Wayne Shorter

[bertrand]

And on the topic of Wayne, I was just reading the following interesting passage in Fred Jung's Fireside Chat:

'FJ: Blue Note has just released The Classic Blue Note Recordings, a retrospective from sessions with Blakey and Morgan as well as signature material from your classics. There certainly is enough material to release a mammoth comprehensive homage.

WS: That's up to them. That is up to whoever is running that. I think they are going to sneak in there and do it.

FJ: Let me make some calls.

WS: (Laughing) They might start getting in there and doing it after the Latin release of the last album (Moto Grosso Feio). '

Several things to discuss here:

1) Does Wayne really not know that Michael Cuscuna produces Blue Note reissues? I think he is being facetious.

2) Why would Wayne consider someone putting together a box set of his BN recordings as 'sneaking in'?

3) What is he alluding to with 'the Latin release of the last album'? Does he really mean Moto Grosso Feio, or is this an (incorrect) editorial comment by Jung? Moto Grosso is neither the last Wayne BN recording (it's the rejected session from 10/70) nor the last issued BN recording (Odyssey Of Iska is later, despite what the Moto Grosso Feio CD says). The 'non-BN' issue of Moto Grosso from a few years ago was on One Way, hardly a Latin label.

Where am I going with this? I think Wayne is actually alluding to the October 1970 session, which we know that he does not want released. That's his call, of course, despite what he says to Fred Jung. When he talks about the Latin issue of the last album, I bet he is humorously alluding to a potential underground semi-legit release of this mystery session, and that he knows things like this have happened in the past in 'Latin' countries (is he alluding to Fresh Sound?).

Unless the last session is already out somewhere, and no one has alerted me to this yet...

Discuss.

Bertrand.

Edited August 25, 2003 by bertrand

[Chuck Nessa]

1) Does Wayne really not know that Michael Cuscuna produces Blue Note reissues? I think he is being facetious.

2) Why would Wayne consider someone putting together a box set of his BN recordings as 'sneaking in'?

3) What is he alluding to with 'the Latin release of the last album'? Does he really mean Moto Grosso Feio, or is this an (incorrect) editorial comment by Jung? Moto Grosso is neither the last Wayne BN recording (it's the rejected session from 10/70) nor the last issued BN recording (Odyssey Of Iska is later, despite what the Moto Grosso Feio CD says). The 'non-BN' issue of Moto Grosso from a few years ago was on One Way, hardly a Latin label.

Where am I going with this? I think Wayne is actually alluding to the October 1970 session, which we know that he does not want released. That's his call, of course, despite what he says to Fred Jung. When he talks about the Latin issue of the last album, I bet he is humorously alluding to a potential underground semi-legit release of this mystery session, and that he knows things like this have happened in the past in 'Latin' countries (is he alluding to Fresh Sound?).

I think you look for mystery where none exists.

Sure Wayne knows about MC's work.

"Moto" was the last Shorter BN issue before MC started mining the vaults so I can see him calling it the last.

Nothing mysterious for me in his "sneaking in" phrase. Wayne knows the market very well and probably thinks of it as a risky financial venture since most of the material is available. The BN solution is much smarter for the current market.

Wayne does not have the last word on issuing the final date - he did the work, was paid and that is that. If BN honors his wishes it is a courtesy.

[bertrand]

But what does he mean by 'The Latin release'?

Bertrand.

[jazzbo]

I wouldn't be surprised if he "really means" Moto Grosso. This may be how he thinks of it. I think of it more as "Fat Mess."

[bluesoul]

Wayne Shorter was on the Stephen Colbert show last night sitting in with Jon Batiste.  He is introduced right around the 6:30 mark.  I didn't watch the whole program, they probably only show him for a few seconds at a time after the commercials.  

[Michael Weiss]

They played (8 bars of) Yes Or No to bring on an actress.

Tootie and Jimmy Heath will be sitting in Wednesday night. Roy Haynes on Thursday night.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Michael Weiss

[Hardbopjazz]

I'll be watching.

[Al in NYC]

If Colbert is going to have these jazz greats on his show then they deserve the respect of at least being given some sliver of time to play their damn music.  Otherwise their appearance is worse than pointless, verging on the downright disrespectful.  After staying up though Hillary Clinton and some very long minutes of grating celebrity-babble, with Shorter's only appearance being him sitting in the background in the middle of the band, I at least expected to see Wayne featured in the usual musical spot at the end of the show.  I was flabbergasted when he brought on some boring-ass country singer to finish the show instead. WTF?

[JSngry]

Grace Kelly plays bari in that band, right?

[7/4]

6 hours ago, Al in NYC said:

If Colbert is going to have these jazz greats on his show then they deserve the respect of at least being given some sliver of time to play their damn music.  Otherwise their appearance is worse than pointless, verging on the downright disrespectful.  After staying up though Hillary Clinton and some very long minutes of grating celebrity-babble, with Shorter's only appearance being him sitting in the background in the middle of the band, I at least expected to see Wayne featured in the usual musical spot at the end of the show.  I was flabbergasted when he brought on some boring-ass country singer to finish the show instead. WTF?

