Wayne Shorter: Timeless Sound

Wayne Shorter remains one of America's most fascinating living jazz legends. His sound on the tenor saxophone is muscular, hypnotic and so evocative of the 1960s. His original compositions remain relevant, with their yearning, political undertow and modal scales.

So it's puzzling that there are so few YouTube clips of him live in the 1960s leading his own groups and playing his own songs. Part of this is a result of him spending most of his time in the Miles Davis Quintet. He probably didn't tour much for his Blue Note albums such as Juju (1965) and Speak No Evil (1966).

Here's what I could find of Shorter in the '60s:

Here's the Miles Davis Quintet—Miles Davis (tp), Wayne Shorter (ts), Herbie Hancock (p), Ron Carter (b) and Tony Williams (d) in Stockholm in 1963 playing Agitation...



Here's the Miles Davis Quintet in Milan in 1964 playing Autumn Leaves...



Here's the Miles Davis Quintet in Sweden in 1967 playing Wayne Shorter's Footprints...



Here's the Miles Davis Quintet on the same date and location playing 'Round Midnight...



And here's the Miles Davis Quintet in Antibes, France, in 1969 playing Milestones, Footprints and 'Round Midnight. This quintet featured Miles Davis (tp), Wayne Shorter (ts,ss), Chick Corea (el-p), Dave Holland (b) and Jack DeJohnette (d)...



Photo credit: Francis Wolf / Mosaic Images