Wayne Shorter - JuJu

Derivative of Coltrane--Shorter in limbo

Derivative of Coltrane without that master's confidence, this is quickly dull listening, being repetitive and far too careful. Additionally, the fade-aways I find to be cheating. Certainly Shorter is finding himself here, but the uncertainty of direction is clear. Missing the fire of his work and compositions with Blakey, and certainly not near the artistic integrity of Adam's Apple. A Shorter fan, this is nevertheless a disappointment. April 7, 2008

Someone Stole My Review Title!

I was going to title this "4 1/2 Stars", but too late. . . I came to this CD after developing a real affection for Speak No Evil. This gets 4 1/2 stars because Speak No Evil gets 5, and this is great, but suffers a bit in comparison.

Having acclimated myself to Shorter's "odd but emotional" melodies, harmonies that only make sense within their own context, and jarring solos on Speak No Evil, I was ready for JuJu and enjoyed it on my first listen. No trumpet here is a two-edged sword - it gives Mcoy Tyner more room to create masterful solos, but Freddie Hubbard adds SO much on Speak No Evil. He and Shorter push and challenge each other, both on solos and "heads". The interplay is magic. Plus, the polished sound of Hubbard and Shorter together creates a stark contrast from their free form solos, so even the structure of the songs has an internal rhythm that propels it forward.

My final complaint is the absence of Herbie Hancock. McCoy Tyner is a whiz on piano, and he is in his element playing edgy, challenging music, but Hancock set the bar SO incredibly high on Speak No Evil, particularly the wild sequences and accompaniments he throws in. Tyner's earlier work on JuJu is still great, but certainly not groundbreaking by comparison.

Out of context, JuJu may get 5 stars, but since Speak No Evil gets 5, it certainly cannot. January 6, 2008

4 1/2 stars.

when it comes to jazz from the 1960's, i have yet to happen upon a bum release from the blue note label. as usual, this is fantastic stuff from their great catalogue of music. mr shorter has a tenor saxophone conversation here with six of his own compositions, and it's a straight ahead jazz excursion, with no avant-garde shadings. just fantastic playing on six accessible, rich melodies. joining mr shorter on this album is the incredible line-up that graces so many john coltrane albums from this period: mccoy tyner (piano), reggie workman (bass), and elvin jones (drums). can't go wrong with that crew. and if you love jazz, you can't go wrong with this recording. excellent. April 17, 2007

Must-have 60's Blue note

How about Coltrane's rhythm section with Wayne Shorter! And Reggie Workman on bass is a treat! Graet playing, deep grooves, great tunes! Has jazz even improved in 40 years? January 7, 2007

WAYNE SHORTER: TENOR CLASSIC!!

Along with Shorter's discs Night Dreamer and Adam's Apple, Juju is surely Shorter's best disc. "House of Jade" & "12 More Bars to Go" are classic modern jazz tracks: smooth, sophisticated, soulful, etc.

By the way, Shorter is no Coltrane imitator: if anything, Shorter is better than Coltrane. Shorter is exactly the most recent tenor genius in the line of evolution from Coleman Hawkins, through Ben Webster and Les Young, via Coltrane: Shorter is the man! August 10, 2005

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