The very powerful track 'Absence' introducing the album of the same name is new from Terence Blanchard. Shaped significantly and conceived overall as a Wayne Shorter tribute Absence finds the great New Orleanian trumpeter composer Blanchard with his band the E-Collective plus the Turtle Island Quartet. To be released by Blue Note on 27 August long-time Blanchard pianist Fabian Almazan makes a striking contribution to the piece early on while Blanchard's soloing later takes on a blistering intensity.

Absence features Shorter, Blanchard and E-collective pieces whose bassist David Ginyard wrote the title track. Shorter tracks included on the album are 'The Elders' (featured on Weather Report's 1978 album Mr Gone); 'Fall' (on Miles Davis 1968 album Nefertiti); 'When It Was Now' (on the 1996 Wayne compilation This is Jazz Vol. 19); 'Diana' (on both Wayne's 1975's Native Dancer and the 1997 duo album with Herbie Hancock, 1+1); & 'More Elders.' Terence Blanchard, top