Wayne Shorter

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Wayne Shorter bigraphy, stories - American musician

Wayne Shorter : biography

August 25, 1933 –

Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.

Jazz critic Ben Ratliff of the New York Times has described Shorter as "probably jazz’s greatest living small-group composer and a contender for greatest living improviser."Ratliff, Ben. . The New York Times. December 3, 2008. Retrieved 2013-06-04. Many of Shorter’s compositions have become jazz standards. His output has earned worldwide recognition, critical praise and various commendations, including multiple Grammy Awards.. GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 2013-06-04. He has also received acclaim for his mastery of the soprano saxophone (after switching his focus from the tenor in the late 1960s), beginning an extended reign in 1970 as Down Beat’s annual poll-winner on that instrument, winning the critics’ poll for 10 consecutive years and the readers’ for eighteen.. DownBeat.com. Retrieved 2013-06-02

Shorter first came to wide prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he went on to join Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet, and from there he co-founded the jazz fusion band Weather Report. He has recorded over 20 albums as a bandleader.

Personal life

Shorter met Teruka (Irene) Nakagami in 1961. They were later married and had a daughter, Miyako. Some of his compositions are copyrighted as "Miyako Music". Shorter dedicated some pieces to his daughter: "Miyako" and "Infant Eyes". The couple separated in 1964.

Shorter met Ana Maria Patricio in 1964 and they were married in 1970. In 1985, their daughter Iska died of a grand mal seizure at age 14. Ana Maria and the couple’s niece Dalila were both killed on July 17, 1996, on TWA Flight 800, while en route to see him in Italy. The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2013. Dalila was the daughter of Ana Maria Shorter’s sister and her husband, jazz vocalist Jon Lucien. In 1999, Shorter married Carolina Dos Santos, a close friend of Ana Maria. He is a Nichiren Buddhist and a member of Sōka Gakkai.

Discography

Title Year Label
Introducing Wayne Shorter 1959 Vee-Jay
Second Genesis 1960 Vee-Jay
Wayning Moments 1962 Vee-Jay
Night Dreamer 1964 Blue Note
JuJu 1964 Blue Note
Speak No Evil 1965 Blue Note
The Soothsayer 1965 Blue Note
Et Cetera 1965 Blue Note
The All Seeing Eye 1965 Blue Note
Adam’s Apple 1966 Blue Note
Schizophrenia 1967 Blue Note
Super Nova 1969 Blue Note
Moto Grosso Feio 1970 Blue Note
Odyssey of Iska 1970 Blue Note
Native Dancer with Milton Nascimento 1974 Columbia
Atlantis 1985 Columbia
Phantom Navigator 1986 Columbia
Joy Ryder 1988 Columbia
Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter – Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1988 with Carlos Santana 1988 Image Entertainment
High Life 1995 Verve
1 + 1 with Herbie Hancock 1997 Verve
Footprints Live! 2002 Verve
Alegría 2003 Verve
Beyond the Sound Barrier 2005 Verve
Without a Net 2013 Blue Note