Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil (1966)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1999 Rudy Van Gelder Edition with an alternate take bonus track.

How can something be this smooth yet this intense? Only from the mind of Wayne Shorter, I guess. Of course, having an all-star supporting cast can't hurt. If it's not Shorter's best album, it is certainly in the conversation.

The album was recorded in 1964, Shorter's first year as a member of Miles Davis's quintet, and is widely acknowledged as an influential trendsetter. The 2002 book Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings states that "Just about everybody playing jazz born in the 1950s and after accepts it as a foundation." Certainly when I was first getting into more straight-ahead jazz in the mid-80's, many the young lions of the time (Chico Freeman, Kenny Kirkland, Marsalis brothers, etc.) had adopted the style used on this album. Shorter, of course, had already moved on to something more contemporary (see: Atlantis).

Original liner notes by Don Heckman.

Shorter - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - piano
Ron Carter - bass
Elvin Jones - drums
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet

Reviews/ratings:

• Record World: "almost flawless performances on each track"
• CashBox: "Jazzophiles will go for this one."
• Stereo Review: "thoughtful and cohesive"
• DownBeat: ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★★

In 1987, this album was selected by Blue Note as one of the 25 Best Albums on the label.

Update: In 2024, uDiscover Music ranked this album at #3 on its list of The 50 Greatest Blue Note Albums.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: All tracks written by Shorter; it's all good and it all swings. I'm always amazed at how clean all the playing is - every note in the right place. Just listen to the Hubbard and Hancock solos on Witch Hunt or Speak No Evil. Lately, I've been gravitating to the cuts with the slower grooves: Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, Dance Cadaverous, and Infant Eyes (that tone!). The album ends with a wonderful example of a swinging jazz waltz entitled Wild Flower - Elvin Jones's work is sublime on this one.

This RVG edition includes an alternate take of Dance Cadaverous as a bonus track.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None