Wayne Shorter

Wayne Shorter, an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, spent more than six decades in jazz. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he studied music education at New York University before joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1959, where he became the group's musical director and a leading composer. He joined Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet in 1964, contributing compositions and performances during a highly innovative period. He co-founded Weather Report in 1970, helping redefine electric jazz. As a leader he recorded more than 20 albums, often for Blue Note, and many of his pieces became jazz standards. He shifted from tenor to soprano saxophone in the late 1960s and was widely acclaimed for his soprano playing, topping DownBeat polls from 1970. His honors included 12 Grammy Awards, as well as the Polar Music Prize. He continued composing, and his opera Iphigenia premiered in 2021.