I stunned myself the other day when I realized that I didn’t have Wayne Shorter’s “Speak no Evil” in my personal music library. I do have his Blue Note Recordings and there are three songs from Speak No Evil in there and Jazz Con Class radio rotation. I have added the ones that were not and now it is complete. This is of course, another top-notch Wayne Shorter recording and featuring four legends as his sidekicks, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Elvin Jones. This 1965 album is actually considered to be Hard Bop as mentioned in all the places I researched it on but it doesn’t sound exactly like this to me. It’s right there on the border line with the Hard Bop swing but itching to cross over to the Avant-Garde side every time you hear Wayne Shorters’ tenor sax sound off. Either way, its a real classic and a must have.
About the album:
The Rudy Van Gelder Edition of SPEAK NO EVIL includes an essay by Bob Blumenthal. This is part of the Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Editions series. SPEAK NO EVIL is a significant recording for two main reasons. Firstly, it is one of the first in a long string of stunning solo sessions by Shorter that showcase both his masterful saxophone abilities and his eclectic compositional style away from the leadership of Art Blakey and Miles Davis. Secondly, it combines members of the three mightiest ensembles of the period; Freddie Hubbard and Shorter worked together in Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter formed three fifths of Miles Davis’ legendary quintet and Elvin Jones was the drumming powerhouse behind John Coltrane’s famous group. Shorter introduces the session with the swinging “Witch Hunt,” a dynamic piece with many unexpected……Read More
