Wayne Shorter's 80th Birthday Celebration.

[Hardbopjazz]

Anyone here playing on going to this event?

http://bluenotejazzfestival.com/2013/03/wayne-shorter-80th-birthday-celebration/

[alankin]

Not A.H.

[ValerieB]

i'm going to the celebration at the Hollywood Bowl.

[Patrick]

I will be in NYC that week, and have purchased tickets to this. Have never seen Wayne perform live. Of the announced musicians, I've previously experienced Danilo Perez with his own trio, Dave Douglas as part of his Thousand Nights quartet (performing "Goldfinger", among other things, at the Chicago Cultural Center a long time ago), and Joe Lovano in various small group configurations. Looking forward to it!

[Mark Stryker]

Maybe this was discussed previously but it was news to me: Per trumpeter and board member David Weiss' newsletter:,Wayne Shorter gave Wallace Roney two large ensemble pieces he wrote for Miles in 1967-69 but never recorded or performed, "Legend" and "Universe," with permission for Roney to mount performances. I don't see a way to link to the newsletter. David usually posts them I think but in the meantime here's that item with performance details for July and August. Exit question: Is "Legend" the piece written for Monterey, and didn't that get played but not recorded?

Wallace Roney Orchestra Premieres Wayne Shorter's Universe

Wayne Shorter is certainly one of the most important composers in the history of this music and arguably the greatest living composer in Jazz today. In what must be one of the grandest musical gestures imaginable, Wayne bestowed on to Wallace Roney the scores to two large scale, large ensemble pieces that Wayne conceived and composed for Miles Davis while he was still in Miles' band but were never recorded (or even performed) and told Wallace he was now the person who could best fully realize these works. These two major works- Legend (composed in 1967) and Universe (composed in 1968 and 69)- are amazing in their scope and breadth (they are written for as many as 18 pieces, including English Horn, Bassoon, French Horn, Flutes and Clarinet along with more traditional jazz instrumentation) and show Wayne to already be a fully formed masterful composer and orchestrator of large scale works at this early date in his career. These compositions represent a major discovery in the canon of one of the greatest composers in the history of jazz and it's is a fitting tribute to Mr. Shorter to debut these important, historical works in celebration of his 80th Birthday this year.

Wayne also included a third unrecorded composition, Twin Dragon which was written for Miles in 1981 at his request as he was looking for material to perform for his comeback.

The major concert hall premiere of these works will be at the Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD on August 3 (as part of a 80th Birthday Celebration for Wayne which will also include my Endangered Species band opening for Wallace) but we will be doing a dress rehearsal of sorts at the Jazz Standard July 25-28. I am honored to be part of this project and have the opportunity to delve into these previously unknown major works from the pen of the great Wayne Shorter. I promise you this is some amazing music and strongly encourage you to check this out if you can.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Mark Stryker

[Stefan Wood]

I should get tickets.

[alankin]

I hope there will be a recording or broadcast.

[Van Basten II]

Attending it tonight

The line up here consists of Wayne Shorter Quartet with Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade,
Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet: Sound Prints
Featuring: Lawrence Fields, Linda Oh and Joey Baron
And ACS: Allen, Carrington, Spalding

Edited June 29, 2013 by Van Basten II

[bertrand]

There will be a number of concerts in the DC area between now and the end of the year celebrating Wayne's 80th birthday, including at least two on the week-end of 8/25, his actual birthday. I am working on scheduling a few more for the Fall. Two already took place in June. The next one up is Harold Summey performing Wayne's compositions for Weather Report at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on 7/18 (5 PM).

I will try to start a thread later this week-end. Send me a PM with your e-mail of you want to be on the mailing list.

Bertrand.

[bertrand]

From my inventory to Michelle Mercer's Shorter bio (paperback only):

The Legend

This composition was performed by the Miles Davis Quintet with an orchestra conducted

by Gary McFarland at UCLA on May 12^th, 1967.

This information was in a downbeat review.

