Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Now more than 80 years old and onto its umpteenth reissue after the latest was a 75th anniversary edition in 2015, Wayne Shorter's Adam's Apple remains as classic as ever. This Classic Vinyl Series issue is all-analogue and mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes then pressed on 180g vinyl. Next to sax from Wayne himself, Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman and Joe Chambers joined the ranks to help cook up these serious grooving and cool-cat tunes. It was originally released in 1966 and still stands out as one of his greatest ever albums.

Review: Celebration, Volume 1 is the inaugural release in a series of archival recordings curated by the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter before his passing in 2023. This exhilarating 2014 live recording captures Shorter's acclaimed quartet, featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade, at the Stockholm Jazz Festival in Sweden. The adventurous set includes favorites such as 'Zero Gravity,' 'Smilin' Through,' 'Orbits,' 'Lotus,' and 'She Moves Through The Fair.' Carolina Shorter, in the album's liner notes, recalls how Wayne immersed himself in unreleased music in late 2022, making detailed notes on each track. His excitement was palpable when he first heard the Stockholm concert, exclaiming, "this is the album!" Initially envisioning the collection as Unidentified Flying Objects due to the innovative notes played, Wayne ultimately decided to name it Celebration to honor life. The album is not just a live recording but a vivid celebration of Shorter's enduring legacy and musical vision.

Review: Wayne Shorter's Juju, featuring McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums, was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in August 1964 and released in July 1965, resonating with profound influences from John Coltrane. The album's allure lies not merely in technical strength but in its emotive depth, transcending analytical descriptions. Shorter's tenor saxophone exudes a brooding intensity, marked by sharp tonality and deliberate, weighty phrasing, punctuated by rapid flourishes into higher registers that convey a sense of restrained urgency. His compositions, characterised by hypnotic, repetitive motifs, unfold a richly textured musical adventure. The interplay between Shorter and Tyner on Juju reveals a unique dynamic, distinct from Shorter's collaborations with Herbie Hancock on other Blue Note recordings. The album shows varying ensemble configurations across Shorter's discography, each contributing to its nuanced musical landscape. This Blue Note Classic Series reissue, mastered from the original tapes, preserves the album's timeless appeal.

Review: Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil, recorded during his tenure with Miles Davis and released on Blue Note, stands as a pinnacle of his solo work. While Shorter's tenure with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and Weather Report alone would secure his place in jazz history, this album underscores his genius as a bandleader and composer. Blending hard bop with avant-garde influences, Speak No Evil features a potent lineup: Shorter on tenor sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums. The album strikes a balance between traditional hard bop and more exploratory sounds. Tracks like the intense, fast-paced title piece 'Speak No Evil' showcase the ensemble's dynamic interplay, while 'Dance Cadaverous' offers a moody, atmospheric contrast with its subtle avant-garde touches. Each composition, penned by Shorter, highlights his exceptional skill as a writer and performer. Speak No Evil is impactful for illustrating Shorter's enduring brilliance in jazz.

Review: Between 1964-1967 the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter created a treasured and deeply influential body of work, among which 1967's Schizophrenia lay. On this meandering but impassioned jazz dedication to an often misunderstood mental state, Shorter arrived at the pinnacle of post-bop and gazed out at the horizons around him, producing one of his most complete and stylistically diverse artistic statements with a sextet of like-minded musical adventurers. James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums; all came together to play some of Shorter's most enduring themes, including the unforgettable groove of 'Tom Thumb', the evocative 'Go', and the ballad 'Miyako'.

Review: Legendary Hammond organ player Lonnie Liston Smith had a very special run at New York's Jazz Standard in New York in 2017 as part of a celebratory 75th birthday series. The Breathe album captures the magic of the residency with an expanded line-up of talents including Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar, drums from Johnathan Blake, Jason Marshall and John Ellis on saxophone, plus Sean Jones on trumpet and Robin Eubanks on trombone. He recorded his All In My Mind album in the same week and so was in fine form across all of these spaced out jazz sounds. The album is bookended by tracks featuring the one and only Iggy Pop as well as a cover of Donovan's 1966 hit 'Sunshine Superman'.