A large portion of jazz music produced in the 20th century is attributed to Wayne Shorter. Wayne Shorter, one of the best jazz saxophonists, passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 89.
Who Was Wayne Shorter?
Shorter was a well-known player on the jazz scene in the late 1950s and is recognised with influencing much of jazz music in the 20th century. Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, and Herbie Hancock were just a few of the legends the 12-time Grammy recipient performed with.
His publicist verified that he passed away on Thursday with his family by his side. He performed with the Jazz Messengers in the 1950s alongside Blakey, Lee Morgan, and Freddie Hubbard before rising to the position of musical director for the group.
His Career In Jazz
But after numerous failed efforts by jazz great Miles Davis to include him in Davis’ Second Great Quintet, he was plucked away in 1964. He performed there with the renowned guitarist Hancock. Beginning in 1959, Shorter also put out solo recordings, among them the highly regarded Speak No Evil, Night Dreamer, and JuJu.
He had more artistic freedom when he was recording solo albums. He started combining jazz with rock and Latin music, creating the sounds that his next band, Weather Report, would later popularise. 1977 saw the platinum certification and top 30 US charts for Shorter’s Heavy Weather record, which included funk and R&B grooves.
Wayne Shorter Early Life
Shorter departed the Second Great Quintet in the late 1970s and co-founded VSOP with Hubbard and Hancock. Following Davis’ passing, the ensemble created the 1994 Grammy-winning album A Tribute to Miles. He performed on the Rolling Stones’ CD Bridges to Babylon in 1997.
Wayne Shorter began playing the clarinet at the age of 15 and was born in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey. Soon after, he switched from alto to soprano on the saxophone and pursued music studies at an institution before serving in the US Army for two years. In addition to his twelve Grammy victories, Shorter was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.