Chick Corea appears on drums rather than his typical purpose equally a keyboardist.
Recorded simply 8 days after the Bitches Brew session, many of the same artists from Bitches Brew appear here: saxophonist Wayne Shorter, guitarist John McLaughlin, drummer Jack DeJohnette, as well as pianist Chick Corea (playing drums as well as vibes on this!). Other Miles Davis alums appear: Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira as well as acoustic bass participant Miroslav Vitous (both afterwards would croak members of Wayne Shorter's Weather Report). The band plays novel versions of 3 Shorter tracks previously recorded with Miles Davis (but non released until Water Babies inwards 1976). They are performed much ameliorate inwards this context. Though this is post-bop (stretching into complimentary jazz)... it's far to a greater extent than melodic than the nighttime moody Bitches Brew. Highly recommended.
Super Nova is an of import transitional album for tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Doubling on soprano (which he had late begun playing), Shorter interprets 5 of his originals (including "Water Babies," which had been recorded previously past times Miles Davis) as well as Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi." He definitely used a forward-looking grouping of sidemen, because his "backup band" includes guitarists John McLaughlin as well as Sonny Sharrock, Walter Booker (normally a bassist) on classical guitar for "Dindi," bassist Miroslav Vitous, both Jack DeJohnette as well as Chick Corea (!) on drums, as well as percussionist Airto; Maria Booker takes a vocal on the touching version of "Dindi." The influence of Miles Davis' early on fusion stream is felt throughout the music, but in that place is null derivative nearly the often-surprising results. As with Wayne Shorter's best albums, this laid upwards rewards repeated listenings.
It was the summertime of 1969, blossom ability was inwards the air, conventional difficult bop was inwards serious trouble, as well as Wayne Shorter wrought the hipfest Super Nova inwards the companionship of a gaggle of guitarists as well as percussionists. Super Nova , piece typical inwards many ways of jazz inwards 1969, is past times no agency the average Blue Note session or the average Wayne Shorter album, but it has its charms.
He had the assist of a stellar lineup. Shorter’s soprano (he plays no tenor on this album) was complemented past times guitarists John McLaughlin as well as Sonny Sharrock, who were joined past times Walter Booker on i track; Miroslav Vitous on bass; Jack DeJohnette on drums as well as African pollex piano; Chick Corea, of all people, on drums as well as vibes (no piano); Airto Moreira on additional percussion; as well as Maria Booker singing on i track. An odd lineup today, but non also head-turning amongst the likes of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew or Pharoah Sanders’ Karma , which guide hold to a greater extent than inwards mutual than is usually acknowledged, as well as were the variety of affair that turned heads dorsum then.
"Super Nova" kicks off our love-in with a repeating motive from Shorter, who follows his figure downwards diverse paths as well as returns repeatedly to dwelling base of operations with an oboe-like Coltraneish tone, piece behind him his guitarists as well as drummers bubble as well as churn. McLaughlin squeezes out an undistinguished solo (with Sharrock thrashing behind him), as well as and thence it’s dorsum to Wayne, sounding to a greater extent than similar Trane every second. "Swee-Pea" is oddly titled, for the championship reminds me of the Popeye’s baby, but the rail is the occasion of unopen to beautifully touching playing from Shorter. Romantic as well as elegiac past times turns, he is at his most affecting here. Miles bandmates Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, as well as Tony Williams would guide hold backed this i upwards capably, but the percussion as well as guitars create a shimmering backdrop that industrial plant quite well. "Dindi" takes us to a hooting, groaning pelting forest, which is all of a abrupt broken by, lo as well as behold, Maria Booker singing a soft Portuguese ballad a la Astrud Gilberto. Playing Joao to Maria’s Astrud is Walter Booker on classical guitar. Then it’s dorsum to the pelting forest. There doesn’t seem to endure whatsoever rhyme or argue to the construction of this song, except that bossa nova was pop inwards 1969, as well as Maria’s part is nice. Shorter plays outstandingly all through this album, but peculiarly on "Water Babies," where he is the entirely soloist. The sidemen instruct restless on "Capricorn," peculiarly the drum corps, as well as Shorter’s soprano grows to a greater extent than sonorous to fit them. His soprano preaches, brays, as well as warns; the drums churn as well as the guitars quiver, but never instruct solo fourth dimension to beak of. Wayne is ever at the middle on this album. Not to guide hold anything away from Wayne: he tin describe it off, as well as does.
