Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil (Blue Note, 1966)

There’s a substantial vote for Speak No Evil as the best jazz quintet album ever made. It’s got a lot of competition, sure—but none of that competition has the crisp energy of Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Elvin Jones playing (then new, now standards) “Witch Hunt” and “Infant Eyes,” or the unique harmonic language Shorter unveiled on “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum,” or the beguiling blend of blues and modalism that characterizes the whole affair. Best or not, Speak No Evil is extraordinary. MICHAEL J. WEST

Learn more about Speak No Evil on Amazon and Apple Music.