Alegria, Wayne Shorter's first studio album for eight years, follows last year's poll-winning Footsteps Live! and, despite the fact that the leader is now 70, shows no sign of slowing down or thinning out. With a basic unit of Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade augmented by larger arrangements and occasionally a switch to Brad Mehldau on piano and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, this is a fine album, subtle and poetic with plenty of Shorter's hip flights of abstract fantasy.
Alegria, Wayne Shorter’s first studio album for eight years, follows last year’s poll-winning Footsteps Live! and, despite the fact that the leader is now 70, shows no sign of slowing down or thinning out. With a basic unit of Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade augmented by larger arrangements and occasionally a switch to Brad Mehldau on piano and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, this is a fine album, subtle and poetic with plenty of Shorter’s hip flights of abstract fantasy.
