Wayne Shorter, one of the greatest jazz saxophonists, passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 89. Shorter, a well-known personality on the jazz circuit in the late 1950s, is recognized for shaping most of the jazz music of the 20th century.
The 12-time Grammy winner collaborated with such luminaries as Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, and Herbie Hancock.
On Thursday, he passed away surrounded by his family, his spokesperson announced. Social media tributes shared a common sentiment: the deceased will not be forgotten.
In the 1950s, he played alongside Blakey, Lee Morgan, and Freddie Hubbard with the Jazz Messengers, eventually becoming the group’s musical director.
But in 1964, after repeated attempts by jazz great Miles Davis to recruit him for his First Great Quintet, he was snatched away. There, he performed with the famous pianist Hancock.
Shorter released solo albums as early as 1959, including the critically, praised Speak No Evil, Night Dreamer, and JuJu.
Solo albums allowed him more creative flexibility. He began blending jazz, rock, and Latin music, resulting in the acclaimed sounds of his subsequent musical group, Weather Report.
Incorporating funk and R&B beats, Shorter’s Heavy Weather album entered the US top 30 in 1977 and went platinum. In the same year, he also contributed to the Rolling Stones’ album Brides to Babylon.
After Davis’ death, he reunited with Davis, along with Hubbard and Hancock, as the Second Great Quartet in the late 1970s and recorded the Grammy-winning album A Tribute to Miles in 1994.
Wayne Shorter was born in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, and began playing clarinet at age 15. Soon after, he switched to tenor and soprano saxophones and studied music at university before serving in the U.S. Army for two years.
Shorter received a Lifetime Achievement award in 2015, in addition to his dozen Grammy honors.
Also Read: M. Shadows Married His Wife After A 6th-Grade Romance
