Wayne's World 

Good morning, whoever-reads-this! It's 11:04 and a windy 40 degrees. Giving a weather report here before talking about the man who founded Weather Report. 

I know Wayne Shorter more as composer than player. Footprints is probably his most widely played tune. Fee Fi Fo Fum and El Gaucho I've played on gigs here and there. HIs songs are harder to play mainly because the chords move in different ways. HIs ways of connecting the chords is often unusual, but there's always a connection.

I shied away from a few of his tunes because it was harder to sound good on them. They're often a tougher nut to crack. But after putting in some effort, they get easier. Shorter was not a cerebral writer, like Joe Henderson and even some of Herbie's stuff. I find his stuff fairly emotional, but it does have its own flavor. 

So I've been re-learning a couple of his tunes, adapting them to the guitar. Fee Fi Fo Fum is still a bitch on guitar, but doable. El Gaucho I've been able to “cowboy up” and do, but there are still a couple changes that elude me. I've also fooled around with Marie Antoinette. She's somewhere in the cluttered confines of the music room. Once I find her, we'll pick up where we left off. 

I think the reason his music resonates with me is that I was in dire need of some change in my diet. Maybe cut back on the Charlie Parker, and get some different harmonies going on. Wayne Shorter's music has helped pull me out of a slump I was in. 

RIP Wayne Shorter. 

PS Today's tune is one of my weirder creations. It's called Blanche and her Cheezball Friends. Hope you like it. 

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