Footprints Live
The only thing more astonishing than the originality and complexity of tenor saxophonist-composer Wayne Shorter's music is that this CD is his first live recording as a leader. Captured in Europe in the summer of 2001, Shorter's compositions are reinvented byDanilo Perez's sterling pianisms,John Patitucci's rock-steady bass lines, and drummerBrian Blade's stunning synthesis of Elvin Jones and Tony Williams' styles. "Masquelero," "Sanctuary," and the hypnotic "Footprints" are resurrected from his stint inMiles Davis's '60s combos. "Go," the African-derived "Juju," and Shorter's ingenious arrangement of Jean Sibelius's "Valse Triste" come from his Blue Note LPs of the same era. The moody melodicisms of "Atlantis" and the Afro-Eurasian evocations of "Aung San Suu Kyi," named for the Burmese political activist, are from Shorter recordings from 1985 and 1997. Simply put, Wayne Shorter is a jazz god, and these are his sacred sonic scriptures.Eugene Holley Jr.