Wayne Shorter’s career as an influential tenor saxophonist and composer reached more than half a century, tracking jazz’s complex evolution during that span. Wayne Shorter, the enigmatic, intrepid saxophonist who shaped the color and contour of modern jazz as one of its most intensely admired composers, died on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 89.
In 2017, Shorter was announced as the joint winner of the Polar Music Prize. The award committee stated: “Without the musical explorations of Wayne Shorter, modern music would not have drilled so deep. Shorter received the Kennedy Center Honors Award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for his lifetime of contributions to the arts.
Wayne Shorter siblings: Meet Alan Shorter
Growing up in Newark’s industrial Ironbound district, Wayne and his older brother, Alan, Mr. Shorter wrote his share of compositions that became jazz standards, like “Footprints,” a coolly ethereal waltz, and “Black Nile,” a driving anthem.
His recorded output as a leader, especially during a feverishly productive stretch on Blue Note Records in the mid-1960s when he made “Night Dreamer,” “JuJu,” “Speak No Evil” and several others, all post-bop classics — compares favorably to the best winning streaks in jazz.
