There is something uplifting about how the legacy of jazz musicians is so prone to being reinterpreted, recontextualized and just keeps on evolving long after they're gone. It seems fitting that music made by such forward-thinking musicians would never stagnate and instead go on to inspire next generations
@@wilh3lmmusic Copyright doesn't make that impossible at all. It's just a barrier against lazy exploitation. The essence of jazz is informed participation in a musical tradition. Not just arbitrary DAW-based fan fiction.
I'm always blown away by how many relevant historical clips you're able to pull into these videos. Makes me realize how tiny an iceberg tip I really know about jazz history.
God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen! God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen! God bless you all, I will keep you in my prayers!!!!!!!
I have Speak No Evil in vinyl somewhere. Used to wear it out. His Blue Note stuff reminds me of smoky bars and Deep Jazz. Refer to Charlie Parker’s Kansas City Blues. Listen to Coltranes ballads
I was privileged enough to get to befriend Wayne in the last months of his life, and he had a beautiful unconquerable spirit. Got to listen to his albums with him telling me the stories behind the songs... such a fond memory. Thank you for this beautiful video and homage Adam!
And also _Harlequin, Ana Maria, Adams Apple, Children of the night, Juju, 12 more bars to go, Endangered species, Face on the barrom floor, Lusitanos, Beauty and the Beast, Yes or no,_ etc. etc.
Hi Mike, i'm going to take this opportunity to say can you PLEASE COME TO AUSTRALIA - i had tickets to your twice-canceled covid gigs. . .we're ready!! Please come down!
I am not convinced how Wayne Shorter played his saxophone because the guy have less dynamics and articulations and the worst of all no sound quality which will contribute for commercial success. The fact is only few people appreciate him.
Wayne Shorter was my favorite jazz composer of all time. I was so heart broken when he passed. Thank you so much for making such a wonderful video to celebrate the magic of his music
@@ayoungethan Definitely, Strayhorn is up there too. Can't you picture Johnny Hodges playing Infant Eyes. There is a Strayhorn aspect to Wayne's ballads.
Same. I always held him at the top of my list of favorite (jazz) musicians ever. Now that he’s passed I’ve done some more research on his life out of curious and he was such a humble, reserved and thoughtful individual and nothing short of a genius. So tragic and ironic that the past several months before his passing I was actually relistening to tons of Wayne’s work, especially the 70’s solo and Weather Report stuff. One song that became an earworm for me is his rendition of Milton Nascimento’s “Ponta De Areia”. I was listening to that song minutes before I heard of his death.
Bravo Adam.... I knew Wayne personally and he was always a beautiful mystery. I never heard him have a "normal" kind of conversation. All that he said always seemed as if you were talking to a visitor from a higher planet. And he wrote and played music.... and lived the same way. Herbie is like that as well. We are blessed to have been visited by them both. And as Herbie says of Wayne ... "he's not Dead... he's just away on tour". Once again he makes me smile.
The album Speak No Evil has long been my favourite jazz album. It's a huge part of why I decided to study jazz over contemporary piano. This was such a great analysis of one of its best tracks. Thank you Adam 🙏 Rest in Perpetuity, Wayne ❤️
I purchased SNE in 1964 (not 1966) and though I was only 14 I thought it was the hippest thing I ever heard - I still think it is, after decades of listening and playing. It's really Wayne's extension of the kind of hard bop he was writing and performing with Art Blakey.
I have three jazz musicians I always return to: Shorter, Mingus and Ornette. They are very different from each other, but totally unique and unimitable. Shorter is to me a genius post-bop and modal composer, his pieces are simple but enigmatic. Even after a hundred listenings they always keep me intrigued about what comes after the next bar. And I love his tone, warmer and more melodious than Coltrane, but never soft or sweet. His 60s streak of Blue Note albums are a treasure.
One of the most illuminating, well-judged and well-produced videos I've ever seen. Thank you. I love Wayne Shorter's work and you helped me understand why. I come away feeling a good deal more intelligent than when I arrived :-)
Check out his stuff with Weather Report (all their stuff bc he was one of the 2 core members) and his myriad of incredible solo recordings and other collaborations. You will not be disappointed, and very likely be inspired.
If you’re familiar with Steely Dan (or not), check out the incredible sax solo Wayne made on the title track to their album *Aja.* I’m so envious of someone who is just beginning their Wayne Shorter journey! You’ve got some great discoveries awaiting you!
And also his stuff with Miles Davis, my favourite is the E.S.P. album. And his solo album Native Dancer, on which he was very inspired by Brazilian music.
@@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931 Native Dancer is a masterpiece blend of Jazz, Brazilian folk/pop music and even some Progressive rock influence. Ive had Ponta De Areia on repeat for months after listening to Native Dancer for the first time a couple years ago, and recently fell in love with it again while listening to a bulk of Wayne’s vast discography after hearing about his death.
Wonderful tribute to the Greatest Wayne Shorter. He has kept me awake at night for over 30 years listening to his beautiful playing and compositions while questioning his choices of harmony and melody. Nothing ever begins or ends, Wayne is Eternity. Thanks Adam.
I love "Pinocchio." The melody and progressions is so interesting. The moment I heard the Miles Davis version from "Nefertiti," I was in love. From there, I went on to explore more of his music and became a fan. Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter are two of my all-time favorite jazz artists.
Just a couple of days before his passing, I went to see Terence Blanchard playing "Absence", a tribute album to Wayne Shorter ... the impact he had ... thx for explaining some of the magic
Wayne Shorter's style is transporting me back to moments during the dozens of hours I spent playing LA Noire where this kind of sound was front and center. Beautiful harmony, to say the least.
