News is reaching us that iconic jazz composer, bandleader and saxophonist Wayne Shorter died this Thursday, March 2nd, in Los Angeles.
Undoubtedly one of the most important jazz musicians of all time, his career spanned 7 decades and saw him at the forefront of many of the twists and turns of the genre.
From his early work with hard bop great Art Blakey and his modal jazz explorations with Miles Davis, to his pioneering fusion of Weather Report and 20th Century orchestral outings, he was a true trailblazer.
Tributes are already pouring in.
“Shorter had a transformative impact on improvisation and composition, but also in the poised and caring way he led his life. Our culture is a lesser place without him” – author Ted Gioia
“The Maestro was a visionary, a great composer, and a friend with whom I shared a love for the Eternal Now” – saxophonist Charles Lloyd
“enigmatic, intrepid saxophonist who shaped the color and contour of modern jazz as one of its most intensely admired composers” – New York Times
“There isn’t a jazz composer today who does not owe an absolutely immeasurable debt to Wayne Shorter. Whether you assimilated his harmonic language, or consciously rejected it, or tried to thread a path somewhere in between, his influence is as unavoidable as the elements” – Darcy James Argue
“Rest in Power Wayne Shorter …after you they broke the mould” – saxophonist Soweto Kinch
Rest In Peace Wayne Shorter
This writer will be listening to Footprints Live tonight…