The recent death of saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter on March 2 elicited an outpouring of reminiscences and tributes. Fellow musicians and fans mourned the loss of a jazz legend responsible for creating albums and tunes that accompanied the joys and hardships of their lives. While Shorter’s genius and impact are beyond dispute, an equally important part of his legacy is his unique vision, informed by his diverse interests and determination to follow idiosyncratic musical directions. Shorter’s commitment to a nonconformist perspective is essential to understanding his music and a reminder to follow our own creative visions, even if we can’t play the saxophone or write a tune like Shorter could.
Growing up in Newark, NJ, Shorter sought escape from the metropolitan environment, as he told radio station WBGO in 2017. He played hooky from school, rode his bike out to the marshland that is now Newark International Airport, read science fiction novels and comics, painted, sculpted and watched movies. Shorter was a late bloomer and only started playing music well into his teens, bringing an outsider’s point of view to his work by drawing on diverse artistic canons. Although he played jazz, Shorter’s music drew from his background in the visuals and aesthetics from classical composers. His commitment to his vision of experimental compositions earned him the nickname “Weird Wayne” from more conventional musicians of his neighborhood. Even as his talent was recognized, Shorter consistently confounded expectations. In the ’70s, he turned his back on his trademark acoustic jazz sound to play with the electric-fusion musical cooperative Weather Report. Critics enamored by Shorter’s bluesy tenor sax were frustrated by his shift to focus mainly on soprano, per JazzTimes. During this time, Shorter embraced Buddhism, was attracted to its teachings and embraced the quest for universal truth, as he told The Roots drummer Questlove in a 2022 interview. At every step in Shorter’s career and personal life, he listened to his muse and created art that felt real to him and listeners open-minded enough to follow him on his musical journey. In this interview, Shorter told Questlove that his motto is to “never give up” on your vision. Eventually, the world caught up to Shorter, even though it took decades.
So, where do you start listening to Shorter’s vast and unconventional discography? If you’re reading the online edition of this article, go to the YouTube playlist I’ve created and listen along; the tracks begin with Shorter’s early career in 1959, where his music gained its first foothold in drummer Art Blakey’s band. Blakey traded in the jazz sub-genre “hard bop,” a funky crowd-pleasing variant of bebop, arguably naming the style with his 1959 record “Hard Bop.” Shorter brought to Blakey’s band a sophisticated writing style and unorthodox approach. Tunes like the knotty and energetic “Ping Pong,” the bouncing “Lester Left Town” and the chromatically rich “Children of the Night” are punctuated with Shorter’s unique sensibilities.
In 1964, trumpet legend Miles Davis was searching for a new direction, hiring Shorter as a change agent in one of music history’s most influential bands, the 1964 Miles Davis Quintet. Shorter was Davis’ leading composer during this time, writing modern jazz standards like “E.S.P.,” “Footprints” and his epithet for Davis, “Prince of Darkness.” Shorter’s tunes reached their apotheosis in the 60’s with “Nefertiti,” a legendary composition where Shorter’s incendiary ascending melodic lines are played in cycles with no solos, set over what writer Bob Belden calls an improvised “drum concerto” played by Tony Williams. “Nefertiti” is as transcendent today as when it was recorded.
In the ’60s, Shorter also recorded a series of legendary albums for Blue Note Records. The greatest is “Speak No Evil” (1966), which leans into gorgeous harmonies, haunting melodies and timeless solos from a stacked band comprised of Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter and Elvin Jones. It’s hard to pick just a track or two from “Speak No Evil”—once it casts its spell over you, you’ll listen to it from beginning to end. Shorter’s other Blue Note albums, “JuJu,” “Night Dreamer,” “Adam’s Apple” and others, are all classics in their own right.
Shorter only played acoustic jazz for a few more years, taking the inspiration from his participation in Davis’ groundbreaking albums from 1969, “In A Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew,” to plunge into electric fusion. Shorter’s approach led to fame. Weather Report, the band Shorter played soprano sax with in the ’70s, sold millions of records, making Shorter a household name. From these years, check out the atmospheric “Mysterious Traveler” and the lively first album with bass player Jaco Pastorius, “Black Market.”
You also should not miss an often overlooked one-off from Shorter’s embrace of world music, “Native Dancer” (1975), featuring Brazilian star Milton Nascimento. Here, Shorter and Nascimento embody distinct but complementary styles of beauty and lyricism, taking turns writing one incredible tune after another. Amid Nascimento’s jubilant falsetto, Shorter fires out terse sax solos and ballads of compressed haiku beauty like “Diane” and “Ana Maria.” Though critics and fans called for Shorter’s return to acoustic jazz, he instead doubled down on fusion with his misunderstood albums of the ’80s and ’90s according to Peter Watrous of The New York Times. “Atlantis” (1985) stands out as a fascinating entry. The production may sound dated, but the playing and compositions are immortal. The album’s second track, “The Three Marias,” features an intricate, indelible melody Shorter would return to in later years.
After these essentials, there are many pathways to further explore Shorter’s oeuvre. After 2001, Shorter returned to an acoustic ensemble; his first since his ’60s salad days. Predictably, Shorter stuck to his own rules—his 21st-century ensemble played in a searching, abstract style, bringing avant-garde philosophies to mainstream jazz according to Nate Chinen of The New York Times. The ensemble recorded exclusively live recordings, such as 2013’s “Without A Net,” which features intense playing and an exciting set of old and new original compositions. Classical music significantly influenced Shorter, an input he acknowledged in the 2018 Grammy-winning “Emanon,” built on sweeping string re-orchestrations of his earlier melodies. Also notable are Shorter’s collaborations with pop stars, such as Joni Mitchell on “Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter,” or his iconic solo on Steely Dan’s “Aja.” This article would not be complete without mentioning Shorter’s ethereal ballads. These tracks stand alone as his contribution to music, and I’ve compiled them into a separate playlist as fuel for your next study session!
In Shorter’s life and music, you not only see a visionary who changed jazz music but also the grit and conviction to pursue your dreams, even in the face of internal and external doubt. I love Shorter most of all for his belief in his perspective and vision to create art that makes the world a better (and more tuneful) place.