Adam- both the insights and the interpretive playing of this tune are rather deep and spot on including your emotional reactions to exact notes and passages. I can only wonder how Wayne would have viewed this video. I can only think that he would have loved what you found in the tune and that you showed how well you understood his artistic intent. I dont know of anyone else who explains harmonic structures as well as you do, but more importantly- you overlay audio examples that uphold everything you describe as you speak. This is unique. It is one thing to simply say, "Wow. This is mind blowingly great." Its another thing to concisely and intelligently explain exactly why you feel that way.
I was working on this song and I approached it from the view of "Where is the common practice harmony in this?" I discovered that if you look for common practice motion inside the chords and extensions. There is a way to find the "internal" common practice harmony. If you look at this song as re-harmonized. It makes more sense. The chord motion is not from the Roots up. It is from the top down. It is pre-reharmonized.
I had the honor to present the Wayne Shorter Quartet in concert in the Indianapolis market on March 21, 2015, which was the experience of a lifetime. Adam, your tribute to Wayne is beautiful beyond what words alone can express. That his own composition is the means to accomplish this is profound. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you for this posting.
Your best video yet, Adam. Nerd out on some music theory, but always connect it to the sublime & the beautiful. Then end with a quick performance and homage to Shorter, with some intense words from him…well done!
That second A transition to me: Feels like when you have a lump in your throat and you feel emotional but you don't let it flood out, rather leak out in just a drip or two. It's a complex set of emotions that in their mutual exchange, the unfinished is finished, but isn't really, as resolution can't happen where resolution wasn't the goal.
When I saw the A7b9 going to Gbmaj7 I immediately thought of it as hinting at Trane changes. The A7 wants to go to D major, but instead it resolves to a key that is up a major third (part of the Trane changes progression that moves key centers by major thirds). This would also make sense given that this was released well after Giant Steps and when Coltrane began experimenting with implementing this new kind of harmony over tons of tunes. Also, the bridge reminds me of Naima. Anyways, it’s sad to see a musician so important to the idiom pass away. May he rest in peace
This is by far my favourite video you have ever done, this is a brilliant explanation of infant eyes and Wayne Shorter's fascinating compositions and has really helped me create an even greater interest and understanding of his music.
Have to take issue with the suggestion that beginning a song’s bridge on IV is “almost a stylistic signifier of the blues” (10:12). By the mid-1950s, it had become standard practice in ALL styles of commercially popular music to begin the bridge on IV (and end on V). Take the songs of 1962, for example. That year, 304 songs made it into the Billboard Top 40. Of those 304 songs, 123 have bridges, and of those 123 bridges, 81 (66%) begin on IV. Only a smattering of those 81 songs could be considered blues-based: Chains (The Cookies), Lie To Me (Brook Benton), and maybe Snap Your Fingers (Joe Henderson). The vast majority are Tin Pan Alley, Brill Building, doo-wop, or country pop songs, e.g.: Crying In the Rain (The Everly Brothers), Monster Mash (Bobby "Boris" Pickett), Venus in Blue Jeans (Jimmy Clanton), You Don't Know Me (Ray Charles), I Remember You (Frank Ifield), I Wish That We Were Married (Ronnie & The Hi-Lites), She's Got You (Patsy Cline).
I've never listened to Infant Eyes so I paused and listened to it before continuing the video. It took almost 3 minutes in before I decided I thought it was in Bb. Makes me feel good that Adam agrees.
I have always found Infant Eyes haunting and emotionally deep. This reveals some of why. Especially loved the playing segment - do more of that, please.
God knows how much I owe Wayne for showing me the wonders of music. The man truly knew how to make music that subverts your expectations by having multiple dimensions thrown into it. It's just music, but he made it like a puzzle. If anything, he taught me how to be free with my instrument
What a great video Adam! Thanks for this well constructed excerpt, and especially your musical insight! It was a very emotional moment in my life when Mr. Wayne Shorter passed. My journey into the jazz and fusion realm has been quite short, only 2½ years so far, but God has it changed my musical perspective and my musical goals. Wayne Shorter was an impressive and beautiful composer alongside so many legends that had passed on. Thanks again again from a local Brooklyn-ite!
One of your best videos. I'm biased, of course, because Wayne Shorter had a powerful influence on me as a young musician - but your analysis was simultaneously insightful, respectful, and clear - no mean feat.
I don’t have any music theory education beyond that I’ve picked up on TH-cam since the pandemic lockdown started. Since then, I have become a mass consumer of music analysis videos and this one is a top five example. Really fantastically informative and entertaining, too Thanks, Adam
Just wanted you to know, that your videos inspire me deeply and motivates me to check out new music every now and then. I admire your ability to pass on your knowledge and interest in music. Your videos adds a new perspective to music and life, and i keep getting enriched by your channel. Have a lovely day Adam :)
OMG - this is SO forking cool! Amazing insights so beautifully presented. Your presentation helps so much to understand and appreciate Shorter's genius, something I'm only now beginning to understand. This is yet another instance of knowledge = understanding = appreciation - I mean analytic knowledge, theoretical knowledge, in depth knowledge... it goes beyond just listening to something and appreciating its beauty which is fine too but also limited. In any case, thank you Adam for your amazing teaching.
I love being surprised by gorgeous harmony resolutions. There’s something really delightful about being taken aback by a beautiful progression you didn’t expect! I love this history in this. Gregorian chant is a fave!!
