Wayne Shorter - Composer Vs. Player

[Guest bluenote82]

Biography by Richard S. Ginell

Though some will argue about whether Wayne Shorter's primary impact on jazz has been as a composer or as a saxophonist, hardly anyone will dispute his overall importance as one of jazz's leading figures over a long span of time. Though indebted to a great extent to John Coltrane, with whom he practiced in the mid-'50s while still an undergraduate, Shorter eventually developed his own more succinct manner on tenor sax, retaining the tough tone quality and intensity and, in later years, adding an element of funk. On soprano, Shorter is almost another player entirely, his lovely tone shining like a light beam, his sensibilities attuned more to lyrical thoughts, his choice of notes becoming more spare as his career unfolded. Shorter's influence as a player, stemming mainly from his achievements in the 1960s and '70s, has been tremendous upon the neo-bop brigade who emerged in the early '80s, most notably Branford Marsalis. As a composer, he is best known for carefully conceived, complex, long-limbed, endlessly winding tunes, many of which have become jazz standards yet have spawned few imitators.

Shorter started on the clarinet at 16 but switched to tenor sax before entering New York University in 1952. After graduating with a BME in 1956, he played with Horace Silver for a short time until he was drafted into the Army for two years. Once out of the service, he joined Maynard Ferguson's band, meeting Ferguson's pianist Joe Zawinul in the process. The following year (1959), Shorter joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, where he remained until 1963, eventually becoming the band's music director. During the Blakey period, Shorter also made his debut on records as a leader, cutting several albums for Chicago's Vee-Jay label. After a few prior attempts to hire him away from Blakey, Miles Davis finally convinced Shorter to join his Quintet in September 1964, thus completing the lineup of a group whose biggest impact would leap-frog a generation into the '80s.

Staying with Miles until 1970, Shorter became at times the band's most prolific composer, contributing tunes like "E.S.P.," "Pinocchio," "Nefertiti," "Sanctuary," "Footprints," "Fall" and the signature description of Miles, "Prince of Darkness." While playing through Miles' transition from loose post-bop acoustic jazz into electronic jazz-rock, Shorter also took up the soprano in late 1968, an instrument which turned out to be more suited to riding above the new electronic timbres than the tenor. As a prolific solo artist for Blue Note during this period, Shorter expanded his palette from hard bop almost into the atonal avant-garde, with fascinating excursions into jazz/rock territory toward the turn of the decade.

In November 1970, Shorter teamed up with old cohort Joe Zawinul and Miroslav Vitous to form Weather Report, where after a fierce start, Shorter's playing grew mellower, pithier, more consciously melodic, and gradually more subservient to Zawinul's concepts. By now, he was playing mostly on soprano, though the tenor would re-emerge more toward the end of WR's run. Shorter's solo ambitions were mostly on hold during the WR days, resulting in but one atypical solo album, Native Dancer, an attractive side trip into Brazilian-American tropicalismo in tandem with Milton Nascimento. Shorter also revisited the past in the late '70s by touring with Freddie Hubbard and ex-Miles sidemen Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams as V.S.O.P.

Shorter finally left Weather Report in 1985, but promptly went into a creative slump. Still committed to electronics and fusion, his recorded compositions from this point became more predictable and labored, saddled with leaden rhythm sections and overly complicated arrangements. After three routine Columbia albums during 1986-1988, and a tour with Santana, he lapsed into silence, finally emerging in 1992 with Wallace Roney and the V.S.O.P. rhythm section in the "A Tribute to Miles" band. In 1994, now on Verve, Shorter released High Life, a somewhat more engaging collaboration with keyboardist Rachel Z.

In concert, he has fielded an erratic series of bands, which could be incoherent one year (1995), and lean and fit the next (1996). He guested on the Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon in 1997, and on Herbie Hancock's Gershwin's World in 1998. In 2001, he was back with Hancock for Future 2 Future and on Marcus Miller's M². Footprints Live! was released in 2002 under his own name, followed by Alegría in 2003 and Beyond the Sound Barrier in 2005. Given his long track record, Shorter's every record and appearance are still eagerly awaited by fans in the hope that he will thrill them again. Blue Note Records released Blue Note's Great Sessions: Wayne Shorter in 2006.

Article taken from All Music Guide.

Wayne Shorter has written ALOT of great compositions throughout his career, but do you think his songwriting outweighs his own saxophone playing? Do you think he will be remembered as a composer or a player or both? What are your thoughts about this?

