Footprints: The Life and Music of Wayne Shorter

Rating:
Summary: at last!
Review: this book is both a loving, objective view of the still undervalued shorter's career, and a much-needed antidote to the dull, fact-laden jazz bios which have lumbered down the pike here of late.
i would recommend it even if you were not familiar with
shorter's career.

Rating:
Summary: good not great
Review: This book is decent effort that somewhat suffers from the authors access to it's subject. Michelle Mercer spent many hours interviewing Wayne and as a result the book feels almost like an autobiography rather than an objective study of an artist and his music. I enjoyed the sections on Waynes early years but the music is glossed over at times. I consider "Speak No Evil" a very influential recording and it's mentioned almost in passing with no details about the session or any of the compositions. On the flip side she devotes a large section to "Native Dancer" including bio info on Milton Nascimento. That record has it's merits but it certainly doesn't deserve more space than the Blue Note recordings. You'll get plenty of cosmic qoutes from Wayne and some good inside stories (a favorite being a young Wayne in rumpled suit and golashes with "Mr. Weird" painted on his sax case) and it does deal with Waynes personal struggles in a respectful and poignant manner. I wasn't looking for an academic study just more on the music. Maybe Jack Chambers will take on Wayne, his "Milestones" is one of the best musician bios out there.

Rating:
Summary: better than a straight-up musical bio
Review: This book is not a biography in the vein of Jack Chambers' Miles bio. For me, it provides a greater service: the author's close access to her subject allowed her to get to the heart of Shorter's creative process, spirituality, and personality. This is no small accomplishment, as Shorter is known for being an enigmatic character. Future biographers will write academic overviews of his career, but Mercer capitalizes on her first hand access to do something more valuable. She lends understanding to the themes and motifs that define the fascinating artist's life. When you listen to Shorter's music, it's clear his sound comes from a very unique place. Footprints gives us a clear idea of where Shorter's coming from.