I’ve learned more about music in this video than all the others combined. Of course like many, I came to Weather Report for JACO but stayed for Wayne’s intoxicating, atmospheric, sound structures. He always captivated me .
I am by no means a student of jazz. My background is in punk and psychedelic rock. But Infant Eyes is pretty close to what I hear in my head when someone tells me to imagine a jazz song. Now I know the name of the composer, and can't wait to dig into his catalogue.
Wayne Shorter is excellent. I was privileged enough to see him live once years ago when he performed at the Ottawa Jazz Festival. rest in peace and modes and harmony Wayne Shorter
I met Wayne Shorter’s music when I was an imposter pianist in jazz groups (knowing enough to get by) while I was studying classical music and theory in college. I told my drummer friend who played (just-released) Atlantis for me that this was the door to the future. That didn’t come from a deep understanding of what I was hearing. It was that I’d never heard a new language (to me) in jazz that was so coherent, fresh, inventive, and heartfelt. It had to be the new language that everyone would learn. Your analysis of Infant Eyes confirms my early, mostly naive response. I think you nailed it. Thanks!
I absolutely love Wayne Shorter. Speak no evil on repeat for months to years. Dance Cadaverous makes me happy. And you honouring the man with this video, well done and thankyou!!!
You convey your knowledge and communicate your soul in language that is beyond words. It is a language I am a part of. Sounds strange? No I think you get it. You are deeply routed in music-ese. Jazz is you soul. Music is your emotion. Btw I was born in 1966. Coïncidence? I guess I was raised on Jazz
Was introduced to Wayne thru Weather Report, thanks to my high school music teacher. I'm a bassist and Jaco was my way in for getting familiar with so many other great artists. RIP Wayne 🙏
Dear Adam, I always enjoy your videos for their style and depth of insight. This particular video on Infant Eyes also breathes a remarkable emotional intensity that obviously carries your deep appreciation for the tune and Wayne Shorter's art. It also remembers me to remain humble if it comes to seemingly knowing some Jazz-stuff. There is so much more ... the journey never ends. Thanks
Around the 2 minute mark of 'A Remark You Made' by Weather Report, the interaction between Wayne Shorter and Jaco absolutely wrecks me. Just hearbreakingly beautiful.
“Why do you want to live… because I must” Wayne Shorter IMHO is one of the greatest Artist of the 20th century. I have been following Shorter since the mid 70’s after a musician friend introduced me to his music, I have been blessed to have attended a few of his concerts. Two years ago he accepted my “friend requested” on FB, it was a great honor, and pleasure to have communicated with Wayne as well as commenting on his post, towards the end of last year he sent me a personal message thanking me for being a fan and supporting his music, at this point I knew that he was ill. I can not tell you how much this meant to me, and the fact that he took the time to communicate with me, this speaks volumes of the kind of human being he was. I’m sorry I got off track, and I thank you for this very informative video on the process of “Infant Eyes” *BTW my son has become a big Wayne Shorter fan, just like his Dad 🎷👏🏽 Rest In Paradise Mr. Shorter, your Legacy is in good hands Sir 🎷👏🏽🙏🏾🕊️❤️
The A7b9(add 13) is actually a Gb chord in the right hand over A and G interval in the left. So... a Gb major chord is already being played under the mask of the A7 in the bass, and LO! It resolves to Gbmaj7 effortlessly. How is this possible??? Oh but it is. Thanks for delving into this one, Adam!! I love this tune like no other and for all the reasons you break down, and I've done some of the same analysis myself. Thanks for validating!
Adam this is so freakin good great piece on one of the most important unique, consistent voices in music your performance and edits with Wayne speaking brought tears to my eyes
Not all the way through the video yet but I've read allot of analysis on "Shoterian Harmony". He liked for successive chords to have root notes a whole or half step apart. My guess is he'd choose which one he wanted, then try out different chord qualities (major, minor, dominant, diminished, etc.) to see which one flowed the best. He would also employ this technique with the first chord of successive phrases. So that Gbmaj7 is a half step away from the Gm7 in the first phrase. He would also sprinkle in some circle of fifths to bring the harmony back to that familiar Tin-Pan alley feel that is part of the DNA of jazz. ETA: Haha, the Wayne Shorter quote about Infant Eyes basically says all of that.
What a beautiful analysis and tribute. I wish that the richness of the jazz tradition had more exposure. It makes already-incredible music that much more meaningful and culturally relevant. Rest in peace Wayne.
Thank you for this amazing video! You put so much effort and knowledge into your work that its inspiring on it's own. Wayne has accomplished the dream that many musicians have - he will stay immortal through music. And with your videos and research, someone else might show up, get inspired and do the same.
One of my favorite tunes of all time, rest in peace Wayne Shorter. One of my favorite tunes of him is also "Face of the Deep" from his record "The All Seeing Eye", a ballad of the same caliber of Infant Eyes imo. That whole record is really wild, any fans of freer jazz definitely check it out.
Infant Eyes has always been so magical that I never even took upon uncovering the mechanics behind the magic. So thank you so much for this interesting and inspiring insight.
Beautiful vid as ever. Just a note on the A7b9; I’ve always heard this as a tritone sub for a I7; the A13b9 is a close sub for a Eb7#9. This would generally resolve to Abm or Ab11. Gb Lydian is a (third) inversion of an Ab11 vibe. And a much easier voice lead into the F sus, of course.
