New Album “Celebration, Volume 1” by Wayne Shorter Now Available
The album is the first in a series curated shortly before his death in 2023.
Celebration, Volume 1
by Wayne Shorter
Label: Blue Note
Recorded in 2014 at the Stockholm Concert Hall, Sweden
Released: August 23, 2024
When Wayne Shorter passed away in 2023, he left behind a legacy of exploration, curiosity, and a desire to celebrate the boundless possibilities of Jazz. Celebration, Volume 1 captures his quartet’s 2014 performance at the Stockholm Jazz Festival, a concert that exemplifies everything Shorter stood for: daring group improvisation, celestial melodies, and the art of musical conversation. With Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade by his side, Shorter takes on familiar compositions with a fresh sense of purpose, turning each piece into a vehicle for transcendence.
The album is marked by telepathic interplay, particularly in tracks like Orbits and She Moves Through The Fair, where the band’s collective patience and attention to nuance create moments of heart-stopping beauty. Shorter’s soprano saxophone alternates between fragile whispers and piercing cries, his lines bending and twisting in ways only he could. It’s clear this wasn’t just a concert; it was a celebration, perfectly illustrating Shorter’s belief in the power of improvisation to illuminate the human spirit. This is just the beginning of what promises to be a profound archival series.
Personnel
Wayne Shorter • sax
Danilo Perez • piano
John Patitucci • bass
Brian Blade • drums
It is truly a magical performance. I began listening to it last night and was blown away. A higher level of musicianship and artistic creativity.