Biography Wayne Shorter

1 biography

1.1 life , career
1.2 miles davis (1964–70)

1.2.1 solo blue note recordings


1.3 weather report (1971–1986)

1.3.1 solo , side projects


1.4 later career

1.4.1 quartet


1.5 lifetime achievement recognition
1.6 wayne shorter: 0 gravity
1.7 mega nova
1.8 personal life

biography
early life , career

wayne shorter born in newark, new jersey, , attended newark arts high school, graduated in 1952. loved music, being encouraged father take clarinet teenager (his brother alan became trumpeter). after graduating new york university in 1956, shorter spent 2 years in u.s. army, during time played briefly horace silver. after discharge, played maynard ferguson. in youth shorter had acquired nickname mr. gone , later became album title weather report.

in 1959, shorter joined art blakey. stayed blakey 5 years, , became band s musical director.

with miles davis (1964–70)

when john coltrane left miles davis band in 1960 pursue own group, coltrane proposed shorter replacement, shorter unavailable. davis went sonny stitt on tenor, followed revolving door of hank mobley, george coleman, , sam rivers. in 1964 davis persuaded shorter leave blakey , join quintet alongside herbie hancock, ron carter , tony williams. davis s so-called second great quintet (to distinguish quintet coltrane) included hancock , shorter has been cited musicians , critics 1 of influential groups in history of jazz, , shorter s compositions primary reason. composed extensively davis (e.g. prince of darkness , e.s.p. , footprints , sanctuary , nefertiti , , many others); on albums, provided half of compositions.

hancock said of shorter s tenure in group: master writer me, in group, wayne shorter. still master. wayne 1 of few people brought music miles didn t changed. davis said, wayne real composer. writes scores, write parts wants them sound. ... wayne brought in kind of curiosity working musical rules. if didn t work, broke them, musical sense; understood freedom in music ability know rules in order bend them own satisfaction , taste.

shorter remained in davis s band after breakup of quintet in 1968, playing on jazz fusion recordings including in silent way , bitches brew (both 1969). last live dates , studio recordings davis in 1970.

until 1968, played tenor saxophone exclusively. final album on played tenor in regular sequence of davis albums filles de kilimanjaro. in 1969, played soprano saxophone on davis album in silent way , on own super nova (recorded then-current davis sidemen chick corea , john mclaughlin). when performing live davis, , on recordings summer 1969 spring 1970, played both soprano , tenor saxophones; 1970s, however, chiefly played soprano.

solo blue note recordings

simultaneous time in davis quintet, shorter recorded several albums blue note records, featuring exclusively own compositions, variety of line-ups, quartets , larger groups, including blue note favourites such freddie hubbard. first blue note album (of 11 in total recorded 1964 1970) night dreamer, recorded @ rudy van gelder s studio in 1964 lee morgan, mccoy tyner, reggie workman , elvin jones.

juju , speak no evil known recordings era. shorter s compositions on these albums notable use of pentatonic melodies harmonised pedal points , complex harmonic relationships; structured solos reflect composition s melody as harmony; , long rests integral part of music, in contrast other, more effusive, players of time such john coltrane.

the later album seeing eye workout larger group, while adam s apple of 1966 constructed melodies shorter leading quartet. sextet again in following year schizophrenia hancock , carter plus trombonist curtis fuller, alto saxophonist/flautist james spaulding , strong rhythms drummer joe chambers.

shorter recorded sideman (again, blue note) donald byrd, tyner, grachan moncur iii, hubbard, morgan, , bandmates hancock , williams.

weather report (1971–1986)

shorter weather report in amsterdam, in 1980

following release of odyssey of iska in 1970, shorter formed fusion group weather report davis veteran keyboardist joe zawinul. other original members bassist miroslav vitous, percussionist airto moreira, , drummer alphonse mouzon. after vitous departure in 1973, shorter , zawinul co-led group until band s break-up in late 1985. variety of musicians make weather report on years (most notably revolutionary bassist jaco pastorius) helping band produce many high quality recordings in diverse styles, funk, bebop, latin jazz, ethnic music, , futurism being prevalent denominators.

solo , side projects

shorter recorded critically acclaimed albums bandleader, notably 1974 s native dancer, featured hancock , brazilian composer , vocalist milton nascimento.