I think Wayne's impressionist approach gets at the core of what I personally think the point of art is, which is to express some otherwise ineffable feeling, thought or experience, rather than recreate or represent something concrete from reality. He also made heavy use of the whole-tone scale and other potent, strange and dissonant tonalities where a lot of other composers shyed away from those polarizing flavors, which gave his music an otherworldly feel for me, for example in Juju
Thanks for choosing "Infant Eyes". Some consider it to be the most beautiful (absolutely one of the most) 'jazz' compositions of all time. Great job, Adam!
You could make an argument for the A7b9's function in terms of extended tonal relationships and substitutions, but to my ear it's meant to be disjunct with what proceeds and follows it -- it sounds to me like a chromatic lower neighbor to Bb that appears almost impatiently, like it's trying to cut off the flow of the tune early and get home to Bb as soon possible. The Gb of course doesn't really resolve that tension directly, but in being more legible in context of the key center, having that major 7 warmth, and maybe by virtue of its mediant relationship with Bb7sus4 it almost seems to say "we're not there yet, little one, but don't worry, we'll get there soon." I don't interpret the progression as programmatically as that sounds, but that's the emotional aura of it to me.
Great video! New fave of yours. Lovely playing at the end. I always thought this tune was bit of a nod to Trane's Naima, at least in vibe and approach and perhaps structure. I also love it's placement on the album, which is one of the most complete album statements in jazz. respect.
A unique perspective. Another way to approach this miraculous harmony might be more from the voice leading that he uses and its relation to the melody. That could provide a more linear approach
19:00 Adam, your ability to make some weird math we do with our ears (y'know, music? lol) manifest in a more easily digestible way is why I subbed years ago. I'm a seasoned amateur at everything I do. I'm a line cook making US$16.30/hr in the midwest (pretty please play a show in the Quad Cities?) who wants to write some raunchy punk rock as an emotional outlet. I like to listen to every kind of music except for "bro country" and most Top 40 stuff. Been listening to a lot of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Fiona Apple, Chick Corea, and Bauhaus lately. If "Infant Eyes" does what you say it does to you, I'm confident it'll move me the same way and it's the next hing I'll listen to. Music is what I would love to do professionally, but at the age of 44.5 I'm realistic. Thank you for helping me with my mindset for about 4 years now! I'm sure that others also get goosebumps when a new video of yours pops up. ✌💗🤘
The most salient characteristic of the mid 60s Wayne Shorter Ballad is his comprehensive use of melodic minor related harmonies ie. Maj7#5 like Iris or 7#11 chords as a Tritone substitution and the fully altered dom7 also the sus,b9 used often by Coltrane. Oh there's one more used more often by Bill Evans and that's minor7b5 with the raised 9th or non locrian 9th. But all these chords just represent different starting points or modes of a melodic minor ascending scale. I've been trying to explain this point for over 10yrs in You Tube comments but few see the implications. Anyway other Shorter Waltzes and ballads to check out Teru, Iris, Fall, Nefertiti, Night Dreamer,
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There is something uplifting about how the legacy of jazz musicians is so prone to being reinterpreted, recontextualized and just keeps on evolving long after they're gone. It seems fitting that music made by such forward-thinking musicians would never stagnate and instead go on to inspire next generations
Amen
This is the truth of immortality. Wayne has transcended the reach of his mortal hand and cast his pregnant dreams far into the future.
And then there’s copyright trying to make that impossible
@@wilh3lmmusic capitalism tries to ruin everything
@@wilh3lmmusic Copyright doesn't make that impossible at all. It's just a barrier against lazy exploitation. The essence of jazz is informed participation in a musical tradition. Not just arbitrary DAW-based fan fiction.
I'm always blown away by how many relevant historical clips you're able to pull into these videos. Makes me realize how tiny an iceberg tip I really know about jazz history.
This. I learn so much from Adam's videos, about things I didn't even realize I wanted and needed to know more about, if that makes any sense.
Or how much we know of history at all.
God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen! God loves you all! The Father sent the Son to die for you and your sins so that you could experience freedom to the fullest! Believe in Christ's death and resurrection (which sealed the work done on the cross) for your salvation and the forgiveness of sins! Amen! God bless you all, I will keep you in my prayers!!!!!!!
you can go to a library too....
I have Speak No Evil in vinyl somewhere. Used to wear it out. His Blue Note stuff reminds me of smoky bars and Deep Jazz. Refer to Charlie Parker’s Kansas City Blues. Listen to Coltranes ballads
I was privileged enough to get to befriend Wayne in the last months of his life, and he had a beautiful unconquerable spirit. Got to listen to his albums with him telling me the stories behind the songs... such a fond memory. Thank you for this beautiful video and homage Adam!
tell me some of the stories. i am studying his compositions
I mean, he DID compose "Elegant People" AND "Palladium". The man was an absolute boss and will be greatly and sorely missed. R.I.P., Wayne.
Elegant people SLAPS
@Ryan Renteria It slaps so hard tho.
@@RyanRenteria
Elegant people slapsssss
And also _Harlequin, Ana Maria, Adams Apple, Children of the night, Juju, 12 more bars to go, Endangered species, Face on the barrom floor, Lusitanos, Beauty and the Beast, Yes or no,_ etc. etc.
What a beautiful tribute to Wayne via your love and passion for Infant Eyes, and your non-intrusive non-magic-destroying analysis. A pleasure.
Hi Mike, i'm going to take this opportunity to say can you PLEASE COME TO AUSTRALIA - i had tickets to your twice-canceled covid gigs. . .we're ready!! Please come down!
I am not convinced how Wayne Shorter played his saxophone because the guy have less dynamics and articulations and the worst of all no sound quality which will contribute for commercial success. The fact is only few people appreciate him.
