Photo via Wayne Shorter’s Official Facebook

Wayne Shorter, the influential tenor saxophonist, composer and jazz icon, has passed away. The musician’s death occurred today, Thursday, March 2, at a Los Angeles-area hospital and was confirmed by Shorter’s publicist via The New York Times. He was 89. 

Alisse Kingsley, the artist’s representative, broke the news while at the healthcare facility. At this time, there is no immediate information regarding the circumstances which led to the celebrated jazz innovator’s passing.

His early days were influenced by familial encouragement to take up an instrument, which pivoted to his inclusion in the Nat Phipps Band after graduating from New York University, where he earned a degree in music education.

Following his academic success, Shorter embarked on a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, where he brushed paths with Horace Silver. After he was discharged, the musician began playing with Maynard Ferguson. 

In 1959, Shorter joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, embarking on international tours and turning out a series of albums. By 1964, he had found his way into Miles Davis’ Second Great Quartet, which included Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, and the ensemble’s namesake. 

In Miles: The Autobiography, Davis remarked on his collaborator, offering: “Wayne also brought in a kind of curiosity about working with musical rules. If they didn’t work, then he would break them, but with musical sense; he understood that freedom in music was the ability to know the rules in order to bend them to your own satisfaction and taste.” 

Shorter remained in Davis’ band after the quintet parted ways in 1968, performing on early jazz fusion recordings like In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. His final live dates and studio recordings with this iteration of the band occurred in 1970. 

Concurrently, as Shorter was taking part in Davis’ group, he was also recording albums for Blue Note Records. The material was comprised mainly of his own compositions and featured a variety of personnel, ranging from Freddie Hubbard to Lee Morgan and more. 

After dropping 1970’s Odyessy of Iska, Shorter formed the fusion group Weather Report with Davis, Joe Zawinul and Miro Vitous. Following Vitous departure from the group in ‘73, Shorter and Zawinul took the reins and co-led the ensemble until their break up in ‘85. 

By the late-‘70s and early-‘80s, Shorter was touring with V.S.O.P., a revival of Davis’ ‘60s quintet. The artist also appeared with his Davis bandmates on Carlos Santana’s double album, The Swing of Delight, which saw the inclusion of his own original material. 

Notably, from 1977 through 2002, Shorter appeared on 10 Joni Mitchell albums, gaining him a broader range of listeners and fans. Additionally, he delivered an extended solo on the title track of Steely Dan’s 1977 triumph, Aja. 

Moreover, after departing Weather Report in 1986, Shorter continued to mingle with heavy hitters in the jazz fusion realm. He garnered honorary recognition, including 2013’s lifetime achievement award at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, 2017’s Polar Music prize, 2018 Kennedy Center honoree and 11 Grammy awards, amongst other accolades. 

In the latter part of Shorter’s life, he developed a solid connection to Nichiren Buddhism, foraging a link between the practice’s spiritual teachings and his own approach to music. 

Shorter will be remembered as one of the most prominent jazz cats to come out of the last half-century, as well as an innovator and leader of the movement. He is preceded in death by his second wife, Ana Maria Patricio, and daughter, Iska. 

A post confirming the artist’s passing has been shared via Shorter’s social media profiles, see below.