Wayne Shorter, a legendary figure in the world of jazz, left behind an extraordinary music catalog upon his passing in March 2023. The Paul Carr Quintet, accompanied by the exceptional trumpeter Sean Jones, delivered a performance celebrating Shorter’s musical brilliance in the concert “Footprints of Wayne Shorter.”
The title of the concert is from Shorter’s composition “Footprints” (1966), performed by what was considered the second greatest Miles Davis Quintet, with Davis on trumpet, Shorter on saxophone, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams.
The concert began with the classic Shorter composition “Speak No Evil” (1966) from the album titled the same. The album also included “Infant Eyes,” which the ensemble played later in the set.
Other Shorter compositions heard during the concert were “Yes or No” (1964), “JuJu” (1965), “This is For Albert” (1962) and “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” (1966). From this concert, we learned that Shorter’s approach to playing the saxophone was intentionally thoughtful and well-paced.
“One of his greatest records is ‘Speak No Evil.’ But you can do a concert of his songs for a week straight, if not two weeks straight,” Carr said when asked about the set list for the DC Jazz Festival event. “We had a lot of songs on the docket that we could not get to.”
Saxophonist Carr and trumpeter Jones, both stellar musicians and band leaders, showcased their unique talents in this concert. Their interplay demonstrated their ability to give space to each other’s solos and the other musicians in the group. It was a testament to their musical sensitivity and respect for the artistry of the individuals in the group. Other musicians in Carr’s group included pianist Ryan Hansler, bassist William ‘Mo Betta’ Ledbetter, and drummer Kevin Kearney Jr., all of whom contributed uniquely to the performance.
The DC Jazz Festival is celebrating its 20th year of bringing global sounds of jazz and education programs year-round to the D.C. metropolitan area.
Artists who have been confirmed, plus ticket information for scheduled events, from Aug. 28-Sept. 1, can be found at dcjazzfest.org
