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Jack Massarik's rating
Coming up Shorter
By
Jack Massarik
28 Apr 2008
Nobody expects significant pointers to the future of jazz from Wayne Shorter at 74, but the US sax icon still draws a crowd. Fans who have been collecting his albums ever since his Blue Note days blamed the oddly minimalist tone of this concert on its opening trio, Curios.
Composer of its hypersensitive, pure-white and almost non-rhythmic material is pianist Tom Cawley, who might be considering a new career in English neo-classical music.
Trust Serious Promotions to choose these frothy confections over such heavyweight black London-based jazz pianists as Bheki Mseleku, Benet McLean, Robert Mitchell and Trevor Watkis.
Finally emerging to a relieved and respectful ovation, the now stooped and stouter figure of Shorter propped himself inside the curve of Danilo Perez’s grand piano, took the mouthpiece caps off his tenor and soprano saxes and waited for suitable ideas to occur.
This looked like easy money, even for an elder statesman. Some spoke of laurels and the resting thereon, yet it takes nerve (plus superfast reflexes) to work with no set-list or arrangements.
Results are uncertain. Last year’s concert was a triumph, the previous year’s a disappointment. This one was somewhere in between, thanks to the solid tone-centres of bassist John Patitucci, the latinate fizz of Perez and the delightful humour of drummer Brian Blade.
The fragments of melody Shorter did produce sent his supporters home happy.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (4)
i hate to say it but its true. i was there and the cawley group was stiff and embarrassingly soul-less.its not a racial comment at all . . . there are lots of stunning white talented jazz musicians in the UK other than cawley. . . anyway wayne shorter was incredible- what a gig!
- Karl Harris, london, england, 06/11/2008 16:50
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On the money. Tom Cawley group was rubbish and Wayne was seriously under par. Looked very stunted and short of ideas. I can assure you that we're in the minority on this, but I think the crowd (and the Times and Guardian reviewers!) had their ears closed.
- Jonathan Lifschutz, United Kingdom, 06/11/2008 15:50
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Jack Massarick, I have never heard so much nonsense come out of one person's mouth. Your comments are pretty much racist. All black London musicians are automatically good, and the white ones not? Oh, and by the way Benet Mclean is white! And are you seriously suggesting that Wayne's set was influenced by the opening act? Come on, you think that Wayne doesn't have a lifetime of experience, and that he would let an opening act affect his set!? Get real. It's a shame people like you are allowed to review jazz at all.
- Annonymous, London, UK, 06/11/2008 15:50
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London currently has an explosion of jazz piano talen worth hearing. Sometimes it's home grown. Sometimes we are just lucky as Londoners that it comes to us from all corners of the world.
That is the incontestable point I believe. Jack is trying to make in his clumsy, dismissive remarks about Tom Cawley.
And don't blame the word count. The point as Jack expresses it just doesn't stack up: his insensitive attempt at racial stereotyping in this review is ridiculous, not to say odious in its disrespect for any number of fine musicians.
- Sebastian Scotney, London, 06/11/2008 15:50
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