EMANON

Yeah, it’s a huge indulgence for 3 CDs but as a project it obviously means a lot to WS, incorporating as it does an orchestral opportunity as well as a comic strip visual one. The latter certainly contributes enormously to the cost of the finished product but it’s clearly a labour of love - and we have to respect the seminal influence comics had on Shorter as a child and teenager; and by extension his life as a musician as well. That said, his playing here is as good as I’ve ever heard - both with the orchestra and with the Footprints band (recorded live at the Barbican, London; year unspecified). And this for me is what carries the day and probably always will. Another chapter in an already priceless legacy. Thank you Wayne!

Great vinyl art

When Wayne Shorter passed in March this year (2023) I was genuinely shocked at the lack of Obits in UK newspapers. Actors in daytime soaps get more gracious coverage. The papers that DID notice essayed the usual suspects: "Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers" (check), "Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet" (check), co-founded "Weather Report" (check), 12 Grammy Awards (check), casually observing six decades of MILE STONES like the ink-faded items on last week's shopping list. Damn. What did the man HAVE to do? Should we just box-it-all-up and forget? His ideas are embroidered into the very language of Jazz. Alive; a living nexus to some of the greatest players, albums, compositions in the medium. From March onwards; a footnote? HELL no. But this is an age that reveres Auto-Tune and Kindergarten pop. Some of its 'stars' are still wearing amniotic fluid. Will they be here next week? Tomorrow? Will they change the course of contemporary music? Anyway, rant over. Wayne was also a comic book fan (and he could draw). This three CD album/graphic novel is a way of delivering an uplifting narrative beyond the stave. "EMANON" is set within a sci-fantasy genre that allows Randy DuBurke's gorgeous art to thrive. I suspect the concept (Monica Sly and Mr Shorter) would flow better with a higher page count. Some of the dialogue seems edited-down to fit the space available. Continuity is strained by the juxtaposition of too many locations, though the central idea is coherent and laudable. Musically, we're on far firmer ground. Right from the get-go, we're thrown straight into dissonance. A jarring piano chord slams down followed by a solo sax line that curls awkwardly into shape, slithering over and around that dying chord, dragging us into a ponderous skirl that becomes "Pegasus". Each following track seems to wrangle for its eventual theme, non-too-eager for a moment of lyricism then, as if dissatisfied, moves on once more. When the dominant motifs arrive they're beautiful and haunting. At once; old and new and timeless. Further on, as we reach the 34-piece Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the production soars. Instruments agree. Symmetries align. Harmony rules. Material drawing on a life time of musical influences is formidable - I'm not sure if we need the art. And I'm not sure if I like the live versions of the tracks any better, I can't decide. "EMANON" as a whole? It's overambitious BUT it's transcendent. Too expensive BUT its worth-every-penny. I've listened to it straight, three times. It grows exponentially. I hope Blue Note creates a CD only version, with a far lower price point. It wont be gather dust. The opinions of an 'old white guy'.

Some will no-doubt say 'late masterpiece'. Others: 'a good effort, but rather rambling and lacking in structure'. Or maybe even 'Jerome Kern or Bernstein did this sort of thing much better'. To try before you buy and part with silly money - have a listen on a (well-known) streaming site.

I will be waiting for the simple CD version with no book and no special packaging and then I will buy it. By the way I do not get any compressed music files, I just like old style CDs and I buy a lot of them. Therefore come on Blue Note please, issue this music in the standard CD format, thank you.

The quality of this vinyl boxset is so horrible that my local jazz record shop in Copenhagen Jazz Cup refused to sell it to me.

£60 for CDs, surely they could have given us something with a more down to Earth price.

No U.K. reviews for jazz great’s latest? Coz it’s too expensive!

Lo primero que habria que describir es su contenido. Un comic boock ilustrado por Randy du Burke, magnificamente editado, con papel muy grueso de aproximadamente 80 paginas, que son la inspiracion de Shorter. Luego 3 CD, el primero con The Wayne Shorter Quartet wuth Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. El segundo y el tercero The Wayne Sorter Quartet live in London. El cuarteto es el usual en los ultimos años, Danilo Perez, Patitucci, Brian Blade. Es dificil la valoracion total, sin duda lo mas interesante son las grabaciones en vivo. Realmente extraordinarias. Menos interesante es la grabacion del concierto con la orquesta de camara, que poco o nada aporta a la brillante carrera de Shorter. Funciona como la bada sonora del comic pero que se basa en formulas musicales ya caducas. Lo que en vivo es impecable aqui se pierde en unos arreglos de otros tiempos. Del comic en si poco puedo decir . Brillante pero a mi personalmente no me interesa aunque admito son necesarios para entender la obra en conjunto. La presentacion , en forma de libro es magnifica, una edicion impecable, pero que aumenta los costes del producto. Para el amante de Shorter solo los CD en vivo merecen la pena, para el resto es dudoso por el precio. Buena musica, presentacion impecable y una obra orquestal fuera del tiempo en el que el jazz esta en este momento.

Venditore affidabile,cofanetto arrivato puntuale e in perfetto stato. Soddisfatta. Consigliato.

EXCELLENT !!!

Wayne Shorter has been making recorded music on the planet since the late 50's. With "Emanon" his vision is as crystal clear as ever. From the meticulously crafted graphic novel to the album design, this album is a cut above. The music itself defies description and speaks for itself. Suffice to say, I own a lot of Wayne albums and this is the most fascinating compositionally I've heard bar none. Improvisation is a personal art and Wayne Shorter sounds like himself with some of the most sensitive interplay on record with Danilo Perez in exceptionally fine form along with John Pattitucci and Brian Blade. An exceptionally great album from the Master with the sound!

The music really straddles classical and what I call mathematical jazz (time signatures change, freedom erupts from hints of chords and time) w/a soupcon of movie or broadway scores. Imagine Gershwin transported from the 30’s to the next century writing a rhapsody based on a graphic novel. I did pick up the hard copy, but I always do with Wayne Shorter. The graphic novel itself is a mixed bag but interesting and helps you think about the music in a different way. What is amazing to me is that this guy is 85 and composing this kind of stuff. This is at the top of the jazz game – he is not phoning the schtuff in. On the surface this music reminds me of Kamasi Washington’s music, but Shorter’s approach is always very intellectual sounding whereas Kamasi’s music has a lush emotional quality. That can fool you into thinking there is no emotion in Shorter’s approach – but you would be wrong – because it bursts out frequently instead of being there in front of you at all times as Kamasi does with his stuff. Oh yeah and the live stuff is revelatory. I like them both a lot – but Wayne is the master; Kamasi the acolyte. Kind of like when John McLaughlin became Carlos Santana’s mentor for awhile – McLaughlin is spirit and intellect; Santana is fire and passion. Both burn up the frets very nicely thank you.