Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Brian
Blade have been three quarters of the extraordinary Wayne Shorter Quartet for
more than a decade. Since, they've also continued their individual careers as
leaders of their own projects and groups. Now, on Children of the Light, they
step forward as a trio for the first time with an imagination and fearlessness
in their approach that defies the roles and ways of a trio in both obvious and
subtle ways.
"When I gave Wayne a copy of the
recording I told him: 'this is for you, Doctor. This is our gift. This is our
show of love, care and gratitude for all the lessons'," says Pérez.
"The compositions on this recording represent the idea of 'going beyond
the music.' That's what he has taught us: to not think about music just in
musical terms but as a tool for the betterment of society. It's about creating
music that brings people together."
Daring and luminous, often an improbable
mix of pointed, questioning turns and childlike joy, the music unfolds with
mischievous unpredictability. The 11 tracks include original compositions by
all three members of the trio and a fresh take on "Dolores," an old
Shorter classic. Pérez, who typically plays acoustic piano, plays a Yamaha CP4
Stage electric piano on his West African-rooted piece "Lumen."
Patitucci, who plays here acoustic, five and six-string electric bass,
contributes three pieces, including "Ballad for a Noble Man," which
features cellist Sachi Patitucci. Drummer and percussionist Blade contributes the
soulful "Within Everything," perhaps the closest to a standard song
in the program. It's a remarkable balancing act but even as they put their
considerable talents to the service of the trio, each of the members maintains
his distinct personality.
"We can 'comprovise' (spontaneous
composition) with dense harmonic and melodic forms, but we can also explore the
beauty of a simple harmony," says Pérez. "And you can see the care
each one of us put into the songs we brought in."
The pieces themselves don't follow
conventional song forms but rather suggest cinematic structures. Narratives do
not always unfold linearly. Solos play out more like close-ups in the telling
of the story than individual features."For us, it was like writing the
soundtracks of our own lives," offers the pianist. "It was about
using music to paint a scene, using the sounds to tell a story."
Children and light are two recurrent
themes throughout the recording. The references to kids are not only explicit
(such as the voices in Patitucci's "Milky Way") but also suggested by
some of the themes, perhaps most evident in the playfulness of the motifs in
the title track and "Sunburn and Mosquito" (dedicated to Carolina,
one of Pérez's daughters).
"Wayne has taught us the magic of
having a simple idea," says Pérez. "Like in his 'Over Shadow Hill
Way' (he sings the theme). In a way, I'm using my children as good judges for
melodies. If they can sing it, if something sticks with them, I feel I'm on the
right track."
As for the idea of light, it is most
obviously present in the song titles ("Moonlight on Congo Square,"
"Lumen," "Looking for Light" and "Light
Echo/Dolores" to name a few) but it is also evident in the approach and
the choices of open, translucent textures the trio favors.
"'Light Echo' is just an
introduction I put together and it's named after a phenomenon in
astronomy," explains Pérez. The light echo is analogous to an echo of
sound. "It is the echo of a burst of light, like at the creation of a star,
and it can go on for a long time. For us, it has to do with Wayne's light echo
and our hope of passing it on. We want to explore the galaxies together, but we
also want to remain human and explore the earth."
As for the playing, it doesn't take long
to realize that this is not a conventional piano trio. Pérez, Patitucci and
Blade first came together during the recording sessions for the Pérez's
Motherland in 2000, and their work with Shorter since has fostered not only
their audacity and cohesion as a trio, but also a distinct, shared language.
"As a trio, we have found a way to
orchestrate things differently, we overlap in a certain way that makes it feel
like there are other instruments in there," says Pérez. "One of the
things I feel is so strong is how we function without Wayne, and yet he is
there in spirit. As a group, we have a language we play and his notes are felt
even when he's not playing."
The pianist further comments, "We
didn't get together just to do a record. We've been writing music since we met,
and Wayne has encouraged, supported, and guided us along the way." Pérez
elaborates, "John, Brian and I have a long history, and this is not just a
record for us but a commitment to continue the Shorter school. We have developed
a language we call 'zero gravity,' a way of interacting, of orchestrating the
music that we want to continue exploring and developing. While we were putting
this record together there was no pretension, no grandiose ideas. This was
simply three brothers who just wanted to keep the family together."
The very name of the recording is a play
on Shorter's "Children of the Night," a piece that first appeared on
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers' Mosaic in 1961.
Years ago, while they were touring,
"It was John who said 'we should call it Children of the Light and bring a
little light to the world'," recalls Pérez. "You say 'thank you' to a
great man like Wayne not by imitating what he does but by playing off the language
he created -finding a new language in the process. Like Wayne says: 'This is
the new sound of the trio. You guys are touching another dimension'."
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