DVD of the Month - "Wayne Shorter: Live at Montreux"

DVD of the Month
Wayne Shorter: "Live at Montreux" (Eagle Vision/ST2) 2009

Sax titan Wayne Shorter is one of the most significant jazz performers & composers of the contemporary jazz scene. He performed as part of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and then Miles Davis' band in the 60s, before co-founding Weather Report with Joe Zawinul in 1971.
The "main concert" on this DVD dates from 1996, featuring the Wayne Shorter Quintet on the promo tour of the Grammy Award winning album "High Life." It's a great set of highly inventive fusion played by a cohesive band consisting of keyboard genius Jim Beard (now having to pay his bills backing Madeleine Peyroux), my dear friend Alphonso Johnson on bass (also recruited for another thrilling Shorter DVD filmed at Montreux, "Carlos Santana & Wayne Shorter Live at the 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival"), Rodney Holmes (drums) & David Gilmore (electric guitar). The setlist included five extended tunes such as "Children of the Night" and "Endangered Species."

However, the cream of the crop of this DVD are the two "extra" sections, including two tracks each. The 1991 concert with Herbie Hancock (piano & keyboards), plus bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Omar Hakim, is represented by furious and invigorating readings of "Footprints" and "On the Milky Way Express," which would also become the opening tune of the 1996 concert.
Then, in 1992, Wayne appears as a member of the Miles Davis Tribute Band alongside Hancock on acoustic piano, Ron Carter (acoustic bass), the late Tony Williams and Wallace Roney (trumpet), performing "Pinocchio" and "Pee Wee/The Theme". Beyond words and ESSENTIAL! One of the best DVD releases of the year!