Wayne Shorter - Super Nova (1969)

This CD reissue brings back an important transitional album for tenor-saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Doubling on soprano (which he had recently begun playing), Shorter interprets five of his originals (including "Water Babies" which had been recorded previously by Miles Davis) and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi." He definitely used a forward-looking group of sidemen for his "backup band" includes guitarists John McLaughlin and Sonny Sharrock, Walter Booker (normally a bassist) on classical guitar for "Dindi," bassist Miroslav Vitous, both Jack DeJohnette and Chick Corea (!) on drums and percussionist Airto; Maria Booker takes a vocal on the touching version of "Dindi." The influence of Miles Davis' early fusion period is felt throughout the music but there is nothing derivative about the often-surprising results. As with Wayne Shorter's best albums, this set rewards repeated listenings.

by Sctott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop
Fusion

Tracks:
01 - Supernova (04:45)
02 - Sweet Pea (04:35)
03 - Dindi (09:45)
04 - Water Babies (04:50)
05 - Capricorn (07:45)
06 - More Than Human (06:10)

Line-up:
Wayne Shorter — soprano saxophone
John McLaughlin — acoustic and electric guitar (1, 2, 4 & 5)
Sonny Sharrock — electric guitar
Miroslav Vitous — bass
Jack DeJohnette — drums, thumb piano
Chick Corea — drums, vibes
Airto Moreira — percussion
Walter Booker — acoustic guitar (3)
Maria Booker — vocals (3)

Anthony Braxton - Impressions (Woodstock Jazz Festival, 1981)

Line-up:
Anthony Braxton - alto saxophone
Chick Corea - pinano
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Miroslav Vitous - bass

Weather Report - Sweetnighter (1973)

Right from the start, a vastly different Weather Report emerges here, one that reflects co-leader Joe Zawinul's developing obsession with the groove. It is the groove that rules this mesmerizing album, leading off with the irresistible 3/4 marathon deceptively tagged as the "Boogie Woogie Waltz" and proceeding through a variety of Latin-grounded hip-shakers. It is a record of discovery for Zawinul, who augments his Rhodes electric piano with a funky wah-wah pedal, unveils the ARP synthesizer as a melodic instrument and sound-effects device, and often coasts along on one chord. The once fiery Wayne Shorter has been tamed, for he now contributes mostly sustained ethereal tunes on soprano sax, his tone sometimes doubled for a pleasing octave effect. The wane of freewheeling ensemble interplay is more than offset by the big increase in rhythmic push; bassist Miroslav Vitous, drummer Eric Gravatt, and percussionist Dom Um Romao are now cogs in one of jazz's great swinging machines.

by Richard S. Ginell at All Music Guide.

Styles:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 Boogie Woogie Waltz
02 Manolete
03 Adios
04 125th Street Congress
05 Will
06 Non-Stop Home

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - acoustic and electric piano / synthesizer
Wayne Shorter - soprano and tenor saxophone
Miroslav Vitous - acoustic and electric bass
Eric Gravátt - drums (tracks 2, 4 and 6)
Dom Um Romão - percussion

With:
Muruga Booker - percussion
Andrew White - electric bass (tracks 1, 4 and 6), English horn (tracks 3 and 5)
Herschel Dwellingham - drums (tracks 1, 2, 3 and 6)

Weather Report - I Sing The Body Electric (1972)

Like the weather itself, this band would assume a new shape with virtually every release -- and this album, half recorded in the studio and half live in Tokyo, set the pattern of change. Exit Airto Moreira and Alphonse Mouzon; enter percussionist Dom Um Romao, drummer Eric Gravatt, and a slew of cameo guests like guitarist Ralph Towner, flutist Hubert Laws, and others. The studio tracks are more biting, more ethnically diverse in influence, and more laden with electronic effects and grandiose structural complexities than before. The live material (heard in full on the import Live in Tokyo) is even fiercer and showcases for the first time some of the tremendous drive WR was capable of, though it doesn't give you much of an idea of its stream of consciousness nature.

by Richard S. Ginell at All Music Guide.

Styles:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 Unknown Soldier
02 The Moors
03 Crystal
04 Second Sunday in August
05 Medley: T.H./Dr. Honoris Causa
06 Surucucú
07 Directions

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - acoustic and electric keyboard
Wayne Shorter - reeds
Miroslav Vitous - bass
Eric Gravátt - drums
Dom Um Romão - percussion

Guests:
Andrew White - english horn
Hubert Laws, Jr. - flute
Wilmer Wise - d and piccolo trumpet
Yolanda Bavan - singer
Joshie Armstrong - singer
Chapman Roberts - singer
Ralph Towner - 12 strings guitar

Weather Report - Weather Report (1971)

Here we have the free-floating, abstract beginnings of Weather Report, which would define the state of the electronic jazz/rock art from its first note almost to its last. Their first album is a direct extension of the Miles Davis In a Silent Way/Bitches Brew period, more fluid in sound and more volatile in interplay. Joe Zawinul ruminates in a delicate, liquid manner on Rhodes electric piano; at this early stage, he used a ring modulator to create weird synthesizer-like effects. Wayne Shorter's soprano sax shines like a beacon amidst the swirling ensemble work of co-founding bassist Miroslav Vitous, percussionist Airto Moreira, and drummer Alphonse Mouzon. Zawinul's most memorable theme is "Orange Lady" (previously recorded, though uncredited, by Davis on Big Fun), while Shorter scores on "Tears" and "Eurydice." One of the most impressive debuts of all time by a jazz group.

by Richard S. Ginell at All Music Guide.

Styles:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 Milky Way
02 Umbrellas
03 Seventh Arrow
04 Orange Lady
05 Morning Lake
06 Waterfall
07 Tears
08 Eurydice

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - electric piano / keyboards
Wayne Shorter - soprano saxophone
Miroslav Vitous - bass / electric bass
Alphonse Mouzon - drums
Airto Moreira - percussion