‘Night Dreamer’ offers Shorter version of jazz

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Aug. 6, 2004 | 8:53 a.m.

It's easy to assume Wayne Shorter came of age as a composer during his six-year stay with the Miles Davis Quintet.

After all, by 1967, Shorter was penning most of the material laid down in the studio by that legendary group.

But the saxophonist's 1964 solo album "Night Dreamer" suggests that he was quite adept as a songwriter before ever hooking up with Davis, one of jazz's true visionaries.

Recorded in April -- some six months before Shorter joined Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams in Davis' second great quintet -- "Night Dreamer" marked the New Jersey native's first session as a bandleader for Blue Note Records.

In the years to come, Shorter would release such classic titles for the label as "Speak No Evil" (1964), "Adam's Apple" (1966) and "Schizophrenia" (1967).

Though far less heralded, "Night Dreamer" holds up equally well four decades after its initial release.

In large part, it's the pairing of the tenor man with trumpet great Lee Morgan -- like Shorter, an alumnus of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers -- that makes the disc so memorable.

The two musicians share a similar approach, one that emphasizes emotion over technical precision. Their solos on the standout title track, for example, create an appropriately dreamy mood to lead off the album.

Shorter's rhythm section also has a lot to do with the record's success.

Longtime John Coltrane Quartet members McCoy Tyner (piano) and Elvin Jones (drums) team with bassist Reggie Workman -- another sometime Coltrane sideman -- to give "Night Dreamer" a decidedly Trane-influenced vibe.

Third cut "Virgo" sounds as if it might have been lifted from Coltrane's songbook, showcasing Shorter's warm tones atop airy accompaniment from his bandmates.

Although "Night Dreamer" is harmonious enough to work as dinner party music, the album features enough of an edge to keep it from blending entirely into the background.

Shorter's excitement over hosting his first Blue Note session and recording his own material (five of six songs are originals) is palpable, particularly on the swinging "Black Nile" and sublime album closer "Armageddon."

In the years to come, Shorter would go on to write volumes on his saxophone with Davis, Weather Report and as a solo artist. Hear a key early chapter on "Night Dreamer," one of his first and most satisfying creations.

Artist: Wayne Shorter.

Title: "Night Dreamer."

Year of release: 1964 (Blue Note Records).

Tracklisting: "Night Dreamer," "Oriental Folk Song," "Virgo," "Virgo" (alternate take), "Black Nile," "Charcoal Blues," "Armageddon."