In August of 1969 the Great Sorcerer Miles called together many acolytes to shape the legendary electro-psychedelic-groove-jazz orchestra which unleashed "Bitches Brew" unto the world.
The next week, iv of those acolytes (Shorter, Corea, McLaughlin & DeJohnette) reconvened across town with Sonny Sharrock as well as others inwards tow to maintain questing, the Holy Fire yet burning brightly inwards their souls. Meanwhile inwards the exterior world, men were walking on the Luna as well as the hippie tribes were gathering at Woodstock -- kozmik times indeed!
Hence Wayne Shorter's "Super Nova" album was literally the first* fruit borne past times the Bitches revBrewlution which actually did knock jazz on it's donkey for most of the adjacent decade. Though this album is far from a mini-"Brew", for starters because Blue Note's approach to recording was far dissimilar than the extravagances Miles was laying downwards over at Columbia. "Super Nova" as well as everything else on Blue Note inwards those days was cutting alive inwards the studio to two-track tape, as well as (perhaps with a piddling editing) that was pretty much it equally far equally "production" goes (in contrast, the extended pieces on "Bitches Brew" were multitracked & edited together from day-long jam sessions.)
"Super Nova" is also distinctive inwards that several of the musicians are non fifty-fifty playing their commons instruments! Starting with Wayne Shorter playing soprano instead of his commons tenor (the higher pitched soprano is oft used for to a greater extent than "exotic eastern" sounds, demo A: Coltrane's raga-delic version of "My Favorite Things.") Also keyboardist Chick Corea plays percussion, bassist Walter Booker makes a invitee appearance on classical guitar, as well as Booker's married adult woman sings (her entirely appearance on tape equally she was non a professional person musician.) Furthermore, the rather foreign seven-piece lineup doesn't fit whatsoever commons mold inwards jazz or rock: a front end business of entirely i horn accompanied past times 2 electrical guitars, a bass as well as 3 percussionists (no keyboards.)
The combination of all of these factors results inwards i uniquely organic, wooly & free-kadelic jazz record. Although this is technically a "fusion" record, it's of import to Federal Reserve annotation that it is non the "funk/jazz" fusion usually associated with the term, but rather a "psychedelic/jazz" fusion. There is non actually whatsoever discernible hint of "rocknroll" nor whatsoever electronics (aside from the guitar amps, which aren't used for feedback or anything exotic similar that.) Yet the tape feels to a greater extent than akin to the galactic explorations of contemporary "rock groups" similar Pink Floyd or the Grateful Dead than to anything else coming out on jazz labels similar Blue Note inwards 1969.
Recorded August 29 (1, 2, 4 & 5) as well as September 2 (3 & 6), 1969.
Track listing:
All compositions past times Wayne Shorter except where noted.
"Supernova" – 4:52
"Swee-Pea" – 4:36
"Dindi" (Ant̫nio Carlos Jobim) Р9:35
"Water Babies" – 4:53
"Capricorn" – 7:47
"More Than Human" – 6:12
Personnel:
Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
John McLaughlin – acoustic as well as electrical guitar (1, 2, 4, 5)
Sonny Sharrock – electrical guitar
Chick Corea – drums, vibes
Miroslav VitouÅ¡ – bass
Jack DeJohnette – drums, kalimba
Airto Moreira – percussion
Walter Booker – acoustic guitar (3)
Maria Booker – vocals (3)
Niels Jakobsen – claves
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