Eric Dolphy was Iron Man

Really enjoying this live rendition of Dolphy's "Iron Man" featuring Herbie Hancock. The jaunty, angular nature of the composition plus Hancock's introspective, grounded solo somehow coalesces into a beautiful 11 minutes. We are still waiting for a definitive biography of Dolphy, one of the best jazz artists of the 1960s.

Ceora

"Ceora" is a classic penned by Lee Morgan. Unlike his usually boisterous and fiery self, "Ceora" is a restrained and cool Latin number with an excellent introduction by Herbie Hancock. Morgan's solo is so breezy and soulful that it is difficult not to get lost in its gentle, undulating waves. Hancock's solo is also perfect for the composition. 

Chief Crazy Horse

A personal favorite from one of Wayne Shorter's most consistent Blue Note releases. "Chief Crazy Horse" features Joe Chambers on drums and is obviously inspired by the eponymous Native American leader. Much like Shorter's other compositions with "exotic" overtones, the drumming of Chambers plays with polyrhythms like Elvin Jones on Shorter's "Juju" but Shorter's solo sounds like some approximation of a sun dance. Beautiful. 

Herbie Hancock's Funky Drummer

Harvey Mason's drumming on Herbie Hancock's "Shiftless Shuffle" is a new and improved "Funky Drummer." James Brown's Clyde Stubblefield was the star of Brown's illustrious tune, but Harvey Mason's prowess in "Shiftless Shuffle" is unforgettable. And surely Hancock must have been thinking of the famous Brown tune because the head is so quintessentially James Brown. 

Eric Dolphy Quintet Featuring Herbie Hancock

 

Enjoy some lively jazz from Eric Dolphy, one of my favorite jazz artists. He has such a unique "voice"and is "out there" but not far enough to make him inaccessible.

Softly As In A Morning Sunrise

A lively version of one of my favorite standards, "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise. 

Miyako: Wayne Shorter, Japan, Jazz, and Universal Spirituality

Japan is one of the lands best known for its voracious appetite for American jazz. The above image, depicting Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, whose musical partnership included membership in Miles Davis's Second Quintet, shows the depths to which the Japanese jazz audience follows quite religiously some of jazz's greatest. A probably little known fact, however, is Wayne Shorter's first wife was of Japanese origin. Their daughter, Miyako, would inspire "Infant Eyes" from Speak No Evil as well as a ballad, "Miyako," from Schizophrenia. One can detect the influence of Japanese music, culture, and religious traditions on Wayne Shorter's music and life beyond his first wife (depicted on the cover to Speak No Evil below). For instance, Shorter converted to a Japanese form of Buddhism, and some of his own compositions and jazz tracks he's recorded on featured Japanese titles, allusions, or, more generally, "Eastern" themes. Moreover, he is better able to escape the stereotypical "exoticism" of "Eastern" influences other jazz artists often succumbed to for American jazz audiences who lacked any knowledge of the music of East Asia, largely because his music suggests those influences rather than endeavoring to reproduce it.

Listen to his playing with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from a live show at Birdland in 1963, just after a return to the US from tour in Japan. On Cedar Walton's "Ugetsu" (wrongly translated as fantasy) features a Japanese title for a jazz waltz-like composition. Lacking any overt "Oriental" theme, Walton's piano plays suggestively of a fantasy. Shorter, Curtis Fuller, Blakey's thunderous drumming, and the song's beautiful melody do create a fantasy world that, unfortunately, comes to an end. From the same album, "On the Ginza," by Shorter, refers to a shopping area or district of Tokyo, and reveals not only Shorter's knowledge of Tokyo (the Jazz Messengers performed there), but also a personal interest in Japan. Moving on, the song features a strong, funky head with the aforementioned thunder of Blakey, particularly on the nice drum work. Nothing overtly "Oriental" appears here, too, another positive sign. Shorter's solo is also uniquely Shorter, bursting forth from the hard bop funk to play around the head with Blakey adding elements of his African-influenced percussion and well-placed 'thunder' and 'tremors.' Likewise, Freddie Hubbard's solo keeps things straight ahead, with no 'exotic' flair or touches, but, in line with Blakey's drumming and the funky head, a busy street or area of a city on a hectic day. Cedar Walton's brilliant piano solo ends things nicely, with perfect rhythmic accompaniment throughout from Blakey and Reggie Workman. Simple, funky, catchy, and fun.