Wayne Shorter was my favorite jazz composer of all time. I was so heart broken when he passed. Thank you so much for making such a wonderful video to celebrate the magic of his music
Came here to say this exact comment!!!
I think the three greatest are Duke, Monk and Wayne. The one that's influenced me the most is Wayne.
Same here. Shorter and Strayhorn for me!
@@ayoungethan Definitely, Strayhorn is up there too. Can't you picture Johnny Hodges playing Infant Eyes. There is a Strayhorn aspect to Wayne's ballads.
Pssst, don’t forget Mingus! But all the above are legends, rightfully so!
I love Adam's slow, relaxed pace of speech on this video. No rushing makes it more enjoyable.
Now are you a rusher, or are you a dragger or are you gonna be ON MY FUCKING TIME?
He was probably high lol No diss
Rest in peace Chief genuinely each time I see something related to shorter now i just wanna cry.
He deserves the best place in heaven.
Same. I always held him at the top of my list of favorite (jazz) musicians ever. Now that he’s passed I’ve done some more research on his life out of curious and he was such a humble, reserved and thoughtful individual and nothing short of a genius. So tragic and ironic that the past several months before his passing I was actually relistening to tons of Wayne’s work, especially the 70’s solo and Weather Report stuff. One song that became an earworm for me is his rendition of Milton Nascimento’s “Ponta De Areia”. I was listening to that song minutes before I heard of his death.
Bravo Adam.... I knew Wayne personally and he was always a beautiful mystery. I never heard him have a "normal" kind of conversation. All that he said always seemed as if you were talking to a visitor from a higher planet. And he wrote and played music.... and lived the same way. Herbie is like that as well. We are blessed to have been visited by them both. And as Herbie says of Wayne ... "he's not Dead... he's just away on tour". Once again he makes me smile.
The best kind of music, I think, is the kind that you can't quite explain but you can feel exactly what it intends to do.
The album Speak No Evil has long been my favourite jazz album. It's a huge part of why I decided to study jazz over contemporary piano. This was such a great analysis of one of its best tracks. Thank you Adam 🙏 Rest in Perpetuity, Wayne ❤️
SNE was also to me nothing less than life altering!
I purchased SNE in 1964 (not 1966) and though I was only 14 I thought it was the hippest thing I ever heard - I still think it is, after decades of listening and playing. It's really Wayne's extension of the kind of hard bop he was writing and performing with Art Blakey.
night dreamer, juju, adam's apple, the soothsayer, schizophrenia all this albums with a similar vibe every album is s tier along speak no evil
I have three jazz musicians I always return to: Shorter, Mingus and Ornette. They are very different from each other, but totally unique and unimitable. Shorter is to me a genius post-bop and modal composer, his pieces are simple but enigmatic. Even after a hundred listenings they always keep me intrigued about what comes after the next bar. And I love his tone, warmer and more melodious than Coltrane, but never soft or sweet. His 60s streak of Blue Note albums are a treasure.
wonderfully said
One of the most illuminating, well-judged and well-produced videos I've ever seen. Thank you. I love Wayne Shorter's work and you helped me understand why. I come away feeling a good deal more intelligent than when I arrived :-)
I'd never heard of Wayne Shorter till this video. You're introducing me to great new music. His playing is sublime.
Check out his stuff with Weather Report (all their stuff bc he was one of the 2 core members) and his myriad of incredible solo recordings and other collaborations. You will not be disappointed, and very likely be inspired.
If you’re familiar with Steely Dan (or not), check out the incredible sax solo Wayne made on the title track to their album *Aja.* I’m so envious of someone who is just beginning their Wayne Shorter journey! You’ve got some great discoveries awaiting you!
And also his stuff with Miles Davis, my favourite is the E.S.P. album. And his solo album Native Dancer, on which he was very inspired by Brazilian music.
@@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931 Native Dancer is a masterpiece blend of Jazz, Brazilian folk/pop music and even some Progressive rock influence. Ive had Ponta De Areia on repeat for months after listening to Native Dancer for the first time a couple years ago, and recently fell in love with it again while listening to a bulk of Wayne’s vast discography after hearing about his death.
@@avi_s0ncin0 I've been listening to Native Dancer since 1978. I never get tired of it.
Wonderful tribute to the Greatest Wayne Shorter. He has kept me awake at night for over 30 years listening to his beautiful playing and compositions while questioning his choices of harmony and melody. Nothing ever begins or ends, Wayne is Eternity. Thanks Adam.
I love "Pinocchio." The melody and progressions is so interesting. The moment I heard the Miles Davis version from "Nefertiti," I was in love. From there, I went on to explore more of his music and became a fan. Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter are two of my all-time favorite jazz artists.
The way I screamed LEGITIMIZES
Just a couple of days before his passing, I went to see Terence Blanchard playing "Absence", a tribute album to Wayne Shorter ... the impact he had ... thx for explaining some of the magic
I loved the way he carried himself and he seemed to always have such a wonderment or curiosity about him. Fantastic composure.
Such a master composer/player. . His harmonies are so dreamlike.
Wayne understood music is a continuum. RIP❤
Wayne Shorter's style is transporting me back to moments during the dozens of hours I spent playing LA Noire where this kind of sound was front and center. Beautiful harmony, to say the least.
