Personnel: Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums). Recorded at Bell Sound Studios, New York, New York on November 10, 1959. Originally released on Vee Jay LP (SR 3006). Includes original liner notes by Barbara J. Gardner. All tracks have been digitally remastered using 24-bit technology. Also known as Blues A La Carte, this Vee Jay disc has tenor-saxophonist Wayne Shorter's first session as a leader and it shows that, even at this early stage, Shorter was far along toward developing his own sound. Teamed up with trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb, the six selections (five of which are Shorter originals) capture the young tenor shortly after he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The music is essentially hard bop and, although none of these Shorter tunes caught on, the music is quite enjoyable. A special treat is the one standard of the date, a swinging version of "Mack The Knife." ~ Scott Yanow Format: Vinyl Genre: Pop