in late 1970s , 1980s, toured in v.s.o.p. quintet. group revival of 1960s davis quintet, except hubbard filled trumpet chair. shorter appeared same former davis bandmates on carlos santana double lp swing of delight, composed number of pieces.

from 1977 through 2002, appeared on 10 joni mitchell studio albums, gaining him wider audience. played extended solo on title track of steely dan s 1977 album aja.

shorter performing in 2006


later career

after leaving weather report, shorter continued record , lead groups in jazz fusion styles, including touring in 1988 guitarist carlos santana, appeared on this!, last weather report disc. there concert video recorded @ lugano jazz festival in 1987, jim beard, keyboards, carl james, bass, terri lyne carrington, drums, , marilyn mazur, percussion. in 1989, contributed hit on rock charts, playing sax solo on don henley s song end of innocence , produced album pilar portuguese singer-songwriter pilar homem de melo. has maintained occasional working relationship herbie hancock, including tribute album recorded shortly after miles davis s death hancock, carter, williams , wallace roney. continued appear on mitchell s records in 1990s , can heard on soundtrack of harrison ford film fugitive (1993).

in 1995, shorter released album high life, first solo recording 7 years. debut leader verve records. shorter composed compositions on album , co-produced bassist marcus miller. high life received grammy award best contemporary jazz album in 1997.

shorter worked hancock once again in 1997, on acclaimed , heralded album 1+1. song aung san suu kyi (named burmese pro-democracy activist) won both hancock , shorter grammy award.

in 2009, announced 1 of headline acts @ gnaoua world music festival in essaouira, morocco. 2013 album without net first blue note records since odyssey of iska.

quartet

the wayne shorter quartet @ teatro degli arcimboldi, milan, 2010

in 2000, shorter formed first permanent acoustic group under name, quartet pianist danilo perez, bassist john patitucci, , drummer brian blade, playing own compositions, many of them reworkings of tunes going 1960s. 3 albums of live recordings have been released, footprints live! (2002), beyond sound barrier (2005) , without net (2013). quartet has received great acclaim fans , critics, strength of shorter s tenor saxophone playing. biography footprints: life , work of wayne shorter journalist michelle mercer examines working life of musicians shorter s thoughts , buddhist beliefs. beyond sound barrier received 2006 grammy award best instrumental jazz album.

shorter s 2003 album alegría (his first studio album 10 years, since high life) received 2004 grammy award best instrumental jazz album; features quartet host of other musicians, including pianist brad mehldau, drummer carrington , former weather report percussionist alex acuña. shorter s compositions, new, reworked davis period, feature complex latin rhythms specialised in during weather report days.

lifetime achievement recognition

on september 17, 2013, shorter received lifetime achievement award thelonious monk institute of jazz.

on december 18, 2014, recording academy announced shorter awarded grammy lifetime achievement award in honor of prolific contributions our culture , history .

in 2016, shorter awarded guggenheim fellowship in field of music composition, jazz artist receive honor year.

in 2017, shorter announced joint winner of polar music prize. award committee stated: without musical explorations of wayne shorter, modern music not have drilled deep.

wayne shorter: 0 gravity

in 2013, campaign launched on pledgemusic raise funds film life of wayne shorter called wayne shorter: 0 gravity. film set released in 2017.

mega nova

in 2016, announced shorter, carlos santana, , herbie hancock begin touring under name mega nova. included within supergroup bassist marcus miller , drummer cindy blackman santana. first show on august 24, 2016 @ hollywood bowl.

personal life

shorter met teruko (irene) nakagami in 1961. later married , had daughter, miyako. of compositions copyrighted miyako music , shorter dedicated pieces miyako , infant eyes daughter. couple separated in 1964.

shorter met ana maria patricio in 1966 , married in 1970. in 1985, daughter iska died of grand mal seizure @ age 14. ana maria , couple s niece, dalila, both killed on july 17, 1996, on twa flight 800, while travelling see him in italy. dalila daughter of ana maria shorter s sister , husband, jazz vocalist jon lucien. in 1999, shorter married carolina dos santos, close friend of ana maria. practices nichiren buddhism , longtime member of buddhist association soka gakkai international.

composer , producer rick shorter, died in september 2017, cousin.