Black Nile is a Wayne Shorter composition from his 1964 Blue Note album Night Dreamer. It is performed by Shorter's quintet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. The tune sits at the hard bop edge with post-bop hints and aims to convey a flowing, river-like feeling that Shorter described as a depiction of a river route. The form is described as A-B-A-C, with a sophisticated harmonic structure and a distinctive melody. Night Dreamer, recorded at Van Gelder Studio and produced by Alfred Lion, features six Shorter originals and marks an important step in his development as a composer.
