WAYNE SHORTER Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Wayne Shorter stepped out as a Blue Note artist on his masterful 1964 label debut Night Dreamer, a sublime set that signalled the arrival of one of the most important saxophonists and composers in jazz history. Timeless Shorter compositions are given transcendent performances by a quintet with Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, and Elvin Jones. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Review: Between 1964-1967 the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter created a treasured and deeply influential body of work, among which 1967's Schizophrenia lay. On this meandering but impassioned jazz dedication to an often misunderstood mental state, Shorter arrived at the pinnacle of post-bop and gazed out at the horizons around him, producing one of his most complete and stylistically diverse artistic statements with a sextet of like-minded musical adventurers. James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums; all came together to play some of Shorter's most enduring themes, including the unforgettable groove of 'Tom Thumb', the evocative 'Go', and the ballad 'Miyako'.

Review: The Verve label is pressing up records according to popular demand at the moment and next up is a Wayne Shorter gem. The American great's Footprints Live! is a mix of sounds from three of his European dates back in 2001, a series of shows that also served as an introduction to his 'Footprint Quartet' featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. Each of the talents shines through here with a particularly challenging re-imagination of the title track, as well as 'Masquelero', which are both originally from when Shorter was a part of the seminal Miles Davis Quintet back in the 1960s.