Song of the Day: Wayne Shorter, “JuJu”


“JuJu” is the ecstatic title track from Wayne Shorter’s 1965 album of the same name. This is a transformative LP that is considered one of the seminal Blue Note sessions of the period. “JuJu” is post-bop with an avant-garde, experimental edge. It showcases the saxophonist’s forward-looking “all-seeing eye,” playing with structures and expanding on conventions. JuJu was Shorter’s fifth album as a leader and found him working with a top cast of frequent John Coltrane collaborators, including McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman and Elvin Jones. Tyner’s swirling piano particularly enhances the exotic adventurism of the title track.

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