Wayne Shorter: Live at Montreux 1996

John Kelman

Senior Editor since 2004

With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.

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Published: February 12, 2009

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An excerpt from the Miles Davis Tribute Band performance of 1992, with Shorter, Hancock, trumpeter Wallace Roney, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, presents an acoustic side to Shorter that's in sharp contrast to the electrified 1991 and 1996 performances. Swinging hard through Shorter's "Pinocchio" and the Tony Williams' balladic "Pee Wee," before closing with Davis' familiar "The Theme," it's a 20-minute post-bop powerhouse performance that's notable for Williams' work, which is a reminder of his influence on Hakim during the latter's solo on "Footprints" (from 1991), where he closely echoes Williams' trademark cymbal-to-drum flams.

Overall, while the bonus features are terrific and help flesh the DVD out to a respectable 110 minutes, it's the 1996 performance that's the real treat, as it lends greater credibility to the music of High Life by demonstrating that, knotty writing aside, there was always plenty of improvisational space, despite its being kept to a minimum on the CD. Life at Montreux 1996 is a smoking 55 minutes that finds everyone in top form.

Tracks and Personnel

Personnel: 1996: Wayne Shorter: tenor and soprano saxophones; Jim Beard: piano, keyboards; David Gilmore: electric guitars; Alphonso Johnson: electric bass; Rodney Holmes: drums. 1991: Wayne Shorter: tenor and soprano saxophones; Herbie Hancock: piano, keyboards; Stanley Clarke: electric and acoustic basses; Omar Hakim: drums. 1992: Wayne Shorter: tenor and soprano saxophones; Herbie Hancock: piano; Wallace Roney: trumpet; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.

Tracks: 1996: On the Milky Way Express; At the Fair; Over Shadow Hill Way; Children of the Night; Endangered Species. 1991: Introduction by Quincy Jones; Footprints; On the Milky Way Express. 1992: Introduction by Quincy Jones; Pinocchio; Pee Wee/Theme.

Photo Credit
Stills taken from Wayne Shorter, Live at Montreux 1996, courtesy of Eagle Eye Media

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