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In 2011 and 2012 the Wayne Shorter Quartet made multiple trips to Europe performing at selected venues and festivals. This concert was recorded on November 3rd 2012 at La Salle Pleyel, in Paris. The footage was included as bonus footage bundled with the documentary “The Language of the Unknown” (ArtHaus Musik) directed by Guido Lukoschek, that delves into the psyche and methodology of Shorter via interview material.
The quartet in this video features Danilo Perez on piano, John Patitucci on double bass and Brian Blade on drums, the same line up on Shorters album “Without a Net” that was released in 2013 and marked his return to Blue Note.
This concert shows the alchemy between these four virtuoso musicians. From the finest passages where only a few notes are heard accompanied by a minimalist bass line and a few cymbal strokes to the most explosive moments in which all seem to want to break down the house, the dynamics are immense. Just a single glance between Brian Blade and John Patitucci is enough for the rhythm section to change course and ignite the entire quartet.
In a review of this footage published by Jazz Times Magazine in 2015, Jeff Tamarkin stated “filmed largely in close-up shots (the quartet) can be seen transitioning from an epic “Zero Gravity/Lotus” into “Prometheus Unbound,” a piece that Shorter has, in recent years, been performing with orchestras. They don’t need the ancillary instrumentation: The composition’s grandeur comes through just as convincingly without it, and remains in place throughout the rest of the performance-in “Starry Night,” another near-half-hour specimen of exploration at its most golden, and “Joy Ryder,” the all-too-brief show-closing bit that allows each musician to get as batty as he wants to get.”
Line-up
Wayne Shorter, Saxophones | John Patitucci, Double bass | Danilo Perez, piano | Brian Blade, drums.
The full DVD is available here.
The video below shows the full documentary “The Language of the Unknown” – Enjoy
Last modified: August 2, 2018
