Wayne Shorter

Wayne Shorter is an American jazz composer and saxophonist, commonly regarded as an American jazz master. He played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the late 1950s, Miles Davis quintet in the 1960s and the jazz-rock fusion band Weather Report, which Shorter co-led in the 1970s. In 1964, Wayne joined the Miles Davis Quintet playing saxaphone with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Shorter composed for the Davis group. Herbie Hancock described Wayne as "The master writer... Wayne was one of the few people who brought music to Miles that didn't get changed.

Shorter's compositions have become jazz standards. Shorter recorded several albums for Blue Note Records; the first was Night Dreamer recorded in 1964 with Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman and Elvin Jones. JuJu and Speak No Evil (1965) are two more well known recordings from this era. Shorter's compositions on these albums are notable for their use of: pentatonic melodies with complex harmonies; long rests are an integral part of the music.

Notes from arranger, Stephen Gislason: I chose Speak no Evil to arrange and record, starting with a big band score that included 5 saxophone and 8 brass parts. My arranging strategy is to simplify and open the mix. I reduced 17 tracks to 7 and reassigned parts to different instruments. My apologies to Wayne. The sax parts disappeared since they are the most difficult to reproduce with synthesizers. My flugelhorn replaced the sax solos. A bass, two pianos, a vibraphone, and a somewhat tamed drummer completed the band. Shorter's music leaves nothing to be desired - it is melodic, complex, and challenging to the performers.

Trinity P2500 Band Plays Wayne Shorter at ReverbNation
Arrangements by Stephen Gislason

Footprints - Trinity P2500 Band
Speak No Evil - Trinity P2500 Band
Children of the Night - Trinity P2500 Band
Palladium - Trinity P2500 Band

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Herbie Hancock
Joe Zawinul
Fusion Jazz

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Many of the topics presented online are from the Sound of Music by Stephen Gislason.
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Persona Digital Studio is located on the Sunshine Coast, Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada. www.personadigitalstudio.com email music@personadigitalstudio.com. Our Music catalogue includes recorded performances by the P2500 Band, Em4U, and the Persona Classical Consort. Music downloads are available from iTunes, Napster, AmazonMP3 and from our companion website: Persona Digital. We have enjoyed association with Reverb Nation who provides an online service for musicians to present and market their music.

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Recordings from Persona Digital Studio Pieces by Bands and Musicians we have arranged, performed and recorded

Wayne Shorter

Recordings from
Persona Digital Studio
Pieces by Bands and Musicians
we have arranged, performed
and recorded