what with seven decades of compositions, recordings, and videos. We can still carry on our conversation with the questions his music posed. That need not be an internal dialogue as we have the possibility to teach other people about this most fascinating person.  

Watch the Quartet in action:

"Suite" Sounds

Here's a smashing idea - take the music Herbie Hancock created for his 1965 "Maiden Voyage" Lp (Blue Note) and arrange the pieces for a large ensemble.  For its second recording, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Mike Holober, artistic director and conductor, have done just that and "Maiden Voyage Suite" is a rousing success.  No surprise really, considering the source material and the caliber of the musicians. The reed section includes Jay Brandford and David Brandom (alto sax, soprano sax), Ralph Lalama and Jason Rigby (tenor sax) plus Ed Xiques (baritone sax).  The 8-member brass section includes the trumpet/flugelhorn work of Tony Kadleck, Craig Johnson, Marvin Stamm and Jim Rotondi as well as the trombone contributions of Larry Dean Farrell, Keith O'Quinn, Bruce Eidem and George Flynn.  Add to that sparkling lineup the fine rhythm section of Ted Rosenthal, bassist Harvie S and drummer Andy Watson, the intelligent arrangements of Holober, Brandford, Kadleck and Pete McGuiness and the splendid studio work of engineer James Farber - turn them loose on Hancock's music and the listener is rewarded many times over.

Despite the title, "Maiden Voyage" was Hancock's 5th solo release and 3rd recorded during his tenure with Miles Davis's second "Classic Quintet" (1963-1970).  McGuinness's arrangement of the title track emphasizes the Brazilian lilt from the rhythm section (yet, it also sounds like Horace Silver) in the early moments of the piece but it's the magnificent work of the different sections beneath the soloists that is so exciting. The waves of sound as Brandom's soprano sax solo reaches its climax and the call-and-response of the sections in the closing minutes leading up to the reiteration of the theme is quite lovely.  Watson's cymbal splashes end the tune and leads the band into the driving intensity of "Eye of the Hurricane."  The tempo shifts arranger Holober builds into the work take their cue from the work Tony Williams created in 1965.  Soloists Rigby, Stamm (who shines each time he plays) and Rosenthal shine on their respective spots and the tandem of Harvie S and Watson really push them.

Kadleck, lead trumpeter in the Maria Schneider Orchestra, contributes a wonderful arrangement of "Dolphin Dance" that seems to take its cues from the work of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, with nods to Duke Ellington.  Brandford creates a delicious audio-scape for "Little One" while Holober makes the 2-part "Survival of the Fittest" a hard-bop wonderland with fiery solo work from Rotondi and Rigby (fueled by the ultra-intense rhythm section) plus an impressionistic romp from Rosenthal that serves as the bridge to Part 2. 

Holober created the "Prologue", "Interlude" and "Epilogue", 3 fairly short tone poems built from the melodies and harmonies of the 5 songs that comprise "Maiden Voyage."  None of the pieces feel like they have been tacked on to fill out the "Suite" - instead, they remind the listener of the Hancock's intent that the compositions grew out of his fascination with the sea, its different moods and diverse population.  Kudos go to the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Mike Holober and Executive Director/Co-Founder Emily Tabin for creating new worlds of possibilities from Herbie Hancock's original visions.

For more information, go to www.westjazzorch.org.