Adam- both the insights and the interpretive playing of this tune are rather deep and spot on including your emotional reactions to exact notes and passages. I can only wonder how Wayne would have viewed this video. I can only think that he would have loved what you found in the tune and that you showed how well you understood his artistic intent. I dont know of anyone else who explains harmonic structures as well as you do, but more importantly- you overlay audio examples that uphold everything you describe as you speak. This is unique. It is one thing to simply say, "Wow. This is mind blowingly great." Its another thing to concisely and intelligently explain exactly why you feel that way.
Damn it, you got me crying and thinking about the great Wayne Shorter again 😢🙏🏾🎷
I was working on this song and I approached it from the view of "Where is the common practice harmony in this?" I discovered that if you look for common practice motion inside the chords and extensions. There is a way to find the "internal" common practice harmony. If you look at this song as re-harmonized. It makes more sense. The chord motion is not from the Roots up. It is from the top down. It is pre-reharmonized.
I had the honor to present the Wayne Shorter Quartet in concert in the Indianapolis market on March 21, 2015, which was the experience of a lifetime. Adam, your tribute to Wayne is beautiful beyond what words alone can express. That his own composition is the means to accomplish this is profound. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you for this posting.
One of the best produced, interesting, informative music videos I have seen. I have enjoyed Shorter's music for decades.
Your best video yet, Adam. Nerd out on some music theory, but always connect it to the sublime & the beautiful. Then end with a quick performance and homage to Shorter, with some intense words from him…well done!
That second A transition to me: Feels like when you have a lump in your throat and you feel emotional but you don't let it flood out, rather leak out in just a drip or two. It's a complex set of emotions that in their mutual exchange, the unfinished is finished, but isn't really, as resolution can't happen where resolution wasn't the goal.
Oh that's always been my favorite too. I've often hummed it to myself. It was dedicated to his infant daughter.
When I saw the A7b9 going to Gbmaj7 I immediately thought of it as hinting at Trane changes. The A7 wants to go to D major, but instead it resolves to a key that is up a major third (part of the Trane changes progression that moves key centers by major thirds). This would also make sense given that this was released well after Giant Steps and when Coltrane began experimenting with implementing this new kind of harmony over tons of tunes. Also, the bridge reminds me of Naima.
Anyways, it’s sad to see a musician so important to the idiom pass away. May he rest in peace
Wayne Shorter makes me feel understood
This is by far my favourite video you have ever done, this is a brilliant explanation of infant eyes and Wayne Shorter's fascinating compositions and has really helped me create an even greater interest and understanding of his music.
Wayne was one of the first jazz musicians I fell in love with in this genre.
Rest easy, Wayne.
Have to take issue with the suggestion that beginning a song’s bridge on IV is “almost a stylistic signifier of the blues” (10:12).
By the mid-1950s, it had become standard practice in ALL styles of commercially popular music to begin the bridge on IV (and end on V).
Take the songs of 1962, for example. That year, 304 songs made it into the Billboard Top 40. Of those 304 songs, 123 have bridges, and of those 123 bridges, 81 (66%) begin on IV.
Only a smattering of those 81 songs could be considered blues-based: Chains (The Cookies), Lie To Me (Brook Benton), and maybe Snap Your Fingers (Joe Henderson).
The vast majority are Tin Pan Alley, Brill Building, doo-wop, or country pop songs, e.g.: Crying In the Rain (The Everly Brothers), Monster Mash (Bobby "Boris" Pickett), Venus in Blue Jeans (Jimmy Clanton), You Don't Know Me (Ray Charles), I Remember You (Frank Ifield), I Wish That We Were Married (Ronnie & The Hi-Lites), She's Got You (Patsy Cline).
I am completely in awe of you and your magnificent mind. This video was absolutely incredible. Thankyou so much ❤
Babe wake up, new Adam Neely
I've never listened to Infant Eyes so I paused and listened to it before continuing the video. It took almost 3 minutes in before I decided I thought it was in Bb. Makes me feel good that Adam agrees.
I have always found Infant Eyes haunting and emotionally deep. This reveals some of why. Especially loved the playing segment - do more of that, please.
God knows how much I owe Wayne for showing me the wonders of music. The man truly knew how to make music that subverts your expectations by having multiple dimensions thrown into it. It's just music, but he made it like a puzzle. If anything, he taught me how to be free with my instrument
What a great video Adam! Thanks for this well constructed excerpt, and especially your musical insight! It was a very emotional moment in my life when Mr. Wayne Shorter passed. My journey into the jazz and fusion realm has been quite short, only 2½ years so far, but God has it changed my musical perspective and my musical goals. Wayne Shorter was an impressive and beautiful composer alongside so many legends that had passed on. Thanks again again from a local Brooklyn-ite!
Thanks for this wonderful video on Wayne Shorter. I have always loved his music but never knew who was playing it. Now I know and am grateful for it.
realising how much of a feat it is that you manage to make the whole format of your videos digestible it's incredible
One of your best videos. I'm biased, of course, because Wayne Shorter had a powerful influence on me as a young musician - but your analysis was simultaneously insightful, respectful, and clear - no mean feat.
I don’t have any music theory education beyond that I’ve picked up on TH-cam since the pandemic lockdown started. Since then, I have become a mass consumer of music analysis videos and this one is a top five example.
Really fantastically informative and entertaining, too
Thanks, Adam
Thank you for making something complex accessible, or vice versa.
Just wanted you to know, that your videos inspire me deeply and motivates me to check out new music every now and then. I admire your ability to pass on your knowledge and interest in music. Your videos adds a new perspective to music and life, and i keep getting enriched by your channel.
Have a lovely day Adam :)
Infant Eyes is very much the foundation of Soul Jazz. Thank you Wayne.
