Wayne Shorter: Great Sessions CD

Personnel: Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner (piano); Reggie Workman, Ron Carter (bass instrument); Elvin Jones, Joe Chambers (drums).
Three of Wayne Shorter's most noteworthy albums--and he has made a number of them--are collected in the box set GREAT SESSIONS. On JUJU and SPEAK NO EVIL, both from 1964, and ADAM'S APPLE, from 1966, Shorter and his cohorts pursue the advanced post-bop that the saxophonist helped pioneer while with Miles Davis's second great quintet.
Shorter's playing, which shines on all three recordings, draws on the innovations of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, yet bears his own distinct harmonic sensibility and robust tone. Shorter also demonstrates his skill as a composer, turning in the lion's share of the writing here. Equally impressive is his rapport with the personnel, which includes luminaries like Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, and McCoy Tyner. Most hardcore jazz fans will already own these seminal albums, but GREAT SESSIONS is an excellent one-stop purchase for those who don't yet know the work.
Blue Note's Great Sessions: Wayne Shorter is the latest attempt by Blue Note to bring out its old warhorses again and get people to spring for records they already have. Here are three Rudy Van Gelder editions of Wayne Shorter's undeniably brilliant recordings: Juju, Speak No Evil, and Adam's Apple. There is no arguing that Shorter and his cohorts made jazz history on these recordings. The argument is with Blue Note: the label consistently reissues the same records over and again -- this time throwing them into a very unattractive box -- while leaving true gems that American jazz fans have been clamoring for -- or setting out hard earned-money for expensive Japanese copies. The only way this will make a difference to you is if you don't have any Wayne Shorter in your collection and want to pick up a bunch at one time. The high marks on the review are for the music; the label would get a substantially lower grade for marketing tricks like this. ~ Thom Jurek