One tends to assume that the
Citizen Wayne the
Nighthawks are referring to is saxophonist
Wayne Shorter. However, trumpeter/flugelhornist
Reiner Winterschladen and bassist/keyboardist
Dal Martino -- who call themselves
the Nighthawks -- don't play any
Shorter songs on this CD. Except for
Thelonious Monk's
"'Round Midnight," all of the material was written by the German improvisers themselves. So
Citizen Wayne doesn't sound like a
Shorter tribute, although
Miles Davis (
Winterschladen's biggest influence) was among
Shorter's main employers in the 1960s. The music on this album (which tends to be moody) isn't hard bop or post-bop; it's fusion, and the
Nighthawks' influences range from
Tutu-era
Davis to
Michael Brecker. Unfortunately,
Martino tends to overproduce, which is a mistake for a jazz musician. While heavy production is fine for hip-hop or dance-pop, jazz is better served by spontaneity. But despite that flaw,
Citizen Wayne is likable. The writing is generally decent, and
Winterschladen isn't a bad musician (although he needs to develop his own style instead of sounding so
Davis-like). The
Nighthawks would do well to cut back on the electronics and strive for spontaneity, but this German release has more plusses than minuses. ~ Alex Henderson
