Wayne Shorter, one of the greatest saxophonists of the last half century passed away on Thursday March 2, 2023 after a brief hospital stay.
Shorter emerged in the late 1950s, beginning with Art Blakely’s Jazz Messengers and then the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s. In 1969 on Davis’ albums “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew,” Shorter played with Austrian keyboardist Josef Zawinul.
Shortly after, with Zawinul and bassist Miroslav Vitous, Shorter formed Weather Report, with its self-titled album released in 1971. Weather Report would continue for 15 years, with various personnel changes along the way. Its most commercially successful album, Heavy Weather, featured acclaimed bassist Jaco Pastorius and resulted in arena-sized concerts across the US. The album was Certified Platinum in sales.
When Weather Report disbanded in 1986, Shorter formed the Wayne Shorter Quartet which he continued with different iterations, for many years.
Shorter was highly acclaimed, winning:
- 12 Grammy Awards,
- A National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 1998,
- A Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2015,
- A 2016 Guggenheim Fellow and,
- A 2018 Kennedy Center Honors.
Mr. Shorter is survived by his wife, Carolina Dos Santos, and daughters Miyako and Mariana Shorter.
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