This song has been covered only a handful of times, in contrast to Shorter's other Blue Note classic compositions. The first recording actually came a full year before Shorter recorded it for himself: he brought it with him for the taping of Bobby Timmons' The Soul Man! lp in 1966. The other one of note is by John Scofield, whose outtaked version wasn't even released until Blue Note slapped it onto a contract-ending "Best Of" album in the mid-nineties covering his years with the label. Sco took a different approach to the number, employing a smokey cool organ trio configuration that brings out the soul oozing from the song almost as well as Shorter's version.
Nevertheless, it's Shorter's rendition that's the one to go for first. The rest of Schizophrenia may take a while to sink in, but "Tom Thumb" gets into your soul right off.
Listen: Wayne Shorter - "Tom Thumb"
"One Track Mind" is a more-or-less weekly drool over a single song selected on a whim and a short thesis on why you should be drooling over it, too.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
great stuff. man, i am so deficient in the Wayne Shorter department. i think i only have Adams Apple.
...and of course a pile of Weather Report.