Jazz Legend Wayne Shorter Dies At 89

Written By Mike Greenblatt

He charged out of Newark to change the face of modern jazz. Tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, over the course of seven decades, was one of the most influential musicians in history. He died March 2 in Los Angeles.

Making his debut in 1959, he made his mark in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the Miles Davis Quintet. He co-founded Weather Report, the groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion ensemble. His compositions—especially “Speak No Evil,” “Black Nile,” “Footprints” and “Nefertiti”—have been studied, analyzed and celebrated. Herbie Hancock once said of his role in Miles’ second great quintet, “the master writer to me, in that group, was Wayne Shorter. Wayne was one of the few people who brought music to Miles that didn’t get changed.”

His 25 albums, 11 Grammy Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences only scratches the surface of his greatness.

There will never be another like him.

Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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