In 2017,
Wayne Shorter
was artist-in-residence at the Detroit Jazz Festival. He was scheduled to perform three times during the weekend: Once with his longstanding quartet -- pianist
Danilo Perez
, drummer
Brian Blade
, and bassist
John Patitucci
-- the second was the quartet performance documented here. The third set was to be a live performance of
Emanon
, the score for his graphic novel with an orchestra; it was cancelled due to inclement weather. This group comprised bassist/vocalist
Esperanza Spalding
Teri Lyne Carrington
, and pianist
Leo Genovese
(he replaced Detroit pianist
Geri Allen
, who died in June). The group met that day to rehearse a few themes, but no more.
Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival
showcases a band carrying on an eventful, musically advanced conversation.
Opener "Someplace Called 'Where'" was composed by
Shorter
.
Spalding
, and
Genovese
Carrington
's ride cymbal introduces it haltingly.
's tenor enters at 1:30 and the band begins framing his questioning notes.
starts singing at two minutes. Her long, open notes in the lyric flower within the quartet's accompaniment. and emerge, slowly yet fully formed as a clarion call to explore. Solos by
and
are reaching and resonant.
's dancing rhythms anchor, push, and underscore their unconventional harmonic invention. More than 21 minutes long, "Endangered Species," was co-composed by
(they later collaborated on the staged opera Iphigenia). It emerges subtly: Soprano sax punctuates the chordal statements by
and the percussive vamping of
with
's stretched beats melding post-bop and funky breaks. At five minutes, soprano sax and piano deliver a forceful call-and-response modal interaction. The music strips to a hush halfway through as
's voice offers solace and assurance with crystalline accuracy while elastically shifting pitches. A glorious reading of
Milton Nascimento
's "Encontros e Despedidas" follows (
cut 1975's
Native Dancer
in collaboration with him).
is exceptional with the Portuguese lyric, allowing her voice freedom amid
's shifting polyrhythms as
's tenor offers an alternate lyricism framed by
's cascading arpeggios and lush chords.
Allen
's "Drummer's Song" commences with Afro-Latin drumming and
's syncopated chord voicings.
's bass enters halfway into a circular vamp that the pianist transforms into mutant salsa as
's soprano punctuates with sweeping, jagged lines in an intoxicating, swirling dance. The saxophonist's "Midnight in Carlotta's Hair" is the set closer. The empathic union of singer and soprano horn reaches deep into
's complex, canny lyricism.
add depth, color, dimension, and constant fluid motion. The band gels as
solos before the quartet reunites in a gradual fade. This group's individual and collective abilities reflect a more seasoned quartet.
is a compelling exercise in kinetic, deeply emotional music making (mostly) in the moment . Given
's retirement from performing (he is 89 with health issues) this amounts to a gift as well as a historical document. [The LP configuration contains a bonus track containing conversation among the quartet members.] ~ Thom Jurek