Universe

The copyright deposit for this composition states that the score was composed, arranged and orchestrated by

Wayne on 08/22/69, and the trumpet part was written for Miles Davis, although he never performed it. The

instrumentation shown is as follows: C Flute, Alto Flute, English Horn, two French Horns, two Bassoons,

Tuba, trumpet (Miles), saxophone (Wayne), electric piano, marimba, tympani, Hawaiian Guitar, Mandolin,

Guitar, Fender Bass, Drums and Harp. This instrumentation is almost identical to that of the piece ‘Falling

Water’, credited to Miles Davis and Gil Evans and recorded by Miles (with Wayne and the Gil Evans

Orchestra) on 02/16/68.

Twin Dragon

This composition was written for Miles Davis, although Miles never performed it. Some sections of this piece were used in later compositions.

Wayne told me this part - I'll find out on 8/3 I guess.

Bertrand.

P.S.: Interesting that the copyright for 'Universe' is just days before Bitches' Brew was recorded.

Edited July 4, 2013 by bertrand

[Steve Reynolds]

Any comments on the shows?

[Patrick]

I enjoyed all three sets of the Shorter in NYC extravaganza. First up was the Lovano/Douglas ensemble, performing a collection of their own compositions including a few inspired by (or dedicated to) Wayne (eg "Weather Man"). Linda Oh on bass and Joey Barron on drums were a revelation. I was a little underwhelmed by pianist Lawrence Fields, who sounded a bit tentative to me. Perhaps it didn't help that Douglas stood fairly close behind his shoulder during several of his solos (...much like a music teacher might). Nice mix of tunes played and one could tell that the musicians were enjoying themselves (except maybe Fields).

Next up was the Geri Allen/Terri Lynne Carrington/Esperanza Spalding trio. I did not recognize the tunes and they were not announced. After exclaiming how much inspiration she draws from Wayne, Carrington briefly mentioned that it is really tough arranging Wayne compositions for a trio, and that they were performing them for the first time. Allen then admitted how intimidating it was to be on this bill. (I found this a bit odd for a successful "name" jazz musician of roughly 30 years). Esperanza simply smiled and said "Happy Birthday Wayne!" I enjoyed Allen's playing the most of this group, but had the sense that they were not totally clicking. Hopefully they will when they hit the road.

Finally, Wayne led his quartet out, carrying his tenor and soprano horns. They basically played continuously for about an hour. I will confess to not knowing my Wayne compositions too well, but they included several from Without a Net (eg "Orbits"). Wayne started on tenor and his first utterances were barely more than exhales through the horn. The kind of thing that, in other circumstances, would make you think, "it's a little late in the evening, is this old fella up to the task at hand?" Such concerns were fairly quickly quelled. There was no coasting by anybody. My sense is that Wayne played tenor for most of the set. When not playing, he leaned back into the curve of the piano much of the time. Danilo Perez, Brian Blade, and John Patitucci were all solid. JP was especially punchy on bass, but it fit in well with what Wayne and the others were doing. I smile when I think of this Wayne quartet and the Akoustic Band both being on JP's (extremely long) resume.

Looking forward to some of the upcoming Wayne events in DC. I'm not a Wayne completist as far as recordings go (esp post-Blue Note), but I would see this quartet live again without hesitation.

[david weiss]

From my inventory to Michelle Mercer's Shorter bio (paperback only):

The Legend

This composition was performed by the Miles Davis Quintet with an orchestra conducted

by Gary McFarland at UCLA on May 12^th, 1967.

This information was in a downbeat review.

Universe

The copyright deposit for this composition states that the score was composed, arranged and orchestrated by

Wayne on 08/22/69, and the trumpet part was written for Miles Davis, although he never performed it. The

instrumentation shown is as follows: C Flute, Alto Flute, English Horn, two French Horns, two Bassoons,

Tuba, trumpet (Miles), saxophone (Wayne), electric piano, marimba, tympani, Hawaiian Guitar, Mandolin,

Guitar, Fender Bass, Drums and Harp. This instrumentation is almost identical to that of the piece ‘Falling

Water’, credited to Miles Davis and Gil Evans and recorded by Miles (with Wayne and the Gil Evans

Orchestra) on 02/16/68.

