WAYNE SHORTER: ODYSSEY OF ISKA

Performer: Wayne Shorter, tenor and soprano saxophone; Dave Friedman, vibraphone and marimba; Ron Carter & Cecil McBee, double bass; Billy Hart & Al Mouzon, drums; Frank Cuomo, percussion
Composer: Wayne Shorter
Number of records: 1
Barcode: 0602438963607
Label: Blue Note (Tone Poet)
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz
Year: 2024

The Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series

Audiophile 180-gram LP

Remastering from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

Pressed by RTI in the United States

Elegant gatefold cover

Tone Poet co-founder and co-producer Joe Harley was selected as curator for this new series of fully all-analog remasters sourced directly from the original tapes, pressed on 180-gram audiophile LPs and presented in luxurious gatefold packaging. The remastering was carried out by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, while vinyl pressing was entrusted to the renowned American company Record Technology Incorporated (RTI). The titles in this series were carefully selected one by one by Harley himself and include lesser-known Blue Note classics, major modern highlights, and selected albums originally released on other labels associated with the Blue Note catalog.

Great attention has been paid to every detail of these reissues, from cover artwork to the exceptional sonic quality achieved through Kevin Gray’s all-analog mastering and the flawless pressing quality from RTI. Every aspect of the Blue Note Tone Poet reissues has been handled to achieve the highest possible standards. This means that—no matter how hard you search—you will not find a better version. These records are simply unmatched.

Nicknamed the Tone Poet, Joe Harley set out to create an audiophile reissue series that would allow 21st-century listeners to hear the music exactly as the musicians heard it from the original analog tapes and Rudy Van Gelder’s studio monitors fifty or sixty years ago. Harley firmly believes that, in terms of quality, Blue Note albums have never reached the level achieved in this series. As he stated in a recent interview: “Every aspect of these Blue Note reissues has been handled down to the smallest detail. This means you will not find an edition of comparable quality.”

In 1970, winds of change were strongly influencing both Wayne Shorter’s life and career. The renowned saxophonist had just left Miles Davis’s group and was preparing to form his legendary fusion band Weather Report. During this period, Shorter’s style was also evolving, increasingly focused on his original explorations in fusion, already evident in his previous Blue Note albums Super Nova and Moto Grosso Feio. Recorded in August 1970, the hypnotic Odyssey of Iska would be Shorter’s final album during his first tenure with Blue Note. With this work, Shorter paid tribute to his daughter Iska, born the previous year with a severe brain malformation, through four intense original compositions—“Wind,” “Storm,” “Calm,” and “Joy”—each expressing a distinct emotional state.

The centerpiece of the album is an extended performance of Bobby Thomas’s Brazilian-style composition “De Pois do Amor, o Vazio” (After Love, Emptiness), which foreshadows Shorter’s growing interest in Brazilian music that he would later explore extensively. Shorter’s tenor and soprano saxophones are the only reed instruments on the album, alongside guitarist Gene Bertoncini, David Friedman on vibraphone and marimba, Ron Carter and Cecil McBee on double bass, and Alphonse Mouzon, Billy Hart, and Frank Cuomo on drums and percussion.

Wayne Shorter, tenor and soprano saxophone; Dave Friedman, vibraphone and marimba; Ron Carter, double bass; Cecil McBee, double bass; Billy Hart, drums; Al Mouzon, drums; Frank Cuomo, percussion

Side A
Wind
Storm
Calm

Side B
De Pois Do Amour, O Vazio (After Love, Emptiness)
Joy