Shorter exuded an unmistakably ethereal, mischievous and intimate tone from the tenor saxophone. Another favorite instrument of his was the soprano saxophone. In 1959, Shorter became a member of Art Blakey’s hard bop formation Jazz Messengers, then trumpeter Miles Davis invited him to join his quintet. Both of these formations are still considered to be among the best small groups in jazz history.
With the Austrian-American keyboardist Joe Zawinul and the Czech-American double bassist and bassist Miroslav Vitous one of the most famous jazz rock groups of the 1970s and 1980s Weather Report. He also collaborated with popular and rock music stars, such as singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell or guitarist Carlos Santana.
Wayne Shorter has released many albums under his own name as well. Many of his compositions, such as Footprints or Speak No Evil, have become jazz standards.
In this century, Shorter gave concerts with his new acoustic quartet, with whom he performed in 2007 at the Prague Spring Festival. He performed again in Prague in 2010. In 2013, Shorter visited Prague again as part of his tour, and in April 2016, this multiple Grammy award winner performed in Brno for the first time.
His death caused grief in the music industry. “Wayne Shorter, my best friend, left us with courage in his heart, love and compassion for all, and a spirit longing for an eternal future. He was ready for his rebirth,” he wrote on Twitter about his friend, a practicing Buddhist, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, who had already played with Shorter in Davis’ quintet.
Guitarist John McLaughlin called Shorter a great and drummer Jack DeJohnette a great legend. “He gave us such a treasure trove of recordings of his compositions and improvisations! I am so honored to have shared such an amazing creative experience with him,” DeJohnette tweeted.
Saxophonist Charles Lloyd wrote: “The Master was a visionary, a great composer, and a friend with whom I shared a love of the Eternal Now.”
Jazz music label Blue Note, with which the saxophonist released some of his best albums, said Shorter was leaving “an indelible mark on the evolution of music for more than 60 years”.
