Wayne Shorter, who – alongside his own famous albums and work with jazz supergroup Weather Report – has worked with the likes of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell, has died at the age of 89.
He died Thursday morning (March 2) in Los Angeles, Shorter’s rep confirmed to ROLLING STONE. The cause of death was not disclosed. His longtime label Blue Note said on Thursday: “Visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, devout Buddhist, devoted husband, father and grandfather Wayne Shorter has passed away at the age of 89, leaving the earth as we know it and embarked on a new journey as part of his extraordinary life. Shorter was surrounded by his loving family in Los Angeles at the time of his transition.”
Wayne Shorter pushed the boundaries of jazz
In a career spanning eight decades—from his debut in 1959 to his Grammy-winning Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2023—Shorter has been one of jazz’s most prolific and visible ambassadors, pushing the boundaries of the art form itself and sharing its influence merged into all genres of music.
Herbie Hancock, Shorter’s closest friend and collaborator for more than six decades, said in a statement: “Wayne Shorter, my best friend, left us with courage in his heart, love and compassion for all and a searching spirit for the eternal future. He was ready for his rebirth. Like every human being, he is irreplaceable and was able to reach a new peak of his own ability as a saxophonist, composer, orchestrator and recently as the composer of the masterful opera ‘Iphigenia’. I miss being with him and his special Wayne-isms, but I will always carry his spirit in my heart.”
“Maestro Wayne Shorter was our hero, guru and wonderful friend,” added Blue Note President Don Was. “His music had a spirit that came to us from a great distance and made this world a much better place. Likewise, his warmth and wisdom enriched the lives of all who knew him. Thankfully, the work he left behind will stay with us forever.”
Debut with members of Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue band
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Shorter began his career under the tutelage of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, performing alongside future jazz greats (and peers) like Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. After half a decade with Blakey, Shorter released his 1959 debut as a bandleader with three musicians – bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb and pianist Wynton Kelly – who formed the backbone of Davis’ Kind of Blue just months earlier.
An art school graduate with a college degree in music education, Shorter excelled in both composition and improvisation—two skills he eventually put to good use when recruited by Davis for what became known as the Trumpeter’s Second Great Quintet.
This lineup – which also included bassist Ron Carter, pianist Hancock and drummer Tony Williams – first appeared on the 1965 album ESP and assisted Davis in exploring jazz fusion on subsequent seminal albums such as In a Silent Way ‘, ‘Miles in the Sky’, ‘Nefertiti’ (whose title track Shorter wrote) and ‘Bitches Brew’ (which featured Shorter’s composition ‘Sanctuary’).
Shorter’s time with Davis coincided with some of his biggest bandleading successes, most notably 1965’s “Juju” and 1966’s “Speak No Evil.”
Great success with Weather Report
After exploring jazz fusion alongside Davis in the late ’60s, Shorter formed Weather Report with keyboardist Joe Zawinul in 1970, which continued to expand the subgenre’s sound by blending jazz with funk and world music influences. After bassist Jaco Pastorius was added in 1976, Weather Report celebrated their greatest success, which was recorded on albums such as “Heavy Weather” (1977) and “Mr. Gone” (1978) (the title is a nickname of Shorter).
Shorter has won 12 Grammy Awards over the course of his career, beginning in 1979 for Weather Report’s “8:30” and most recently at the 2023 Grammys for Best Improvised Jazz Solo (“Endangered Species” by Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival, a of Shorter’s final appearances in 2017).
Joni Mitchell and Wayne Shorter
In addition to his own work as a bandleader and sideman, Shorter was a sought-after studio musician and a favorite of Joni Mitchell, who hired the saxophonist on all ten studio albums she released between 1977 and 2002, including 1979’s jazz-inspired Mingus. Shorter also contributed the classical saxophone solo on Steely Dan’s “Aja” as well as Don Henley’s “The End of Innocence”.
Shorter has struggled with health issues in recent years, and dozens of jazz musicians – both collaborators (Hancock, Branford Marsalis) and the generations of artists he’s inspired like Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, Terence Blanchard – have flocked in form of benefit concerts around the saxophonist to raise money for his medical expenses.
Still, his work stayed alive: Shorter’s imaginative LP Emanon, a 3xLP live set featuring a graphic novel co-created by the then 85-year-old saxophonist, was ranked third in ROLLING STONE’s 20 Best Jazz Albums of 2018.
One of the last living jazz legends of his era, Shorter was a recipient of the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, which recognized his contribution to jazz as “a genius, a trailblazer, a visionary, and one of the greatest composers on earth.” In addition, Shorter received the 2015 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an NEA Jazz Masters Award and the Polar Music Prize.
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