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It seems inevitable that Wayne Shorter and Carlos Santana would team up. They seem to have similar sensibilities, and they share a passion for expressive music. Shorter’s jazz credentials are indisputably top-of-the-line, and his time spent with Miles Davis and Weather Report proved that his rhythmic intuitions were impeccable. Santana’s rock chops go unquestioned, but his jazz sensibilities are almost equally as impressive. As John Mayer said, the mark of a great player is that “They’re all stuck on what they’re seeking, not where they are.” Is there a better way to describe the combined work of these two men? Come to think of it, it seems incredible that we waited until 1988 for this to happen, and it’s surprising that the tag team didn’t last longer than it did. Released almost two decades after they toured together, this CD and DVD release make it possible for the unfortunate many who could not see these shows to find out what they missed.
Together onstage, Santana and Shorter are like two great explorers seeking out new territory, using a vast, deep and almost superhuman percussion/rhythm section as their Sacagawea. The rhythm section for this show leads the players to places that most human beings could only experience through witnessing it, because it is almost impossible for an average player to interact with musicians of this caliber. Their interplay is generous, but intensely accurate and precise, never crowding the soloists but constantly prodding them to push further. The only relief comes when the band winds down for a blues progression, or some relaxed reflection. The dual keyboards fatten the overall sound, but the Yamaha DX7 sound samples date the proceedings to the mid-‘80s era of synthesized plastic, providing the only false note of the performance. This is unfortunate, because the playing of soloist Patrice Rushen (remember the pop song “Forget Me Nots”? It turns out that she’s a killer keyboardist!) has a delicious Cuban feel that suits the music brilliantly.
Both Shorter and Santana are restless spirits, so it was inevitable that this pairing could not last forever. Nevertheless, they achieved quite a bit for the time they spent. Judging from this performance, it was an experiment that worked magnificently, and an experience that all fans of interpretive jazz, rock and fusion will appreciate immensely.
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