Bio

Wayne Shorter was born in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey. He would go on to graduate from NYU with a degree in Music Education in 1956. In 1959, he would become a member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He would become the group’s musical director, and they would gain critical success touring the United States and Europe. Shortly after his association with Art Blakey ended, Shorter would become a member of the Miles Davis quintet in 1964. This group, along with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, would go on to be called the Second Great Quintet. In the 1970’s, Shorter would create the fusion group Weather Report, which would grant him a much wider audience.  Wayne Shorter’s style is usually thought of, in conjunction with Joe Henderson, to directly lead to the creation of Modern Jazz. His deep, ghostly tone and snaking lines took jazz and all improvised music great leaps forward. Some of his most widely recognized albums are, ‘Night Dreamer’, ‘JuJu’, and ‘Speak no Evil.’ He has played with such luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Miroslav Vitous, Jaco Pastorius, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, Ron Carter, Miles Davis, and many others.