JAZZ PROG
Sid Smith rounds up the best releases from prog’s jazzier reaches.
Wayne Shorter’s first posthumous release, Celebration Volume 1 (Blue Note) captures a remarkable 2014 live performance in Stockholm. Alongside regular collaborators Brian Blade (drums), Danilo Pérez (piano) and John Patitucci (bass), the music is edge-of-the-seat stuff as separate threads rapidly coalesce, causing appreciative gasps and whoops within the group itself as much as the astonished audience. The telepathic rapport of his last quartet means they’re not so much playing as sensing where a given piece might go next. Fluid and meditative, both written and wholly improvised pieces constantly blossom into rich and fertile areas gently shepherded by Shorter’s fertile musicality. Even this late in his starry career, Shorter’s pearlescent tone and restless invention remain especially potent. Should Weather Report be the only point of contact with his work, this double set is a perfect jumpingoff point to dive deeper into Wayne’s world.