New Wayne Shorter composition - Emanon

[aith01]

Been a while since I started a new thread myself, but I feel that this album deserves its own rather than just being discussed in the jazz thread.

Yes, I know Emanon is technically a "jazz album" and some might not agree with it being here in the main board, but hear me out: This is a 3-disc set, with the first disc consisting of the Wayne Shorter Quartet playing along with an orchestra in a composition with four movements. The other two discs are the quartet in live performances of some epic-length pieces, some new and some reworkings of older songs.

And to top that off, the album comes housed in a sci-fi graphic novel, about a superhero traveling the multiverse liberating worlds from tyranny (or something like that; I have only skimmed it so far ). At the very least, it's ambitious!

The artwork and package are beautiful, and the music is great, IMO. What's even more incredible to me is that Wayne Shorter just turned 85, and he's still going strong. One reviewer (I think it was on Pitchfork) said that with Emanon you can tell Shorter is looking to both his past and future at the same time. That struck me as a very concise and accurate way of putting it.

Has anyone here heard it?

[SunshipVoyager1976]

Not yet, but I cut my teeth on Shorter as a music student and this is totally in my wheelhouse. It is on the list! Thanks for the heads up.

P.S. The All Seeing Eye is my favorite Shorter album of the past.

[Dedatolo]

Wayne Shorter is my personal God, he transcends music/art/philosophy. As soon as I had the fortune to listen to "I Sing The Body Electric" as very young boy I entered his world and never desired to escape. Even in the shittiest records he was part of or released (he had a couple...), his playing is/was always incredible. What he's able to play and accomplish at 85 is beyond my comprehension.

Received "Emanon" yesterday, need time to absorb.....

[wideopenears]

I've just gotten it, and heard it once, and am blown away...but it will take repeated listenings to fully appreciate.

[MoZo]

Wayne Shorter is one of my jazz gods. This takes some time to absorb, as does most of his newer music. Once doing that, this is just fricking brilliant. Not going to appeal to everyone, because it is jazz, but it is clearly my favourite jazz CD of this year. I think one of the things that makes it really work, is his band. He's been playing with them for a while, so each player is very comfortable within the band setting. Definitely worth checking out. It's been a really good year for jazz releases....... new Wayne Shorter and 'new' John Coltrane.

[jake]

And to top that off, the album comes housed in a sci-fi graphic novel, about a superhero traveling the multiverse liberating worlds from tyranny (or something like that; I have only skimmed it so far ). At the very least, it's ambitious!

The artwork and package are beautiful, and the music is great, IMO. What's even more incredible to me is that Wayne Shorter just turned 85, and he's still going strong.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Wayne, and his older brother the late, great trumpet player Alan Shorter, were both crazy about sci-fi and super-hero comics, and would design their own comics for fun. I wonder who did the artwork for this album?

[jkelman]

To me, what's great about Shorter is that his music of the past 20 years, roughly since the start of this current, amazing quartet, is about as far from "resting on his laurels" as a senior vintage musician could be.

If anything, Shorter continues to push boundaries internal and external, making music that is not always for the faint-of-heart, but which suggests a mind as sharp and incisive as it ever was, and able to realize pretty much anything he wants with his tremendous quartet and, on occasion, additional musicians, as is the case with the new album (wow!) and 2003's Alegria.

When he passes, I don't think there will be any jazz musician who made it into his 9th decade on earth who has been as relentlessly exploratory and adventurous in his later years.

I didn't get to review the new album, but even though AAJ has imposed more stringent rules on star ratings (and rightfully so, myself being as much a culprit as any, and called out on occasion here, so just so folks know: I'm getting far more judicious with handing out anything beyond 4 stars. that said I still hate using stars, period, but am trying to be a team player!), I would suggest that Emanon ranks at least a 4 1/2, if not a 5. Shorter has many albums in his discography that I think are five-star masterpieces - JuJu, Super Nova, Native Dancer and Beyond the Sound Barrier - but that he can still deliver a flat-out classic in his mid-80s is, to me, astounding.

[Dedatolo]

When he passes, I don't think there will be any jazz musician who made it into his 9th decade on earth who has been as relentlessly exploratory and adventurous in his later years.

So true.

[Mascodagama]

When he passes, I don't think there will be any jazz musician who made it into his 9th decade on earth who has been as relentlessly exploratory and adventurous in his later years.

The only other names that occur to me for consideration here are Cecil Taylor and Sam Rivers, both sadly lost to us now.

[jkelman]

The only other names that occur to me for consideration here are Cecil Taylor and Sam Rivers, both sadly lost to us now.

True and I loved em both....but I'm thinking all-around. As a composer (in particular), player and bandleader. As much as I loved Rivers and Taylor, I don't think they had the compositional chops Shorter has, though as improvisers they're absolutely at the top of the heap...

[jake]

The only other names that occur to me for consideration here are Cecil Taylor and Sam Rivers, both sadly lost to us now.

I think Lee Konitz is still going for it from what I have heard in recent years - he's 90 now - be 91 in a couple of weeks. Last album I heard was Frescalalto from 2015 when he was but a lad of 87.