Wayne Shorter's occasional Columbia records of the 1980's are all disappointments. His compositions (there are seven on this out-of-print set) lacked the originality and quirkiness of his 1960's work and, although his sound was still very much intact, Shorter's improvisations tend to wander a bit aimlessly. On this album,
Shorter (doubling on soprano and tenor) is joined by a basic trio (keyboardist
Patrice Rushen, bassist
Nathan East and drummer
Terri Lyne Carrington) and such guest musicians as keyboardists
Herbie Hancock and
Geri Allen, bassist
Darryl Jones and (on "Someplace Called Where") vocalist
Dianne Reeves; it does not help. Skip this one and get
Wayne Shorter's Blue Notes instead.