OMG - this is SO forking cool! Amazing insights so beautifully presented. Your presentation helps so much to understand and appreciate Shorter's genius, something I'm only now beginning to understand. This is yet another instance of knowledge = understanding = appreciation - I mean analytic knowledge, theoretical knowledge, in depth knowledge... it goes beyond just listening to something and appreciating its beauty which is fine too but also limited. In any case, thank you Adam for your amazing teaching.
Everytime I play this I am moved by it’s beauty. No need to shred here. He says it all. Thanks for this
What a beautiful way to celebrate Wayne probably one of your best videos Adam. Thank you so much for this.
Adam Neely has that soothing yet enthusiasmatic documentary voice.
I love being surprised by gorgeous harmony resolutions. There’s something really delightful about being taken aback by a beautiful progression you didn’t expect! I love this history in this. Gregorian chant is a fave!!
I’ve learned more about music in this video than all the others combined. Of course like many, I came to Weather Report for JACO but stayed for Wayne’s intoxicating, atmospheric, sound structures. He always captivated me .
Wayne is greatly missed.... This is a great tribute video. I love it.
I am by no means a student of jazz. My background is in punk and psychedelic rock. But Infant Eyes is pretty close to what I hear in my head when someone tells me to imagine a jazz song.
Now I know the name of the composer, and can't wait to dig into his catalogue.
Wayne Shorter is excellent. I was privileged enough to see him live once years ago when he performed at the Ottawa Jazz Festival.
rest in peace and modes and harmony Wayne Shorter
I just saw Wayne Shorter and I clicked like. What a legend! R.I.P., king.
Was not expecting to see Roscoe Holcomb in a video about Wayne Shorter, but I’m here for it.
that’s a fire bass jam in the end, really enjoyed your approach
Thanks, Adam, for this fascinating and heartfelt tribute to one of the greatest jazz-musicians ever.
☝️😎
I met Wayne Shorter’s music when I was an imposter pianist in jazz groups (knowing enough to get by) while I was studying classical music and theory in college. I told my drummer friend who played (just-released) Atlantis for me that this was the door to the future. That didn’t come from a deep understanding of what I was hearing. It was that I’d never heard a new language (to me) in jazz that was so coherent, fresh, inventive, and heartfelt. It had to be the new language that everyone would learn. Your analysis of Infant Eyes confirms my early, mostly naive response. I think you nailed it. Thanks!
I absolutely love Wayne Shorter. Speak no evil on repeat for months to years. Dance Cadaverous makes me happy.
And you honouring the man with this video, well done and thankyou!!!
You convey your knowledge and communicate your soul in language that is beyond words. It is a language I am a part of. Sounds strange? No I think you get it. You are deeply routed in music-ese. Jazz is you soul. Music is your emotion.
Btw I was born in 1966. Coïncidence? I guess I was raised on Jazz
Was introduced to Wayne thru Weather Report, thanks to my high school music teacher. I'm a bassist and Jaco was my way in for getting familiar with so many other great artists. RIP Wayne 🙏
I turned my high school music teacher onto Weather Report Wayne Shorter and he was a sax guy
nice recognition. thank you.
Infant Eyes changed the way I thought about harmony. Great video, Adam!
I love how 23 minutes of dense analysis is a jazz musicians idea of not over-analyzing :D
Thanks for this beautiful tribute to Wayne, especially the guidance through the maze of Infant Eyes.
Dear Adam, I always enjoy your videos for their style and depth of insight. This particular video on Infant Eyes also breathes a remarkable emotional intensity that obviously carries your deep appreciation for the tune and Wayne Shorter's art. It also remembers me to remain humble if it comes to seemingly knowing some Jazz-stuff. There is so much more ... the journey never ends. Thanks
Around the 2 minute mark of 'A Remark You Made' by Weather Report, the interaction between Wayne Shorter and Jaco absolutely wrecks me. Just hearbreakingly beautiful.
“Why do you want to live…
because I must”
Wayne Shorter IMHO is one of the greatest Artist of the 20th century.
I have been following Shorter since the mid 70’s after a musician friend introduced me to his music, I have been blessed to have attended a few of his concerts.
Two years ago he accepted my “friend requested” on FB, it was a great honor, and pleasure to have communicated with Wayne as well as commenting on his post, towards the end of last year he sent me a personal message thanking me for being a fan and supporting his music, at this point I knew that he was ill.
I can not tell you how much this meant to me, and the fact that he took the time to communicate with me, this speaks volumes of the kind of human being he was.
I’m sorry I got off track, and I thank you for this very informative video on the process of “Infant Eyes”
*BTW my son has become a big Wayne Shorter fan, just like his Dad 🎷👏🏽
Rest In Paradise Mr. Shorter,
your Legacy is in good hands Sir 🎷👏🏽🙏🏾🕊️❤️
The A7b9(add 13) is actually a Gb chord in the right hand over A and G interval in the left. So... a Gb major chord is already being played under the mask of the A7 in the bass, and LO! It resolves to Gbmaj7 effortlessly. How is this possible??? Oh but it is. Thanks for delving into this one, Adam!! I love this tune like no other and for all the reasons you break down, and I've done some of the same analysis myself. Thanks for validating!
Nicely analyzed and explained, thank you maestro.
