David Sanborn: 1984 + Wayne Shorter: 1996 – Live At Montreux (Eagle DVDs)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: C-     Concerts: B-

 

 

We finally catch up with something featuring David Sanborn at his best.  Eagle Eye is releasing two Montreux concerts at the same time, but in separate packaging.  There is David Sanborn: 1984 – Live At Montreux and Wayne Shorter: 1996 – Live At Montreux.  For the record, we have covered Shorter before from Eagle, as this link will show:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5727/Carlos+Santana+At+Montreux:+Live

 

 

Both are Jazz concerts and decent ones at that.  The Sanborn show has nine tracks including Autumn Leaves with the underrated Ricky Lee Jones, plus includes three tracks from an earlier 1981 show.  The Shorter show has only five tracks, but adds two bonus tracks each for the years 1991 and 1992.  Quincy Jones introduces those and David Gilmore is on guitar for the main program.  All in all, these are good concert discs for Jazz fans.

 

The Shorter show is anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 video, while Sanborn is at the 1.33 X 1 ratio, but I thought they looked about as good as each other and the Shorter show seemed a little detail challenged when it should not have.  Both also have DTS 5.1 at best, plus Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0 mixes, but the 5.1 mixes are only so multi-channel.  Sanborn fans will still want to think of the out of print DVD-Audio of The Dance as a reference disc for his work.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo