JuJu [Import]

Wayne Shorter Quartet, Reggie Workman, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Japan
• ASIN: B00002DD0I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,289,460 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. JuJu

2. Deluge

3. House of Jade

4. Mahjong

5. Yes or No

6. Twelve More Bars to Go

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wayne & the Classic Quartet, December 13, 2001

By 

G B (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Juju (Audio CD)

This followup to the excellent Night Dreamer is one of Wayne Shorter's best albums on Blue Note record. It places him in a challenging context: he's the only horn in front of two members and one alumnus of John Coltrane's rhythm section. Any lesser musician would have been smothered by juggernauts like Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner, but Shorter rises to the challenge. And rather than marking him as a Trane disciple, the backing really highlights differences between the two.

The opening track, "Ju Ju", places him in the surging modal groove that this rhythm section had mastered on "My Favorite Things" and "Out of This World"; but Wayne's playing is a bit more quirky and asymmetrical, less dense than that of Elvin and McCoy's boss. "Deluge" and "Mahjong" highlight Shorter's growing ability to convey images or ideas through composition. And his tunes are always completely surprising, taking 90 degree turns where you least expecting them -- the ballad "House of Jade" (beautiful intro by Tyner) is a classic example. "Yes or No" ventures into Coltrane territory in classic Shorter curveball fashion, while "12 More Bars to Go" is a blues with several connotations.

Along with Speak No Evil this is the perfect introduction to Wayne Shorter's solo albums. Great saxophone playing, great sidemen, and great compositions. Who could complain?

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 6 stars - The best of an era, March 4, 2000

By 

Douglas Gray (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juju (Audio CD)

In my opinion, JuJu, Wayne's second recording for Blue Note, is not only the best of Wayne's output as a leader, it is perhaps the best jazz album of its era. Since I first discovered the album in the mid-seventies, it has become the most often played album in my collection. Recorded in August, 1964 (the same month he joined Miles' band), this recording has all the requisites of a superb album - Wayne's renowned compositional skills, the leader's soulful, haunting tenor style, and great sidemen. McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones had been playing side by side as members of John Coltrane's quartet for the previous four years, and Reggie Workman also did some time with that quartet in late 1960. Wayne had played often with Reggie with his long stint with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and had many previous encounters with McCoy and Elvin on previous Blue Note sessions as well. In short - this quartet really works well together.

Of the sidemen, Elvin Jones is the most outstanding of the session. His 3-on-4 style is provocative and his cymbal work ingenious. Elvin is a ocean of sound - waves crashing onshore in a stiff breeze. McCoy works very well with Wayne's chord changes - both as an accompanist and soloist. Reggie plays solid throughout.

All of the works are Shorter compositions, and are memorable enough to have been "published" in most of the fake books I've seen. There are no duds. No filler. No standards. Just a collection of some of the greatest jazz compositions and musicianship to be found in one place at one time. The sound is not mainstream, nor avant-garde; its Wayne's unique and original musical style at its very best. They can, and do, take it "out" at times, encouraged by Wayne's chord changes, but those same chord changes also anchor the soloists to a subtly-stated ground upon which to return. If you are a jazz purist and you don't own this album, your collection is incomplete.

JuJu - Here's a melody that really sticks in your head. McCoy is solid here, and Wayne reaches out in this lively 3/4 piece.

Deluge - Another beautiful composition, Deluge is a medium tempo piece that really swings. Elvin and Wayne are brilliant, and McCoy is comfortable in his unique style.

House Of Jade - A wonderful ballad, ala John Coltrane. Reggie's interpretation is seductive, and Wayne bears his soul. McCoy is short and sweet. Elvin lays back on this one.

Mahjong - Another Wayne classic, alternating from a straight to a swing feel. McCoy shines in another abbreviated solo. Reggie and Elvin set the stage beautifully for Both McCoy and Wayne. Wayne digs deep once again, and everything works perfectly.

Yes Or No - An up-tempo hard-bop number driven hard by Elvin and Reggie. Wayne is on fire, risking all, but never failing. McCoy follows suit.

Twelve More Bars To Go - A medium swing thing, almost bluesy. Again, Wayne consistently plays the head with unsurpassed feeling, and follows with the tune's only solo, keeping it inside most of the time.

The CD concludes with alternate takes of JuJu and House of Jade, which was a real treat for me after having memorized the solos of the original takes from the LP. These takes are very similar to the first, and just as good.

If you like this stuff, be sure to check out some of Wayne's other Blue Note recordings, including "Speak No Evil", "Night Dreamer", "Adam's Apple" and "Etcetera", in that order.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars And the Winner is...., September 19, 2002

By 

nadav haber (jerusalem Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juju (Audio CD)

If we listen to the best Jazz played today, we see that among the many directions suggested in the 1960's, Shorter's way has been the most influential. MOstly through his great work with Miles Davis' second great quintet, but also through his own recordings, Shorter created music that was both inside and outside, had free elements within known forms, and allowed the artists creativity in contexts that still relied on such terms as chords and scales.
In Juju, recorded in 1964, Shorter's sound is dry, heavily influenced by Coltrane. The use Tyner, Jones and Workman adds more weight to the comparison. Shorter reminds me of Coltrane, but his energy is different. With Coltrane you feel that every solo is treated as though it is his last, while Shorter, energetic as he is, saves a little for later.
All tunes are by Shorter, and they are all unique. Tyner and Jones sound as if they really enjoy this one, and push Shorter to give his best. They work really well with workman.
Some may complain that this music is less "listenable" than Somethin' Else (Adderley & Davis) or even "The Sidewinder" (Morgan).
It is true that those masterpieces are hard to compete with, but Juju is a work of daring creative artists in top form, and this kind of work has the tendency to attract the initiated, the "experts" first, while the uninitiated come to it a little later, if they persist.