“One of the most significant composers and individual saxophonists in jazz.” The New York Times
Hailed as the “greatest living improviser” by The New York Times, the 82-year-old virtuoso is the living, morphing connection between the golden age of bebop, the cosmic 70s and the future of jazz.
Watch the interview between Wayne Shorter and Joe Lovano
A renowned player and composer (ESP, Nefertiti), Shorter began his career with the originals — Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis’ quintet — before conjuring a new era of jazz-fusion with Weather Report, and playing on albums by Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones.
Fifty years after his first Blue Note album (Speak No Evil, 1965), Shorter joined fellow industry-shaper Herbie Hancock to write an open letter to the next generation of artists. “It’s up to you to be the pioneers,” they said. “Whether through the exploration of new sounds, rhythms, and harmonies or unexpected collaborations, processes and experiences, we encourage you to dispel repetition in all of its negative forms and consequences… never conform.”
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement-winner has dazzled critics with his first permanent acoustic ensemble, the Wayne Shorter Quartet, featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and Brian Blade on drums, which topped Downbeat’s critic’s poll for a decade.
