Chick Corea appears on drums rather than his typical role 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, together with pianist Chick Corea (playing drums together with vibes on this!). Other Miles Davis alums appear: Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira together with acoustic bass participant Miroslav Vitous (both afterwards would pop off 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 night moody Bitches Brew. Highly recommended.
Super Nova is an of import transitional album for tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Doubling on soprano (which he had lately begun playing), Shorter interprets 5 of his originals (including "Water Babies," which had been recorded previously past times Miles Davis) together with Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi." He definitely used a forward-looking grouping of sidemen, because his "backup band" includes guitarists John McLaughlin together with Sonny Sharrock, Walter Booker (normally a bassist) on classical guitar for "Dindi," bassist Miroslav Vitous, both Jack DeJohnette together with Chick Corea (!) on drums, together with percussionist Airto; Maria Booker takes a vocal on the touching version of "Dindi." The influence of Miles Davis' early on fusion menses is felt throughout the music, but in that place is cipher derivative nearly the often-surprising results. As with Wayne Shorter's best albums, this ready rewards repeated listenings.
It was the summertime of 1969, bloom ability was inwards the air, conventional difficult bop was inwards serious trouble, together with Wayne Shorter wrought the hipfest Super Nova inwards the companionship of a gaggle of guitarists together with percussionists. Super Nova , piece typical inwards many ways of jazz inwards 1969, is past times no way the average Blue Note session or the average Wayne Shorter album, but it has its charms.
He had the aid of a stellar lineup. Shorter’s soprano (he plays no tenor on this album) was complemented past times guitarists John McLaughlin together with Sonny Sharrock, who were joined past times Walter Booker on 1 track; Miroslav Vitous on bass; Jack DeJohnette on drums together with African pollex piano; Chick Corea, of all people, on drums together with vibes (no piano); Airto Moreira on additional percussion; together with Maria Booker singing on 1 track. An odd lineup today, but non besides head-turning amongst the likes of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew or Pharoah Sanders’ Karma , which receive got to a greater extent than inwards mutual than is usually acknowledged, together with were the kind 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 together with returns repeatedly to habitation base of operations with an oboe-like Coltraneish tone, piece behind him his guitarists together with drummers bubble together with churn. McLaughlin squeezes out an undistinguished solo (with Sharrock thrashing behind him), together with and thus 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 rails is the occasion of about beautifully touching playing from Shorter. Romantic together with elegiac past times turns, he is at his most affecting here. Miles bandmates Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, together with Tony Williams would receive got backed this 1 upwards capably, but the percussion together with guitars create a shimmering backdrop that industrial plant quite well. "Dindi" takes us to a hooting, groaning pelting forest, which is of a abrupt broken by, lo together with 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 live on whatsoever rhyme or argue to the construction of this song, except that bossa nova was pop inwards 1969, together with Maria’s role is nice. Shorter plays outstandingly all through this album, but particularly on "Water Babies," where he is the entirely soloist. The sidemen larn restless on "Capricorn," particularly the drum corps, together with Shorter’s soprano grows to a greater extent than sonorous to gibe them. His soprano preaches, brays, together with warns; the drums churn together with the guitars quiver, but never larn solo fourth dimension to verbalize of. Wayne is e'er at the centre on this album. Not to accept anything away from Wayne: he tin describe it off, together with 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, 4 of those acolytes (Shorter, Corea, McLaughlin & DeJohnette) reconvened across town with Sonny Sharrock together with others inwards tow to proceed questing, the Holy Fire all the same burning brightly inwards their souls. Meanwhile inwards the exterior world, men were walking on the satelite together with 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 side past times side 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" together with everything else on Blue Note inwards those days was cutting alive inwards the studio to two-track tape, together with (perhaps with a niggling 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 oftentimes 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, together with 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 forepart problem of entirely 1 horn accompanied past times 2 electrical guitars, a bass together with 3 percussionists (no keyboards.)
The combination of all of these factors results inwards 1 uniquely organic, wooly & free-kadelic jazz record. Although this is technically a "fusion" record, it's of import to authorities notation 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) together with 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 together with 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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