Wayne Shorter Biography

Fast Facts

• Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1998
• Graduated from New York University in 1956
• His second wife Ana Maria died in 1996 while a passenger on TWA Flight 800
• Quote: "Jazz shouldn't have any mandates․ Jazz is not supposed to be something that is required to sound like jazz․ For me, the word jazz means, 'I dare you․' This music, it's dealing with the unexpected․"
• Began collaborating with friend Art Blakey in 1959, eventually going on to become his band's musical director
• Formed an acoustic group in 2000 consisting of Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade that would go on to record dozens of Shorter's tunes dating back to the 1960s
• Joined the Second Great Quintet in 1964 alongside Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams
• After working on several albums for Blue Note Records in the late '60s, he would go on to form the fusion group Weather Report in 1970
• Nominated to replace John Coltrane after he left Miles Davis' band in 1960, however, his duties with Blakey would prevent him from doing so
• Joined the U․S․ Army in 1956 after college and served for two years as a member of the Horace Silver band
• A longtime Buddhist, he is a member of the Soka Gakkai
• Initially a tenor saxophonist, he began playing the soprano saxophone almost exclusively after leaving Miles Davis in the late '60s