shadowhillway Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I am starting this thread because I have a need to state the following. I believe Wayne Shorter is a genius. I am absolutely sick and tired of his composition "Footprints". If I never hear it again in my life, I will die happy. It is by far Wayne's least interesting composition. There are so many other Wayne compositions that are far more interesting than that one. I wish people would shut the hell up about "Footprints", leave it in the past where it belongs, and not attract more attention to it by naming their Wayne biographies after it. People need to focus on the important things in life, like Atlantis, Phantom Navigator, Joy Ryder, and High Life. Covering Footprints should be a crime punishable by death, in my humble opinion, because it shows absolute no imagination and understanding of Wayne's body of work. I would like to leave my own footprints on the dead horse that is "Footprints" by beating it with "The Three Marias" and "Virgo Rising". Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjazzman Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 don't care for w.m., started out artistic, ended up commercial. w.m's type of hard bop jazz tries to get people who are on the fence to like jazz. either you like this shit or you dont................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 But Footprints is so easy to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Masqualero!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ep1str0phy Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I wish people would shut the hell up about "Footprints", leave it in the past where it belongs, and not attract more attention to it by naming their Wayne biographies after it. People need to focus on the important things in life, like Atlantis, Phantom Navigator, Joy Ryder, and High Life. Covering Footprints should be a crime punishable by death, in my humble opinion, because it shows absolute no imagination and understanding of Wayne's body of work. I would like to leave my own footprints on the dead horse that is "Footprints" by beating it with "The Three Marias" and "Virgo Rising". I have a feeling that you're going to love it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) Ironically, the paperback edition (due in February) of the aforementioned biography will contain an inventory of Wayne's compositions that Michelle and I put together. I make no claims that it is complete (even Wayne himself could not make a complete list) but there are many surprises. Bertrand. Edited December 19, 2006 by bertrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I've just been listening to a 'private recording' of a show from the Phantom Navigator tour. There is a stunning version of 'Plaza Real' that is totally different from Weather Report's. I love the way Wayne transforms his pieces until they are nearly unrecognizable (e.g. 'Orbits'). No sticking safely to the record for him. His quote about a composition never being finished makes total sense in this context. Bertrand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I'm kind of tired the modern day jazz crew only digging Wayne compositions. They're playing "Penelope" before they can play a blues or ballad worth hearing. And by the way, Footprints is a great song that has been butchered for years. Put on the version on Adam's Apple to remind yourself what a great composition it is and what can be don with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregK Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I've never tired of Footprints. Great tune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Great tune, but I agree it's become a cliche. Too much of a good thing, etc... I still get the hardon for "Elegant People". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Masqualero!! Yes! And Deluge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 don't care for w.m., started out artistic, ended up commercial. w.m's type of hard bop jazz tries to get people who are on the fence to like jazz. either you like this shit or you dont................. Was this meant for the Wynton thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I have no problem with "Footprints," but maybe I've heard it less often than some folks. Or I'm just naive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 don't care for w.m., started out artistic, ended up commercial. w.m's type of hard bop jazz tries to get people who are on the fence to like jazz. either you like this shit or you dont................. Did you mean "w.s."? The thread is about Wayne Shorter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Last couple of years my mind has been sort of bored or just not interested in Wayne Shorter compositions and in a large part performances. Just a phase. I've come to crave more and more down and dirty earthiness and less and less serpentine abstractness. Will probably change in a year or so and I'll be on a big Wayne kick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I have no problem with "Footprints," but maybe I've heard it less often than some folks. Or I'm just naive. Same here. But I also haven't encountered many versions that didn't feature Wayne. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Strangely, it's taken me until fairly recently to appreciate Wayne's book, especially the earlier part of it. I'm not really going to comment on the Weather Report era or after, since that's not really music I've spent much time with. But I can say his work in the '60s outside of Miles has been knocking me out more and more, as has a good chunk of the Miles material. I always thought it was "nice," but he's been eclipsing that adjective recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 Last couple of years my mind has been sort of bored or just not interested in Wayne Shorter compositions and in a large part performances. Just a phase. I've come to crave more and more down and dirty earthiness and less and less serpentine abstractness. Will probably change in a year or so and I'll be on a big Wayne kick. I know what you mean! Often, when I cool off on someone, later on I get back into them in a bigger way than ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowhillway Posted December 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 They're playing "Penelope" before they can play a blues or ballad worth hearing. Would you prefer that they start with "El Gaucho" instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 They're playing "Penelope" before they can play a blues or ballad worth hearing. So what? Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 Last couple of years my mind has been sort of bored or just not interested in Wayne Shorter compositions and in a large part performances. Just a phase. I've come to crave more and more down and dirty earthiness and less and less serpentine abstractness. Will probably change in a year or so and I'll be on a big Wayne kick. Same here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elissa Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Once I met Wayne, at the Montreal fest a few years back. I mentioned that each of his compositions was like a different room in the Wayne mansion in my mind & Danilo Perez, who's a friend, told me that he and Wayne stayed up late talking about that, eating ribs. Did I mention? I love Wayne's compositions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowhillway Posted January 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Once I met Wayne, at the Montreal fest a few years back. I mentioned that each of his compositions was like a different room in the Wayne mansion in my mind & Danilo Perez, who's a friend, told me that he and Wayne stayed up late talking about that, eating ribs. That's not surprising. He probably loved the metaphor. It's like something he would say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Weiss Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 (edited) I'm a big fan of Wayne and his influence on my composing has been tremendous. I know Atlantis, Phantom Navigator, Joy Ryder and High Life inside out. I'm as big a cheerleader of post-WeatherReport Wayne as anyone, but that's no reason to knock any of his older tunes, Footprints included. It's a beautiful tune and will always be one. And if it's become enormously popular, that's something to celebrate and not bemoan. For a great version of Footprints: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXczdXC1HZM Dig the introduction! If any of you are tired of this tune, it's YOUR fault. Wayne is writing new music all the time, and if on occasion he reaches into his older repertoire, the piece is always reinvented. Check out "Children of the Night" on High Life or "Orbits" from Alegria. Don't blame the (Jazz) Messenger. Edited January 7, 2007 by Michael Weiss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowhillway Posted January 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2007 I'm as big a cheerleader of post-WeatherReport Wayne as anyone, but that's no reason to knock any of his older tunes, Footprints included. It's a beautiful tune and will always be one. (...) If any of you are tired of this tune, it's YOUR fault. Hey Michael, Don't mind me and my trolling. I'll listen to Wayne play anything he damn well pleases all day long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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