I've long since thought that jazz legend Shorter has been a secret weapon for many. Like most jazz artists in the 1950s, he started out doing session work on the infamous Blue Note label, appearing on practically everyone's records ranging from Art Blakey to Lee Morgan to Herbie Hancock and developing a lyrical style first influenced by John Coltrane, but then refined into his own lazy, dreamy signature. He quickly developed into a great composer in his own right and wrote memorable, complex tunes for his own solo albums as well as for Miles Davis' mid to late 60s band, and on into the freakish funk experiments of Weather Report in the 70s and 80s. Shorter's tunes often inspired Davis, who always drew equally from his bandmates, and I believe it was Shorter's tunes and work ethic, as well as his unique sax, that drove the loose and mind blowing improvisations of Davis' group in the late 60s.
This album is a compilation of classic Shorter tunes collected from various tour stops in Europe in 2001, and proves that the the 70 year old Shorter is definitely not running out of steam as the years go on. It could be easy to write this album off as a retread of old songs, devoid of any new material, because I've found that a lot of jazz fans crave new material, especially from a legend like Shorter. However, what is most apparent is that these old songs are giving a total workover - just as an old car is stripped, given a new motor and paint job, and totally reborn, so are the tunes here. I have most of Shorter's solo albums and have heard most of the songs here, but they struck me as almost unrecognizable, with the exception of the main melodies. This, I think, is what makes jazz so special and experimental, since most fans would not mind if an artist throws in a totally different section into a song or adds a different solo here or there. It certainly proved to be a bra in twister for me to figure out what was going on half the time. Imagine if the Rolling Stones decided to play "Satisfaction" backwards at one of their many reunion concerts. Most people I think would be pissed and want their money back for the free tickets they received through work anyway.
"Sanctuary" mystically begins the set with a snake rattle and some interesting piano playing. This beginning would not be out of place on Weather Report's early records but we must remember that Shorter is in full jazz mode with his young band here, rechannelling his 60s work with Miles. It must have been a treat to work with him, as I know if I were a young jazz musician, I'd go ape for a chance to play with this master. So no sooner does this track seduce us into the proceedings when "Masquelero" immediately crashes in with a throbbing bassline and Shorter's wandering sax. It becomes apparent here that the band is so loose and fluid and you just have to let this music take you over as if you were floating away. I love this version of the song. Kind of latin-tinged, very groovy and very sexy. Yes folks, some jazz can be cerebral and sexy too!
"Valse Triste" is Shorter's reworking of a piece by classical composer Jean Sibelus, and seems kind of whacked out compared to the version I heard on the original album "Night Dreamer". The band or Wayne seem to be getting too loose here and the song kind of descends into a free jazz vortex, lacking any direction. But "Go" returns to the funkiness and once again, Wayne's Weather Report days threaten to break through. A big highlight of this track is the interplay of the rhythm section. Bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade really have a good thing going chasing each other and crashing around with inspired abandon. One can tell Blade - normally a session rock drummer who has played most recently with Daniel Lanois and others - is having a smashing good time. He strikes a perfect balance between tricky time signatures and good old fashioned bashing and rolling fills. Amidst all this looseness, someone had to keep things together I guess.
"Footprints", the title track, and possibly Shorter's most popular song from his straight jazz days, seems kind of rushed in its form here. Perhaps I'm purely judging this on the original album version, but the improvisations here continue on interestingly enough even if the band presents them in a very modern way. By "modern" I mean they abandon the old be bop technique of "melody intro/improvisation/melody outro" and prefer to stick to the "melody intro/improv/improv/end (no melody outro)". Does that make sense?? Well, if it doesn't, sue me, I ain't Ken Burns or Wynton Marsalis you know! This album is a great testament of Shorter's timeless abilities, mostly as an arranger these days. Hopefully some new material is forthcoming as I know for sure his fans (myself included) eagerly await some new tracks. Nevertheless, the European audiences at these performances were treated to some pure jazz magic.
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