Shorter Returns to Blue Note; New Work from Green - Bob Stewart

Legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter makes his triumphant return to Blue Note Records after 43 years with the release of "Without a Net" -- joined by his long-running quartet featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. Shorter first recorded for Blue Note in 1959 as the precocious 26-year-old tenor saxophonist in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, which brought him to the attention of label founder Alfred Lion, who eventually signed the reed man to his own recording deal. Shorter went on to make a spectacular run of classic discs for the label from 1964-1970 during a period of time that also paralleled his years with Miles Davis. The new disc consists of live recordings from the Quartet's European tour of late 2011.

Benny Green possesses the history of jazz at his fingertips. Combine mastery of keyboard technique with decades of real world experience playing with the most celebrated artists of the last half-century and it's no wonder Green has been hailed as perhaps the most exciting, hard-swinging, hard-bop pianist to emerge from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. For his new CD -- "Magic Beans" -- Green has crafted ten new pieces performed by his working trio, featuring bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Remarkably, this release marks Benny's first self-produced trio recording of all original compositions in a career that spans decades: notably as a star sideman with Blakey, Betty Carter, Freddie Hubbard, and Ray Brown and culminating in over 20 years as a leader.