Wayne Shorter - Without A Net
Let's go on an adventure through time and space!
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You might not believe me, but I am holding this CD in my hands right now! A good ol’ jewel case, only a few cracks. The CD is still in fantastic condition. I bought this when I was in uni, it would’ve been an Amazon order, mixed in with a few other jazz musicians I really admire. Without A Net has lasted the test of time for me - it is hands down one of my favourite Wayne Shorter albums. Every moment is mesmerising.
One joy of having the physical CD is being able to look at the liner notes. Sadly, there isn’t a huge amount to read here. Though there is one of my favourite “thank yous” that I have seen. Right at the very end, after what is no doubt some very heartfelt gratitude is a thanks to “Aliens throughout the Universe”. From everything I have read and heard about Wayne, I have zero doubt that he is as grateful to them as all the other folks he has mentioned here!
Without A Net is a mix of different live performances, majority being from a European tour at the end of 2011 and a performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2010. Wayne Shorter would have been in his late 70’s for this, but still sounds like he (and the entire band) are searching for new, creative ways to play together, ways to reinvent the music night after night. There is not a chance a single moment of this tour would’ve been boring, and you can hear that in this record. The album opens with “Orbits”, a composition of Wayne’s which was originally on the Miles Davis album Miles Smiles, released in 1967. If nothing else, this is a perfect example of how the quartet on Without a Net go about reiventing the music. 43 years after the song was first released, here it is again (after no doubt being played 1000’s of times in between), sounding fresh and full of energy. Without any research, I’m sure you would think this is a new piece, written for the tour.
For me, the emotion that is present throughout the entire album is joy. Pure, unadulterated joy. There is no way that Danilo Perez (piano), John Patitucci (bass) and Brian Blade (drums) are not having the times of their lives. With Wayne Shorter leading them all through these joyous occasions. He is certainly a mentor for the three of them and, I am speculating here, but it sounds like they are great friends too - deep admirers of each other's work.
I think it would’ve been hard to not sit on the edge of your seat at these concerts - I’m doing it now! Wayne Shorter never stopped exploring when he played music, discovering new places it could take him his entire life, and in turn where he could take all of us. He is constantly searching, looking for new meaning behind everything, seeing each note as fresh and exciting.
Pegasus is a 23 minute extravaganza in the middle of the album. The quartet expands to include an extra 5 people - the Imani Winds. I don’t know much about them, but it is on my list to find out more! Perhaps more to come on them here one day (is this a good point to say, don’t forget to subscribe to Interesting Record Club??). It opens with some beautiful musing from Danilo and John, before moving into a long form composition by Wayne Pegasus is more of a piece of chamber music than anything. It weaves through winding melodies and interesting left turns exploring the amazing sounds that can be made by 6 wind players. If nothing else, I would strongly recommend taking the time to check this out in one sitting.
Joy has been mentioned here a bit, but it’s just such a strong feeling I have when I listen to Without A Net. It is joyous, high energy music that to me is as close as I will get to any sort of spirituality. Thanks to those aliens indeed, for being part of the rich tapestry that was Wayne Shorter.