Wayne Shorter Native Dancer CD

NATIVE DANCER was Shorter's first collaboration with Brazilian superstar Milton Nascimento, and helped introduce Nascimento to American audiences.
Personnel: Wayne Shorter (soprano & tenor saxophones); Milton Nascimento (vocals); Herbie Hancock, Airto Moreira, Dave McDaniel, Roberto Silva, Wagner Tiso, Jay Graydon, Dave Amaro.
Recorded at Village Recorders, Los Angeles, California on September 12, 1974. Includes liner notes by Bill Milkowski.
Digitally remastered by Debra Parkinson (CBS Records Studio, New York).
This is part of the Columbia Contemporary Jazz Masters series.
Some jazz purists would say that Wayne Shorter went downhill in the 1970s, when he passionately embraced electric jazz-fusion and co-led the innovative Weather Report with Joe Zawinul. But remember: Those are the same people who also claim that Miles Davis' stunning Bitches Brew has no value and that Chick Corea's visionary Return to Forever was a complete waste -- so it's hard to take their opinions seriously. The fact is that the 1970s were a highly productive time for Shorter, and it wasn't until the 1980s that the tenor and soprano saxophonist really declined creatively. One of Shorter's best-selling albums from the 1970s was Native Dancer, a Brazilian-oriented jazz-fusion masterpiece that boasts Herbie Hancock on acoustic piano and electric keyboards, and employs such Brazilian talent as singer Milton Nascimento (a superstar in Brazil) and percussionist Airto Moreira. Everything on this melodic, consistently lyrical effort is a jewel, and that includes Hancock's "Joanna's Theme" as well as pieces by Nascimento ("From the Lonely Afternoons," "Ponta de Areia," "Tarde," "Lilia," and "Miracle of the Fishes") and by Shorter himself ("Ana Maria," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Diana"). Reissued on CD by Columbia in 1990, Native Dancer is clearly among Shorter's most essential albums. ~ Alex Henderson
This album is a rare gem. A lush Brazilian-jazz hybrid, it was released in the midst of Wayne Shorter's tenure with Weather Report, after an astounding run of inventive post-bop releases for the Blue Note label in the '60s. Five of the nine tracks were written by Milton Nascimento, and NATIVE DANCER's success on its release in 1975 served to introduce this fine Brazilian singer/composer to an American audience.
The aptness of the pairing of these two musicians is readily apparent on a tune such as "Tarde," where Nascimento's vocal phrasing mirrors Shorter's saxophone. The ensemble is equally inspired, with Herbie Hancock as adept at the propulsive funkiness of "Beauty and the Beast" as the luxurious reveries of "Miracle of the Fishes." One of several essential titles by Wayne Shorter, NATIVE DANCER offers constant and layered delights from start to finish.