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Shades of Jade
Studio album by Marc Johnson
Released	September 17, 2005
Recorded	January–February 2004
Studio	Avatar, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	60:44
Label	ECM ECM 1894
Producer	Manfred Eicher, Eliane Elias
Marc Johnson chronology
Bass and Cello (2004) Shades of Jade (2005) Swept Away (2012)

Shades of Jade is a studio album by American jazz bassist Marc Johnson, recorded in early 2004 and released on ECM September the following year—his first release for the label since 1987. The album's title is a reference to, Scott La Faro's "Jade Visions," first featured on Sunday at the Village Vanguard; both La Faro and Johnson came to prominence as the bassist in Bill Evans' Trio.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz
The Buffalo News
Guardian
PopMatters
Tom Hull	B+()
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

Reviews

All About Jazz's critic John Kelman stated, "Some would argue that it's impossible to call a recording classic until sufficient time has passed to determine its true staying power. Still, one can say that a recording has the makings of a classic—especially in its ability to be simultaneously of its time and timeless."

Mike Shanly in his review for JazzTimes wrote, "In fact, Elias could almost be the de facto leader of the session."

Jeff Simon of The Buffalo News noted "When you hear the gorgeous, summer-afternoon trance tune that gives the disc its title, you'll know how very much about beauty Johnson learned as the bassist for both Bill Evans and Stan Getz, once upon a time... A gorgeous disc."

BBC music critic Peter Marsh wrote: "But it's the ballads (and especially Elias's poised, emotionally charged soloing) that stay in the memory long after the CD's finished. While this music might not change your world, it'll feel like a better place while you're listening to it. That can't be bad."

The Guardian reviewer awarded the album four stars.

Track listing

All pieces by Marc Johnson (1, 3, 5, 7-8) and Eliane Elias (1-4, 6, 9).

1. "Ton sur ton" (5:55)
2. "Apareceu" (6:04)
3. "Shades of Jade" (7:40)
4. "In 30 Hours" (6:10)
5. "Blue Nefertiti" (7:14)
6. "Snow" (8:24)
7. "Since You Asked" (3:18)
8. "Raise" (6:35)
9. "All Yours" (4:11)
10. "Don't Ask of Me" (5:13)

Personnel

• Marc Johnson – double bass
• Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone (except tracks 6, 7 & 10)
• John Scofield – guitar (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8)
• Eliane Elias – piano (except tracks 7 & 10)
• Joey Baron – drums
• Alain Mallet – organ (tracks 8 & 10)

References

1. "ECM Review". ECMrecords.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
2. HOVAN, ANDREW (November 12, 2005). "Marc Johnson: Shades Of Jade (2005)". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2015-12-18.
3. ^ Simon, Jeff (18 September 2005). "Listening Post / Brief reviews of select releases". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
4. ^ Fordham, John (2005-10-21). "Marc Johnson, Shades of Jade (ECM) – Review". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
5. Layman, Will (27 November 2005). "Marc Johnson: Shades of Jade". PopMatters. popmatters.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
6. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Marc Johnson". Tom Hull. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
7. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 789. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
8. Kelman, John (2004-06-21). "Marc Johnson: Shades of Jade (2005) Track Review". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
9. Shanley, Mike (1 November 2005). "Marc Johnson: Shades of Jade". JazzTimes. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
10. Marsh, Peter. "Marc Johnson Shades of Jade Review". BBC. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2015.

External links

• Shades of Jade at AllMusic

• 2005 albums
• ECM Records albums
• Marc Johnson (musician) albums