Twin Dragon

This composition was written for Miles Davis, although Miles never performed it. Some sections of this piece were used in later compositions.

Wayne told me this part - I'll find out on 8/3 I guess.

Bertrand.

P.S.: Interesting that the copyright for 'Universe' is just days before Bitches' Brew was recorded.

We did our first night at the Jazz Standard last night......

I think this is some amazing music and it's really coming together.....

I do want to want to say this about whether Legend has been performed or not......

Yes, there is a Down Beat piece mentioning this but this can not be taken as the gospel as I have seen this phenomena before where Down Beat mentions a performance that will happen that does not happen or report on a concert where the piece is written before the concert (not a review really mind you but more just reporting it's occurrence) when in fact the concert doesn't happen or the circumstances regarding the material performed or what have you had changed.

What I would really like is for just one person, anybody who can tell me that they have seen Legend performed or a musician who says he has played the piece.

I did talk to one musician who was on the gig and they say they performed a Wayne Shorter piece called Antigua.

Wallace was also told the same thing by other musicians involved (and maybe even by Wayne).

So, like I said, until someone tells me they have actually seen, heard or performed Legend then this might indeed be the premiere of it.

It is certainly the premiere of Universe and Twin Dragon.

Universe is a major work by a major composer I think.

Edited July 26, 2013 by david weiss

[BFrank]

I have tickets to see him at SFJazz next March........but I guess that would be his 81st birthday celebration.

[Patrick]

Looking forward to David and Wallace at Strathmore next Saturday. Tickets priced nicely and available!

[bertrand]

Going up to the Jazz Standard on Sunday, then Strathmore of course.

I will have to find that Downbeat article again. I think it was a review more than an announcement of an upcoming show but I could be wrong. Of course, it would help to get the author and some of the personnel to track down the answer.

Bertrand.

[brownie]

A short extract from the Wayne Shorter Quartet appearance at the Vannes jazz festival in western France, this Thursday:

http://vannes.letelegramme.fr/local/morbihan/vannes-auray/vannes/vannes-un-veloute-de-jazz-avec-le-wayne-shorter-quartet-26-07-2013-2184754.php

(could not embed the video!)

Edited July 27, 2013 by brownie

[bertrand]

What is the breakdown of the sets? Do you do 'Universe', 'Twin Dragon' and 'The Legend' in each set at the Jazz Standard? How about at Strathmore?

Bertrand.

[Rooster_Ties]

I will have to find that Downbeat article again. I think it was a review more than an announcement of an upcoming show but I could be wrong. Of course, it would help to get the author and some of the personnel to track down the answer.

What's the date on that Downbeat? I've got my uncle's DB collection now, and here in DC with me -- pretty much complete from early (April?) 1967, through the mid-80's (maybe '87, I forget).

[bertrand]

1) The Strathmore performance is cancelled, alas. I never really saw any movement or interest in the press or anywhere about this project, which speaks volumes about the current state of culture in the US. Unrecorded Orchestral works written by one of jazz's greatest composers (Shorter), written for one of jazz's greatest icons (Miles) but never performed and/or recorded? The Miles angle alone should have attracted some attention.

2) The music is fantastic - I'm so glad I went up to the Jazz Standard on Sunday. Drummer Kush Abadey really helped propulse the band into another stratosphere. There was a lot of interesting things that I caught that shed new light on Wayne's compositional process, but of course I would need to hear this music again and again. I hope one day there can be a recording of this that I can purchase.

