Beyond The Sound Barrier was recorded on the Wayne Shorter Quartet's world tour between 2002 and 2004. Besides saxophonist Wayne Shorter, who already counted seventy years of life during this tour, this acoustic quartet consists of pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. This band was formed during the recording of Alegria, for which Shorter rightly received two Grammy
… Awards. Beyond The Sound Barrier contains two old songs (Joy Ryder, Over Shadow Hill Way), three new compositions by Wayne Shorter, Smilin 'Trough by Arthur Penn, the theme of the 1941 film of the same name, On Wings Of Song by Felix Mendelssohn and Tinker Bell, a composition of the entire quartet. Previous recordings of this group can be heard on Footprints Live (2002). Since then the quartet has grown audibly. Their explosive improvisations are the result of an almost telepathic interaction. Shorter, despite his advanced age, is not afraid to take risks and is constantly striving for new challenges. (AD)more
