Wayne Shorter's debut for
Verve was his first release as a leader in quite a long time and his most rewarding recording since the prime years of
Weather Report, 15 years before.
Shorter and keyboardist
Rachel Z spent a year working on developing and orchestrating his ideas and the results are these nine originals. Although use was made of
orchestral horns and strings, most of the backing in these often-dense ensembles is by a standard rhythm section (which includes
Marcus Miller on electric bass and bass clarinet) and
Rachel Z's synthesizers. The pieces set moods rather than state singable melodies, are not afraid to utilize
electronic rhythms now and then in an unpredictable fashion, and are both intelligent and largely danceable. However,
Shorter's playing (not only on soprano and tenor but a bit of alto and baritone) is always distinctive and he sounds very much as if he is pushing himself. In fact, his emotional statements and the complexity of the ensembles push this music way above virtually all of the so-called "contemporary
jazz" (which is often merely a synonym for jazzy
pop) into the idiom of creative music. It helps for listeners to have a liking for the sound of
Weather Report (even though this group is not a copy), but even
Shorter's older fans will find his playing here to be quite stimulating. ~ Scott Yanow
![My Favorite Things [Rhino]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0603497842803_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "My Favorite Things [Rhino]")