3) The Downbeat article would be somewhere between 3/67 and 8/67. It's March or April, it may be an announcement of something which never took place, which would support David's theory. If it's a review of a concert that took place, that's another story. I remember the article talking about a piece of music that incorporates themes from 'throughout Davis' career'. 'The Legend' is certainly not some sort of greatest hits medley, but there are several Shorter compositions hinted at throughout. I caught 'Dolores', 'Orbits'. 'Sweet Pea', and 'Vonetta' right at the end, all somehow blended in with new material. And of course these pieces were ones Wayne was working on at the time, so it all fits in into one continuum. 'Universe' was mostly new, but I did catch a snippet of 'Condition Red' from Phantom Navigator, which was a big surprise. As Wayne had told me, 'Twin Dragon' has some relationship to the Atlantis album, but in a very interesting way - the main theme is sort of a hybrid of the compositions 'Atlantis' and 'The Three Marias'. Now I need to rethink how these two pieces relate, because the blend was seamless.

4) In any case, the 'presumed' performance of 'The Legend' would be from UCLA, 5/12/67, possibly with Gary McFarland conducting. This was part of a 3-day festival during which Gary conducted a bunch of things. including Gabor Szabo. 'Antigua' is from Berkeley in 1968. This is documented in Jack Chambers' book, again based on another DB article. Gil was the conductor. I think Bob Belden said in an interview that he has a poor quality tape of this concert. Certainly, finding this arrangement of 'Antigua' (probably by Gil?) would be a coup. Perhaps it can be transcribed from the tape?

Bottom line: more info is needed on this May 1967 UCLA festival. If Miles did play, who was in the band and what did they play? The article and its author would be the next thing to get a hold of. Rooster, if you can't find it, I have another source I can go to.

Bertrand.

Edited July 30, 2013 by bertrand

[Mark Stryker]

David Adler review/first-hand account from the Jazz Standard.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/98779-wallace-roney-premieres-wayne-shorter-s-long-lost-universe

[bertrand]

Thanks! I can use this to get someone in DC interested in this project. The comment about putting more recent orchestral works into fuller context really hits the nail on the head - that's exactly how I felt walking out of the room. I'm sure glad I dug up 'Universe' and 'Twin Dragon' at the Library of Congress 20+ years ago.

1) Maybe they played 'Aura' on the night Adler was there, but on Sunday the set closer for both sets was a Robert Irving III piece which fit in very well with the rest.

2) Interesting comment about hearing 'Sanctuary' within 'Universe'. A friend of mine also thought he heard it, but what I was hearing was 'Condition Red'. I suspect there is a subtle relationship between the two.

I hope everyone can hear this music live and on record real soon.

Bertrand.

Edited October 9, 2013 by bertrand

[bertrand]

There's a 20-minute feature on youtube by Brian Pace with some clips of the orchestra interspersed with an interview with Roney. It doesn't really give a good feel of how good the music is, and I think the first piece is actually the Irving piece, although I did hear some of 'Legend' later on.

Bertrand.

[Michael Weiss]

Definitely heard "Swee Pea" in Universe.

[Rooster_Ties]

Just found the mention of Legend in Downbeat, in the July 13, 1967 issue -- and the piece is specifically mentioned by name. Here's the full quote...

"The least successful band effort was not [Gary] McFarland's [festival band]; it was Wayne Shorter's homage to Miles Davis, Legend, a moody, colorless composition built on descending figures with a bass lead, in a minor mode. A middle section in 3/4, powered by [Grady] Tate [on drums], showed some excitement, but in the main, the work sounded like an introduction."

I also just 'discovered' that my uncle's Downbeat collection (which I have here with me now in DC), goes all the way back to April of 1965 (not '67 as I'd previously thought) -- a good 20+ years, seemingly complete.

I'll try and post a scan of the complete review of the Los Angeles Jazz Festival (Pauley Pavilion, UCLA) -- which is fairly long, and filled with quite bit of performance details (which isn't to say that it's 100% confirmed that the review wasn't "pre-written" -- but it sure looks like a legit review to me).

Edited August 5, 2013 by Rooster_Ties