[JSngry]

[John L]

both

[Aggie87]

There are existing threads on Wayne Shorters albums, Wayne Shorter the musician, and Wayne Shorter's compositions.

Since you apparently aren't leaving like you promised, please use the search function before starting redundant threads.

[7/4]

Since you apparently aren't leaving like you promised, please use the search function before starting redundant threads.

He didn't. I asked him to, but he couldn't commit.

[jlhoots]

both

both

[JSngry]

both

both

[Quincy]

There are existing threads on Wayne Shorters albums, Wayne Shorter the musician, and Wayne Shorter's compositions.

Since you apparently aren't leaving like you promised, please use the search function before starting redundant threads.

But that's ALOT work to do. Remembered as acomposer or amusician, or as afresh breathmint with amagic ingredient known as retsin?

[Bright Moments]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

can someone recommend me some wayne shorter?

sarcasm intended!

[clifford_thornton]

or as afresh breathmint with amagic ingredient known as retsin?

[Quincy]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

[Guest Bill Barton]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

Are you sure that you don't mean 1/3?

[Guest bluenote82]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

This could be debated, but I'm not going to give the board any bait with this one. I will say Roland wishes he was half the composer Shorter was I do know that.

[Shawn]

I don't find it necessary to choose, I appreciate Wayne's contribution on both ends of the spectrum. I would say in the "grand scheme of things" that he might be better remembered as a composer (and he has written lots of great tunes) but you can't take anything away from Wayne the musician either.

[Free For All]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

This could be debated, but I'm not going to give the board any bait with this one. I will say Roland wishes he was half the composer Shorter was I do know that.

How do YOU know what Rahsaan wishes?

I'm not sure why it's necessary to rank them. Different players, different approaches. Apples and oranges.

Both are great and have contributed a lot to the music.

[Aggie87]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

This could be debated, but I'm not going to give the board any bait with this one. I will say Roland wishes he was half the composer Shorter was I do know that.

How do YOU know what Rahsaan wishes?

I'm not sure why it's necessary to rank them. Different players, different approaches. Apples and oranges.

Both are great and have contributed a lot to the music.

Free. I'm not sure why BN82 decided to respond to a joke so seriously.

When are we going to hear you on your Braith-o-bone, Free?

[Free For All]

I'm not sure why BN82 decided to respond to a joke so seriously.

When are we going to hear you on your Braith-o-bone, Free?

I don't think he realized that Quincy's post was a joke.

Regarding the Braith-o-bone.........I'll get back to you on that, my dear......

[7/4]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

This could be debated, but I'm not going to give the board any bait with this one. I will say Roland wishes he was half the composer Shorter was I do know that.

sounds like flamebait to me.

[Guest Bill Barton]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

This could be debated, but I'm not going to give the board any bait with this one. I will say Roland wishes he was half the composer Shorter was I do know that.

Bullshit! Total bullshit!!!!!

It's a j-o-k-e...

Music isn't a boxing match or a horse race. Last I checked there weren't "winners" and "losers."

[7/4]

Bullshit! Total bullshit!!!!!

what's that? a little bluenote82 on your nerves too? how about that...

[Swinging Swede]

Music isn't a boxing match

or a horse race.

Last I checked there weren't "winners"

and "losers."

You sure about that?

[RDK]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

This could be debated, but I'm not going to give the board any bait with this one. I will say Roland wishes he was half the composer Shorter was I do know that.

Bullshit! Total bullshit!!!!!

It's a j-o-k-e...

Music isn't a boxing match or a horse race. Last I checked there weren't "winners" and "losers."

Except for Duke, the undisputed King of the Universe.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Music isn't a boxing match

or a horse race.

Last I checked there weren't "winners"

and "losers."

You sure about that?

[Guest bluenote82]

i don't get wayne shorter - i mean why would he play just ONE saxophone?

At best he's half the player Kirk is.

This could be debated, but I'm not going to give the board any bait with this one. I will say Roland wishes he was half the composer Shorter was I do know that.

Bullshit! Total bullshit!!!!!

It's a j-o-k-e...

Music isn't a boxing match or a horse race. Last I checked there weren't "winners" and "losers."

You're right Bill music isn't a contest. I guess I overreacted with that last post. My bad....sorry about that.

[analogak]

wayne shorter lead ther best fusion bands of the 80s...live at least. studio albums...meh.