Adam's Apple - Wayne Shorter

Recorded on February 3 and 24, 1966 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Adam's Apple features Wayne Shorter leading a quartet of Herbie Hancock on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums. Produced by Alfred Lion for Blue Note Records, the album appeared during Shorter's tenure with the Miles Davis Quintet, where Hancock was also a member. Five of the six tracks are Shorter originals, including the first recording of "Footprints," which became his most widely performed composition and a staple of the jazz repertoire — seven months before Davis's faster version appeared on Miles Smiles. The bossa nova-inflected "El Gaucho," the ballad "Teru," and the title track's infectious groove showcase Shorter's range as a composer, while "Chief Crazy Horse" features Chambers' abstract drumming in an extended solo. The lone non-original, Jimmy Rowles' "502 Blues (Drinkin' and Drivin')," fits naturally alongside Shorter's writing. A bonus track, Hancock's "The Collector," was omitted from the original LP for time constraints but restored on later reissues. The album returns to the intimate quartet format of JuJu after the larger ensembles on Speak No Evil and The All Seeing Eye, prioritizing tight interplay and space over density.