Wayne Shorter - Etcetera (1980) {2019 Tone Poet} [Vinyl Rip 24/96]

×

Wayne Shorter - Etcetera (1980) {2019 Tone Poet} [Vinyl Rip 24/96]

Close

It took Blue Note 15 years to release this 1965 session from Wayne Shorter, his fifth album for the label. The critical consensus of the day agreed the album was well worth waiting for, however. Featuring Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Chambers on drums and Cecil McBee on bass, the album is another showcase for Shorter's songwriting talent with four originals and a cover of the Gil Evans song "Barracudas".

It is hard to imagine why Blue Note might have chosen to shelve the album, as it shows Shorter in a very favorable light with an incredibly responsive rhythm section performing four of his originals and a cover of Gil Evans' "Barracudas." The low-key nature of the album as a whole, especially the title track, might have contributed to Blue Note's lack of attention, but there are definitely gems here, especially the closing track, "Indian Song." At times the rest of the album seems like a warm-up for that amazing tune, where Shorter swirls around in a hypnotizing dance with Herbie Hancock's piano, grounded by the nocturnal bass of Cecil McBee and the airy structure of Joe Chambers' drumming. The short, repetitive themes and passionate, soulful playing echo John Coltrane, but this quartet has its own flavor, and the perfect, intricate web they weave here helps pull the whole session up to a higher level.