Night Dreamer Shorter

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

"Wayne's Playground" is a project based on the music of the great american saxophone player Wayne Shorter. The jazz trio displays original arrangements of his most famous and celebrated tunes, a humble tribute to his music, from the Miles Davis' quintet to the Weather Report's years. The goal is to fully and deeply understand the intimate connection between the form (always changed, dismantled and reassembled using sudden breaks, free improvisations, odd rhythmic figures) and the melody, the true heart of his work as a composer.

Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil (1964) {Blue Note Japan SHM-CD TYCJ-81019 rel 2013} (24-192 remaster)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 397 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 145 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 228 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit 192 kHz remaster
© 1964, 2013 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | TYCJ-81019
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Music / Post Bop / Saxophone

Reissue. Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and 24bit remastering. Includes an alternate take of "Witch Hunt" and a track for the first time in the world. 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.