Adam this is so freakin good
great piece on one of the most important unique, consistent voices in music
your performance and edits with Wayne speaking brought tears to my eyes
Not all the way through the video yet but I've read allot of analysis on "Shoterian Harmony". He liked for successive chords to have root notes a whole or half step apart. My guess is he'd choose which one he wanted, then try out different chord qualities (major, minor, dominant, diminished, etc.) to see which one flowed the best. He would also employ this technique with the first chord of successive phrases. So that Gbmaj7 is a half step away from the Gm7 in the first phrase. He would also sprinkle in some circle of fifths to bring the harmony back to that familiar Tin-Pan alley feel that is part of the DNA of jazz.
ETA: Haha, the Wayne Shorter quote about Infant Eyes basically says all of that.
Gracias Adam por este brillante y sentido análisis. Se nota un alto nivel de amor y respeto. Enhorabuena
What a beautiful analysis and tribute. I wish that the richness of the jazz tradition had more exposure. It makes already-incredible music that much more meaningful and culturally relevant. Rest in peace Wayne.
Beautiful tribute. I'm sorry to say that I've never heard his music until I saw this video, so thank you for showing me his work
LEGITIMIZES!
also: absolutely mesmerizing content as always.
Great analysis of Infant Eyes. Such an amazing composer. RIP Wayne Shorter.
I had the privilege to hear Wayne Shorter live when he performed at the Melbourne Jazz Festival years ago
Thank you for this amazing video! You put so much effort and knowledge into your work that its inspiring on it's own. Wayne has accomplished the dream that many musicians have - he will stay immortal through music. And with your videos and research, someone else might show up, get inspired and do the same.
Brilliant in so many ways. Big thanks for putting this together.
One of my favorite tunes of all time, rest in peace Wayne Shorter. One of my favorite tunes of him is also "Face of the Deep" from his record "The All Seeing Eye", a ballad of the same caliber of Infant Eyes imo. That whole record is really wild, any fans of freer jazz definitely check it out.
This is why we love Adam Neely.
but please find another sponsor, skillshare is a huge scam
Rest in Peace, Wayne Shorter
Infant Eyes has always been so magical that I never even took upon uncovering the mechanics behind the magic. So thank you so much for this interesting and inspiring insight.
Beautiful vid as ever. Just a note on the A7b9; I’ve always heard this as a tritone sub for a I7; the A13b9 is a close sub for a Eb7#9. This would generally resolve to Abm or Ab11. Gb Lydian is a (third) inversion of an Ab11 vibe. And a much easier voice lead into the F sus, of course.
That bass solo was lovely. That bass solo was lovely.
I think Wayne's impressionist approach gets at the core of what I personally think the point of art is, which is to express some otherwise ineffable feeling, thought or experience, rather than recreate or represent something concrete from reality. He also made heavy use of the whole-tone scale and other potent, strange and dissonant tonalities where a lot of other composers shyed away from those polarizing flavors, which gave his music an otherworldly feel for me, for example in Juju
Great video. I studied this song in college. Thanks for the thoughtful analysis.
love and passion for music. Thanks Wayne, thanks Adam!
Thanks for choosing "Infant Eyes". Some consider it to be the most beautiful (absolutely one of the most) 'jazz' compositions of all time. Great job, Adam!
You could make an argument for the A7b9's function in terms of extended tonal relationships and substitutions, but to my ear it's meant to be disjunct with what proceeds and follows it -- it sounds to me like a chromatic lower neighbor to Bb that appears almost impatiently, like it's trying to cut off the flow of the tune early and get home to Bb as soon possible. The Gb of course doesn't really resolve that tension directly, but in being more legible in context of the key center, having that major 7 warmth, and maybe by virtue of its mediant relationship with Bb7sus4 it almost seems to say "we're not there yet, little one, but don't worry, we'll get there soon." I don't interpret the progression as programmatically as that sounds, but that's the emotional aura of it to me.
Great video! New fave of yours. Lovely playing at the end. I always thought this tune was bit of a nod to Trane's Naima, at least in vibe and approach and perhaps structure. I also love it's placement on the album, which is one of the most complete album statements in jazz. respect.
A unique perspective. Another way to approach this miraculous harmony might be more from the voice leading that he uses and its relation to the melody. That could provide a more linear approach
19:00 Adam, your ability to make some weird math we do with our ears (y'know, music? lol) manifest in a more easily digestible way is why I subbed years ago. I'm a seasoned amateur at everything I do. I'm a line cook making US$16.30/hr in the midwest (pretty please play a show in the Quad Cities?) who wants to write some raunchy punk rock as an emotional outlet.
I like to listen to every kind of music except for "bro country" and most Top 40 stuff. Been listening to a lot of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Fiona Apple, Chick Corea, and Bauhaus lately.
If "Infant Eyes" does what you say it does to you, I'm confident it'll move me the same way and it's the next hing I'll listen to.
Music is what I would love to do professionally, but at the age of 44.5 I'm realistic. Thank you for helping me with my mindset for about 4 years now! I'm sure that others also get goosebumps when a new video of yours pops up.
✌💗🤘
oh adam this is one of your best! i finally see now why that A7b9 has haunted me for the last ten years!
The most salient characteristic of the mid 60s Wayne Shorter Ballad is his comprehensive use of melodic minor related harmonies ie. Maj7#5 like Iris or 7#11 chords as a Tritone substitution and the fully altered dom7 also the sus,b9 used often by Coltrane. Oh there's one more used more often by Bill Evans and that's minor7b5 with the raised 9th or non locrian 9th. But all these chords just represent different starting points or modes of a melodic minor ascending scale. I've been trying to explain this point for over 10yrs in You Tube comments but few see the implications. Anyway other Shorter Waltzes and ballads to check out Teru, Iris, Fall, Nefertiti, Night Dreamer,