89-Year-Old Jazz Saxophonist and Composer Wayne Shorter has Died

In an obituary published Thursday, Blue Note Records publicist Cem Kurosman said Shorter had died in Los Angeles. Shorter was a Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer who helped shape the sound of contemporary jazz. Since 1973, Shorter has been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards, and 12 of them have been won, including the most recent one he won for the song "Endangered Species."

After beginning to play the clarinet at 16 years old, Shorter switched to the tenor sax before attending New York University in 1952. Once he graduated in 1956, he played for jazz pianist Horace Silver for two years before he was drafted.

A jazz musician with a variety of bands

Shorter worked with Maynard Ferguson, Joe Zawinul, and Art Blakey, among several jazz groups, during the late 1950s and early 1960s. After joining Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet band in 1964, he continued playing with them until 1970 after being recruited by Miles Davis.

A prolific composer, Shorter contributed to hits such as "Nefertiti" with Davis in the Second Great Quintet. During the 1970s and eighties, Shorter was a member of numerous jazz bands and musicians. He played with Weather Report from 1976 to 1985, a group he co-founded with Zawinul and Miroslav Vitous.

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Honorary doctorate awarded to Shorter

In addition to collaborating with various rock 'n' roll legends, Shorter toured in 1988 with Carlos Santana and played the saxophone on the Rolling Stones' hit "Bridges to Babylon" in 1997. Shorter also played on the "Gershwin World" album of jazz pianist Herbie Hancock in 1998.

In addition to Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan, Shorter has worked with other notable musicians. The legendary rock artist David Bowie, an accomplished saxophonist, presented Shorter with an honorary doctorate in 1999 from the Berklee School of music. In his commencement address, Bowie explained how he was moved to hear his compositions coming back to him through his ears and abilities.

An award honouring lifetime achievement

Shorter received an honorary doctorate during NYU's commencement in 2010 at Yankee Stadium. The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, also honoured Shorter with a lifetime achievement award at the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony.

Shorter's publicist Alisse Kingsley from Muse Media, issued a statement on Thursday calling Hancock his "best friend," adding that Shorter "left us with courage in his heart, love for all, and a hope for the eternal future." The publicist of Shorter survives him, along with his wife Carolina, daughters Miyako and Mariana, and grandson Max, who was born yesterday.

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