As for Shorter's other work with "Japanese" or "Eastern" themes, "Infant Eyes," "Miyako," "Mahjong," and "Oriental Folk Song," obvious "Eastern" and "Japanese" lines do arise, though Miyako, like "Infant Eyes," is inspired by Shorter's biracial daughter, and not "Japanese" sounding at all but a father's love song for his daughter. Pure, lush beauty here. Shorter's "exotic Oriental" pieces are quite moving, with elements of the blues in "Oriental Folk Song," an ancient, Chinese majestic sound in "Mahjong,"and quite simply, mastery of post-bop in "House of Jade." I am sure Shorter has recorded more "Asian-themed" jazz tone poems, as I would consider them to be, but, they primarily escape simplistic jazz 'exoticism' in the works of someone such as Cal Tjader and his pseudo-Latin jazz flourishes. Moreover, like Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, one detects an element spiritual universalism in the music of Shorter, which often takes the form of homage to African and Asian cultures, bossa nova, and the magic in everyday life through mythology, darkness in the night, and fantasy. Thus, Shorter's forays into Japan and East Asian cultural and musical flavors, as well as his other broader interests and ties to African-American and African-derived influences (listen to Juju, or his work on The Freedom Rider with Blakey and Lee Morgan to see how his jazz connected to the Black Freedom Movement) and an aesthetic that, like Coltrane's, often engaged in a force of spirituality (though with stronger composing skills than Coltrane) that was grounded in quasi-ecumenism in regards to appropriating spirituality for an inclusive purposes. I wonder how many Japanese jazz fans of Shorter are aware of his debts to Japan in particular and East Asia more generally?

Lee Morgan's Search For the New Land

"Search For the New Land" begins this brilliant album with a long, suite-like jazz composition of a spiritual tone, divided into different sections for each soloist. It sounds like something Coltrane already did with A Love Supreme but somehow unique, largely because of Grant Green's ethereal guitar. The simple, but powerful bassline keeps the song while Billy Higgins, one of my favorite jazz percussionists, keeps it soulful and, although sounding a lot like Elvin Jones, remains truly Higgins. Wayne Shorter begins the first round of solos, soaring above the sweet melody while Herbie Hancock does what he does best, playing in a modal fashion and sounding very Coltranesque. Morgan's solo is also of note, so different from his usual bluesy funk but retaining his fiery spirit, expertly accompanied by Hancock again. Morgan is all over the place but still in control, showing his prowess with modal and avant garde jazz, indicating his successful search for the new land of progressive, post-bop jazz. By far, the best soloist, however, is Hancock, whose dark, exploratory soloing perfectly captures the spirit of modal jazz and captures the spirit of the song title, sounding a little like Tyner. Grant Green's guitar, while useful for effect, is not as memorable. Throughout the entire contemplative piece that is a testament to Morgan's composing genius, Cranshaw's bass foundation holds it together. It's akin to an archipelago of islands, with each soloist on their own but connected by the rhythm and melody, which again fits well into the searching, maritime themes on other tracks of the album, particularly "Morgan the Pirate."

Unfortunately, the proceeding track, "The Joker," as its name would suggest, is too lighthearted and weakens the listener's experience of the album because its so jarring to switch immediately from a darker, pensive piece to a rather simple, bluesy ditty. But "Mr. Kenyatta," a tribute to Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta, and "Melancholee," an olbligatory pun title Morgan was so proud of ("Morgan the Pirate" is another example on this album) save the remainder of the album. "Mr. Kenyatta," which was adeptly sampled by MF Doom's previous group, KMD, for their "Contact Blitt," fusing Wayne Shorter's solo into a hip-hop context. Like "Search For the New Land," "Mr. Kenyatta," another instance of Morgan's pan-African consciousness and internationalism, is built on a simple head and, like good modal jazz, features strong soloing from Morgan, Shorter, and Hancock. Shorter especially blows everyone away, playing in a style one may associate more with stereotypical Morgan style, while indicating he can still blow, as he did with the Jazz Messengers. He shrieks, screams, honks, flies across the keys of the saxophone and, accompanied by Hancock's playing, suggestive of an emergency, provides the perfect frame for his invigorating playing. Grant Green, per usual, is "nice" to hear, but not essential to the song. His guitar, so clean and smooth, is pleasant, but negligible compared to Morgan, Shorter, and Hancock. Morgan ends the round of solos, playing more alongside his usual style, almost topping his playing on Joe Henderson's "Caribbean Fire Dance" with trumpet wails. As a nod to Kenya's independence and political leader, it also, like the title of the album, alludes to a changing world and new political (and musical) possibilities in 1964.

"Melancholee," an obvious pun, is a beautiful, ballad where Green's guitar is actually appreciated. The melancholic mood is enhanced by his sweet, simple guitar lines, and the horns accentuate the melody perfectly. This must be one of Morgan's best ballads, as well as Hancock's moving solo, suggestive of a sad, contemplative mood, while still sounding like his balladry while with Blakey. "Morgan the Pirate" concludes things on a higher note with the ongoing theme of adventure, the seas, and search for new boundaries. The song should also be seen, perhaps, as a reference to Henry Morgan, the infamous pirate who sacked and raided Spanish colonial cities in the Americas. Though named after a horrendous pirate, this song is meant to better allude to the spirit of adventure and journey, which is obvious from the light, simple, and cute soloing, particularly Morgan's. Moreover, Green's solo is actually not horrendous or unnecessary, either! Shorter, whose solo is perfectly suggestive of piracy on the high seas, the adventurous rush of a chase, is a sweet, way to end the album. Higgins keeps drumming, and adds Latin flourishes at times to his polyryhthmic fest and the album ends quite well, though reminding me for some reason (Higgins' drumming, most likely) of Miles Davis's rendition of "Someday My Prince Will Come"). Definitely one of Morgan's best.