Oriental Folk Song is a Wayne Shorter composition and the second track on his 1964 Blue Note album Night Dreamer. It is one of six Shorter originals on the record, performed by a quintet featuring Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The tune sits in a modal jazz and post-bop landscape and reflects Shorter’s penchant for lyrical, dreamlike storytelling. Shorter has said he first heard Oriental Folk Song as a commercial theme and later learned it was based on an old Chinese song, adding a narrative layer to the piece. Night Dreamer was released in November 1964, recorded April 29, 1964 at Van Gelder Studio, and produced by Alfred Lion.
