Wayne Shorter: with Messengers & solo

[dave9199]

I'm talking about in terms of his compositions. I don't have any Messengers or his solo stuff, though I do have the Miles 1965-68 set. I think I'm definetly going to start getting some Messengers albums, but was wondering about his solo albums.

[BFrank]

There's a 2CD set that has just recently been issued on Blue Note called "Wayne Shorter- The Classic Blue Note Recordings". It might be a good set for you in that it includes work he did both with Blakey and as a solo artist.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

To keep the comparison fair, I think one would have to look at contemporary recordings, so the Vee Jay solo stuff and the Blakey, and then the Blue Note solo stuff and his work with Miles.

I'm partial to the sextet Messengers, where Wayne was only one of several excellent composer/arrangers (the phenomenal Mosaic album has only ONE tune by Wayne!). The addition of the trombone allowed for creative voicings (often with the saxophone on bottom rather than trombone).

Unless I am mistaken, the only tune that Wayne recorded both solo and with the Messengers was "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" (on Second Genesis and on Ugetsu). But it's not his composition anyway.

If you are a fan of that Miles band, try the Blue Note solo albums - Speak No Evil, Soothsayer, All Seeing Eye, all recorded within a year of each other, just after joining Miles. Some similarities to the Miles sound in terms of harmonic sound but also very different in terms of rhythm and arrangements.

Mike