 

Sort of like being in Weather Report, it pays the bills.

[Hardbopjazz]

The Heath Brothers did get to play about 40 to 50 seconds yesterday. Tootie was fun when Stephen was talking to them.

Who was on the Show Monday? Tuesday it was Shorter. Wednesday it was the Heath Brothers. Tonight it is Roy Haynes. Who will it be Friday?

The Heath Brothers and the band played,  "On the Trail" and "Gingerbread Boy." I don't know what else may have been played on the show. 

Edited April 21, 2016 by Hardbopjazz

[catesta]

For me the Colbert show is unwatchable.

[jlhoots]

12 hours ago, JSngry said:

Grace Kelly plays bari in that band, right?

Some of the time.

[BFrank]

On 4/21/2016 at 9:02 PM, Al in NYC said:

If Colbert is going to have these jazz greats on his show then they deserve the respect of at least being given some sliver of time to play their damn music.  Otherwise their appearance is worse than pointless, verging on the downright disrespectful.  After staying up though Hillary Clinton and some very long minutes of grating celebrity-babble, with Shorter's only appearance being him sitting in the background in the middle of the band, I at least expected to see Wayne featured in the usual musical spot at the end of the show.  I was flabbergasted when he brought on some boring-ass country singer to finish the show instead. WTF?

It was like he didn't know who Shorter was. Made some silly comment about "jazzing it up."

BTW, that "boring-ass country singer" was Sturgill Simpson, one of the more innovative and interesting "country" artists to come around in a LONG time.

[Al in NYC]

15 hours ago, BFrank said:

...innovative and interesting "country" artists...

It's like I can read what you're writing, but somehow the words make no sense together.

[GregK]

On 4/21/2016 at 10:33 AM, catesta said:

For me the Colbert show is unwatchable.

I agree with you. Terrible

[bluesoul]

Ethan Iverson has a long interview with Wayne from 2015 up on his new site:

https://ethaniverson.com/interview-with-wayne-shorter/

 

 

[Quasimado]

13 hours ago, bluesoul said:

Ethan Iverson has a long interview with Wayne from 2015 up on his new site:

https://ethaniverson.com/interview-with-wayne-shorter/

 

 

Great Interview - thanks. Q

[Michael Weiss]

I like this:

Yeah, I went to [Coltrane's] house and the first thing he did—he had one of those upright wall pianos—he opened the lid and then he did like this, made a tone cluster, “GRRRRUNGGGH,” kept the foot on the sustain, “GRRRRUNGGHH,” and we had our horns out, and he asked me, he said, as the tone was still going, he said, “See how much of this you can catch. Let’s see how much you can catch.” And I heard the “GRRRRUNGHH” so I wasn’t messing around, trying to loop center tones and not so centered and all that stuff, and he asked me to do the same thing to him and I did “WRRRRRUNGH,” and he got his horn and he was all over the place, [mimes rapid playing] really soft because of neighbors and all that. He had a towel in the bell. [mimes rapid playing again] Then we’d do it back and forth on the piece that holds the music, the lyre or whatever, there’s a harp book there and I was checking the book out and it had the [rapid playing sound] and I said to myself, “Sheets of sound.” [laughs]

[mjzee]

Thanks for posting this.  I really enjoyed reading it.

[fasstrack]

On 4/21/2016 at 10:33 AM, catesta said:

For me the Colbert show is unwatchable.

I didn't have a TV for years, and only watch news now (with suspicion b/c it's corporate). The rest is inane me. Who is Steve Colbert again?

Edited May 6, 2016 by fasstrack

[shadowhillway]

there once was a short audio clip of Wayne playing soprano saxophone online. may have been on N2K Encoded Music's Jazz Central Station (jazzcentralstation dot com). this must have been late 1990s. just playing a few notes solo.

today I realized those few notes may very well have been this motif from High Life the composition on High Life the album:

https://shadowhillway.pairsite.com/wayne-high-life-motif.m4a

or at least fairly similar. wish I could find the original clip...

Edited June 12, 2022 by shadowhillway

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I saw Wayne Shorter live a few times. At at least one concert, he played the soprano exclusively. I think it was the tour for Herbie & Wayne's duo CD "1 + 1".

Truth be told, it wasn't that great of a show. The two of them just sorta noodled the night away.

[mjzee]

Wayne won a Grammy tonight!

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

Ambrose Akinmusire - Rounds (Live)

Gerald Albright - Keep Holding On

John Beasley - Cherokee/Koko

Marcus Baylor - Call of the Drum

Melissa Aldana - Falling

Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese - Endangered Species - WINNER

[Milestones]

"Endangered Species"?  Didn't this tune first appear in 1985?

 

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by Milestones