Wayne Shorter

Jazz critic Ben Ratliff of the New York Times hit the nail on the head when he described Wayne Shorter [born 1933] as “probably jazz’s greatest living small-group composer and a contender for greatest living improviser.” Many of Shorter’s compositions have become jazz standards and his output has earned him worldwide recognition, critical praise and various commendations, including 10 Grammy Awards.

Shorter first came to wide prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

In the 1960s, he went on to join Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet, and from there he co-founded the jazz fusion band Weather Report.

Wayne Shorter has recorded over 20 albums as a bandleader.