How did Wayne Shorter die? Jazz saxophonist, 89, was a 12-time Grammy winner with 23 nominations
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Legendary musician Wayne Shorter who was a co-founder of the hugely popular American jazz fusion band 'Weather Report', died on Thursday morning at the age of 89. The Grammy-winning icon of jazz saxophone died in a Los Angeles hospital.
He is a 12-time Grammy award winner with 23 nominations, plus the recipient of their lifetime achievement award in 2015. Shorter also had a long and fruitful partnership with Joni Mitchell, appearing on 10 of her albums, and collaborated with rock musicians such as Carlos Santana and Steely Dan as per the Guardian.
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'Always inquisitive and constantly exploring'
Shorter whose cause of death has not been revealed began playing the clarinet at the age of 15 before concentrating on the tenor and soprano saxophone. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1933. Together with his brother Alan, he played alto and trumpet in the school band. He temporarily played with pianist Horace Silver's hard bop ensemble after earning his NYU degree in 1956, followed by a two-year stint in the US Army.
"Visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, devout Buddhist, devoted husband, father, and grandfather Wayne Shorter has embarked on a new journey as part of his extraordinary life — departing the earth as we know it in search of an abundance of new challenges and creative possibilities,” his publicist, Alisse Kingsley, shared in a statement to The New York Post. In the statement, they mentioned, “Always inquisitive and constantly exploring — ever the fearless and passionate innovator. Wayne Shorter has left an indelible mark on the development of music for the last half-century".
Shorter was named 'new star saxophonist' by DownBeat in 1962
Shorter's time with Ferguson was brief because, in 1959, he was chosen to replace Hank Mobley in the 'Jazz Messengers' by drummer Blakey and trumpet prodigy Lee Morgan. The saxophonist's four-year tenure with the band, which was at the time jazz's top hard-bop combo, saw the development of his compositional skills. He performed his first shows for Vee-Jay Records during that time as a leader. He was called “new star saxophonist” by DownBeat magazine in 1962, as per Variety.
Last month he took up a best improvised Solo Prize for 'Endangered Species'
His most recent triumph came just last month when he was awarded the Best Improvised Jazz Solo prize for 'Endangered Species'. Several of Shorter's complex and elliptical pieces, like 'Say No Evil', 'Black Nile', 'Footprints', and 'Nefertiti', became modern Jazz and evolved the harmonic possibilities of jazz throughout some of its most rapidly changing times.
He was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 1998. Shorter was married three times and is survived by his wife Carolina and his daughter Miyako from his first marriage to Teruka Nakagami. Unfortunately, his daughter Iska died from an epileptic seizure in 1985. In a tragic incident, his second wife Ana Maria was killed in a 1996 plane crash.