Search - Wayne Shorter :: Speak No Evil

The Wayne Shorter Quintet

Brian D. Fitzpatrick | Medford, MA | 02/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"|The Wayne Shorter Quintet|

|The Quintet|

Wayne Shorter-tenor

Freddie Hubbard-trumpet

Herbie Hancock-piano

Ron Carter-bass

Elvin Jones-drums



[Tune Listings]

'Witch Hunt'(Wayne Shorter)

'Fee-Fi-Foo-Fum'(Wayne Shorter)'

'Dance Cadaverous'(Wayne Shorter)

'Speak No Evil'(W.Shorter)

'Infant Eyes'(W.Shorter)

'Wild Flower'(W.Shorter)

'Dance Cadaverous'(W.Shorter)|Alt.Take|



On Christmas Eve 1964 Wayne Shorter arrived at Blue Note studios with some

fresh material for this recording.All the tunes on the session are from his own pen.The Quintet is a great one.Freddie,Wayne,and Herbie contribute some brilliant solos throughout the session.The rhythm section is a real classic.Herbie on piano,Ron Carter(bass)and Elvin Jones(drums).Jones really added something to this recording,with his unigue conception of time(metre),and his overall flexible approach to the drums.Of all the albums Wayne produced as a leader during his tenure at Blue Note Records from 1964-1970,and there are some superb ones,I believe this recording represents his greatest talents as a composer and a player in the same setting,with the right players at the right time.As everything is timing and luck in life.A very original thinker,and one of the great tenor players in jazz history.This album is prime cut.My approach to this review was to leave as much space for the listener,and provide them freedom to interpret the music as they wish.I truly believe it allows one to come to one's own conclusions based on the powers of volition.Too much detail sometimes 'clouds' the issue at hand.Hope that made some sense.Enjoy!



"

One of the Greatest Jazz Composers

Roger Berlind | NY, USA | 02/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I knew that Wayne Shorter was a good saxophonist from his work on albums by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and Lee Morgan that I had already heard. But it was only when I purchased "JuJu" and "Speak No Evil" that I realized what a great jazz composer he is. Shorter had written some good tunes on some of the Blakey and Morgan albums, but they didn't necessarily stand out as any better or worse than the other tunes. But hearing the dozen highly original and distinctive compositions on these two great albums from 1964 allowed me to grasp his true talent. Perhaps Shorter had been prevented from reaching his full potential as a composer when he had to write tunes to satisfy someone other than himself.



Every tune on "Speak No Evil" is musically interesting and communicates deep-felt emotion; however, what makes Shorter so great is that these tunes exhibit rich melodies and harmonies. "Witch Hunt" is full of fierce energy. "Fee-Fo-Fo-Fum" is surprisingly lyrical given its title while "Dance Cadaverous" is a haunting waltz. The intense title track gets a lot of play on Sirius Pure Jazz and was what prompted me to buy both "JuJu" and this album; it starts out with a good riff but offers much more. "Infant Eyes" is full of love and tenderness; it is one of Shorter's most beautiful compositions. Finally, "Wild Flower" is a sensuous and passionate ode, making me suspect the wild flower was a very alluring woman.



Of course, Shorter and his band mates all play these compositions with great finesse and imagination. The solos of Shorter, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, and pianist Herbie Hancock are inventive from beginning to end. Having listened to "JuJu" and this album again in order to review them and having re-read the liner notes and other reviews on Amazon, I realize that I really need to get Shorter's first Blue Note album, "Night Dreamer" which featured my favorite trumpeter, Lee Morgan. While that album does not get nearly as many reviews as this one, the 5 people who have reviewed it all gave it 5 stars."

Speak No Evil

Vernon Wood | Detroit, MI | 04/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is classic jazz, the type of jazz I grew up with. You can't have a jazz collection without this selection."