Wayne Shorter: The Soothsayer LP (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)

Blue Note, 1979

Wayne Shorter’s formidable and prolific output in 1964 produced his first three Blue Note albums as a leader each of which would become instant classics upon their release: Night Dreamer, Juju, and Speak No Evil. That fact may explain why, as the saxophonist continued to churn out Blue Note sessions at a remarkably high level in 1965, the label’s release schedule couldn’t keep pace with Shorter’s creative burst, which resulted in his next two recordings—The Soothsayer and Etcetera—being shelved and not released until 1979 and 1980, respectively. It was just two months after recording Speak No Evil that Shorter was back in Van Gelder Studio to record The Soothsayer with a sextet featuring trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. The album captured deeply engaged performances of five beguiling Shorter compositions including “Lost,” “Angola,” and the stunning ballad “Lady Day,” a tribute to Billie Holiday. The album concludes with Shorter’s arrangement of “Valse Triste” by the Finnish classical composer Jean Sibelius.