Wayne Shorter discography question # 1

[bertrand]

I am working on a Wayne Shorter discography, and I know that my all-knowledgeable friends on this board can help me sort through the knottier issues.

Here's the first one that came up, and it's a doozy. I have it from a very good source that Wayne's first known session would not be Kelly Great (8/59) on Vee Jay, but a 1956(!) date with pianist John Eaton on Columbia that was never issued.

Now at first, I was very intrigued, first by the prospect that one day I might get to hear what Wayne sounded like when we was in college, and second by the fact that Eaton is not the kind of person I would imagine Wayne playing with. He lives in the D.C. area, so I know a little about him - he's much more of a traditionalist.

Here's a site with some info:

http://www.eatonpiano.com/

But a google search also turns up another John Eaton:

http://composers21.com/compdocs/eatonj.htm

notice that he was active as a jazz pianist from 1953 to 1971, but also that he studied with Milton Babbitt and Roger Sessions. It is intriguing to think that Wayne may have recorded with this guy.

So, which John Eaton is it? My source says that although the Wayne session is unissued, Eaton has other LPs on Columbia that did come out. Does anyone have any discographical info on these? The choice of material might help steer me one way or the other.

Note that both web sites give phone numbers for these gentlemen, but I'd rather know beforehand which it is more likely to be, so as not to make an idiot of myself if I do call.

Thanks in advance,

Bertrand.

Edited February 21, 2004 by bertrand

[rockefeller center]

Did you get in contact with J. Cotrell? If you haven't, you can find his email address here.

[bertrand]

Thanks, RC, the link doesn't work right now, I'll try again later.

John and I used to chat all the time as fellow Shorter nuts, but after we had our son I got too busy and we sort of lost touch. I planned to get in touch with him at a later stage, but not in the early phase of this project for reasons too complicated to get into here.

Bertrand.

[workman]

Hi, curious what became of the discography, and specifically di you find info on this session?  If not I have some . Thx

[bertrand]

I wound up doing the Appendix to his biography instead.

John Cottrell passed away in early 2013.

Any info you have on this session would be welcome!

Bertrand.