Wayne Shorter - Phantom Navigator (remastered) (1987)



Wayne Shorter_Phantom Navigator

ARTIST......: Wayne Shorter
TITLE.......: Phantom Navigator
LABEL.......: Columbia
TYPE........: Album
GENRE.......: Jazz
SOURCE......: CDDA
TRACKS......: 06
TIME........: 38:45 min
SIZE........: 64,10 MB

BiTRATE/MODE: avg. 234kbps / VBR
Encoder.....: LAME V3.98.4 -V0

STREET DATE.: 000.00.1987
URL.........: http://www.wayneshorter.com/
COVERS......: ALWAYS

01.Condition Red 05:13
02.Mahogany Bird 06:13
03.Remote Control 07:58
04.Yamanja 06:31
05.Forbidden, Plan-It! 06:10
06.Flagships 06:40

This, one of my all-time fav CD's. A masterwork, converging his
Weather Report, Miles driven soundscape, Shorter really rocks &
swings on "Remote Control" you can't sit still, "Condition Red"
rocks in hyper-drive and "Mahogany Bird" is a sweet horn
floating along a mystic staircase. Other tracs are notable also.
One of his best works. Yes, Wayne Shorter was one of the driving
forces within Weather Report if you missed that fact. Sadly,
this CD is "Out of Print".

*

When "Phantom Navigator" was first released, there were cries of
"Sellout!" because of the slickness of the production, use of
pop song forms, and sparse solos. This was said to be Shorter's
"bubblegum record." Nothing could be further from the truth.
This is arguably Shorter's most experimental solo record ever,
including his long-form "The All Seeing Eye" and the records
from his "free jazz" period, which include "Supernova" and the
recently discovered "Moto Grosso Feio." Like Steely Dan, on
whose song "Aja" he memorably guest soloed, Shorter uses the
slickness of the production, the prettiness of the
instrumentation and the repetitive song forms to camoflauge
radical compositions. Sure, "Red Alert" has a rock beat, but
when have you heard a chromatic stepwise bass pattern coupled
with dissonant harmonies, wedded to such ferocious soloing? How
often do you hear such ambiguous harmony, as on "Flagships?"
Sure, "Remote Control" has pop-like elements, but when was the
last time you heard saxophones, mandolin samples, and a
synthesized lion roar in a pop song? Never, that's when. So why
is this cd criminally underrated? I'll tell you why. To
appreciate this album, you need an open mind and open ears, both
of which are sorely lacking in the Ken Burns/Wynton Marsalis
mentality. Those who think "Phantom Navigator" simplistic should
try transcribing some of the arrangements or solos
therein--that'll wipe the smug, self-appointed-cultural-guardian
look off their faces. Sadly, "Phantom Navigator" was Shorter's
last great album, up to this point, although his playing is
still wonderful (check out his work on John Scofield's "Quiet").

*

Who is Wayne Shorter?

Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz
saxophonist and composer.
He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living
composer,[1] and many of his compositions have become standards.
Shorter's output has earned worldwide recognition, critical
praise and various commendations, including multiple Grammy
Awards.[2]
Shorter first came to wide prominence in the late 1950s as a
member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's
Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he went on to join Miles Davis's
Second Great Quintet, and from there he co-founded the jazz
fusion band Weather Report. He has recorded over 20 albums as a
bandleader.

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