Wayne Shorter - Juju
Tenor Saxophone - Wayne Shorter [click here to see more products featuring Wayne Shorter]
Drums – Elvin Jones [click here to see more products featuring Elvin Jones]
Piano – McCoy Tyner [click here to see more products featuring McCoy Tyner]
Bass – Reginald Workman
Written by Wayne Shorter
1LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Label : Blue Note - Classic Vinyl Series
Original Label : Blue Note
Record Press : Optimal Media
Recorded August 3, 1964 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder
Produced by Alfred Lion
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Cohearent Audio
Liner Notes by Nat Hentoff
Photography and design by Reid Miles
Originally released in July 1965
Reissued in 2024
Tracks :
Side A:
1. JuJu
2. Deluge
3. House of Jade
Side B:
1. Mahjong
2. Yes or No
3. Twelve More Bars to Go
Reviews :
"Fulfilling the potential promised on his Blue Note debut, Night Dreamer, Wayne Shorter's JuJu was the first great showcase for both his performance and compositional gifts. Early in his career as a leader, Shorter was criticized as a mere acolyte of John Coltrane, and his use of Coltrane's rhythm section on his first two Blue Note albums only bolstered that criticism. The truth is, though, that Elvin Jones, Reggie Workman, and McCoy Tyner were the perfect musicians to back Shorter. Jones' playing at the time was almost otherworldly. He seemed to channel the music through him when improvising and emit the perfect structure to hold it together. Workman too seemed to almost instinctively understand how to embellish Shorter's compositions. McCoy Tyner's role as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time was played here as well, and his light touch and beautiful, joyful improvisations would make him a much better match for Shorter than Herbie Hancock would later prove to be. What really shines on JuJu is the songwriting. From the African-influenced title track (with its short, hypnotic, repetitive phrases) to the mesmerizing interplay between Tyner and Shorter on "Mahjong," the album (which is all originals) blooms with ideas, pulling in a world of influences and releasing them again as a series of stunning, complete visions." Allmusic Review by Stacia Proefrock.
1964 was a momentous year in the musical life of Wayne Shorter. At the start of the year the saxophonist was still a member of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, appearing on classic Blue Note albums like Free for All and Indestructible. Shorter made his own auspicious label debut that spring with Night Dreamer and that summer he joined the Miles Davis Quintet cementing a line-up that would become one of the seminal bands in jazz history. When he returned to the studio for Blue Note in August it was in the company of three musicians with strong ties to John Coltrane: pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Elvin Jones. The resulting album JuJu is a marvel in Shorter’s formidable discography which presents six of his evocative original compositions including the churning title track, the mesmerizing “House of Jade,” and the brightly swinging “Yes Or No.”
Rating:
Allmusic: 5 / 5 ; Discogs: 4.59 / 5 ; The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings : 3.5 / 4 ; The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide : 4 / 5