After joining Mr. Shorter, Mr. Shorter contributed new compositions to every studio album made by the Miles Davis Quartet, starting with the title track “ESP” in 1965. During an engagement at Plugged Nickel in Chicago later that year, his tenor solos were the wonders of invention, turning even a songbook standard like “On Blue Dolphin Street” into a portal to a dark conspiracy.
But on the scale of the conspiracy, can’t be on top “Neferti,” title track from Davis’s quintet album released in 1968. A 16-bar composition with a smooth melody and sharp indeterminate harmonics, it had such an overall effect that Davis decided to record it. it didn’t have a solo, just the melody that was played over and over again. In Michelle Mercer’s 2004 book “Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter,” Mr. Shorter describes “Nefertiti” as “my most exhilarating writing experience all in one piece,” like someone reliving the state of mind. hypnosis.
Most of the products stored by Mr. Shorter on Blue Note was opened when he worked with Davis, often with some of the same musical partners. He has documented several aspects of his life on these albums: “Speak No Evil,” recorded in 1964, features an image of his wife, Teruko Nakagami, better known as Irene. , on the cover and features a song (“Baby Eyes”) dedicated to their daughter, Miyako. The marriage ended in divorce in 1966; “Miyako” will be the name of another song next year.
Mysterious Traveler
Unlike the other members of Miles Davis Quintet, Mr. Shorter stayed on thanks to Davis’ push for rock and funk music—on his 1969 brief album “In A Silent Way,” which featured Austrian keyboardist and composer Josef Zawinul, and on the opener. The epochal expansion of “Beer Bitch.”
With Mr. Zawinul and Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous, Mr. Shorter later founded Weather Report, releasing their debut album, simply called “Weather Report,” in 1971. For the next 15 years, the band was personnel changed several times, with Mr. Zawinul and Mr. Shorter being the only constants. The weather report also changed the style, removing the auditorium abstraction and moving towards danceable rhythms. Its most commercially successful version, featuring electric bass phenomenon Jaco Pastorius, became an arena attraction and one of its albums, “Heavy Weather,” was certified gold (and then platinum).
