Wayne Shorter—Innovative Saxophonist and Prolific Composer

Wayne Shorter—Innovative Saxophonist and Prolific Composer

The passing of Wayne Shorter at age 89 on March 2, 2023 was a sad occasion for his many fans. Shorter had a career as a jazz saxophonist that spanned almost 70 years. Even after he stopped performing in 2018 due to health concerns, he continued to compose music. 

Shorter was born in Newark, New Jersey, on August 25, 1933. He had an older brother named Alan. Wayne’s mother encouraged her sons to be creative, even excusing them from chores so that they could use their imagination while playing. Wayne and Alan enjoyed reading comic books and recalling film music they heard while at the movies. Wayne hoped to become an artist one day. A watercolor painting of his won first prize in a contest held for children. His artistic talent enabled him to gain admission to the Newark Arts High School. However, after listening to a New York jazz radio program, he became fond of bebop. At age 15, Shorter began taking clarinet lessons. Later he switched to the tenor saxophone. Shorter was influenced by jazz legends such as Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Coleman Hawkins.

Wayne performed with local jazz bands so he could save money for college tuition. He majored in music education at New York University, though he wasn’t keen on becoming a music teacher. 

After graduation, Wayne was inducted into the U.S. Army, where he served for two years. He continued to play saxophone while in the Army. After his discharge, he joined Maynard Ferguson’s band for a brief time. He quit when drummer Art Blakey offered Shorter a spot with the Jazz Messengers. He was encouraged to compose music for the Jazz Messengers during his five-year stint and eventually became the group’s music director.  

Shorter went on to join the Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet in 1964. He released eight solo records on the Blue Note label, most of them while he was in Davis’ group. One of his classic compositions, “Footprints,” first appeared on Shorter’s Adams Apple album in 1966. The song was later recorded for Davis’ Miles Smiles album in 1967. With its 6/4 time signature and bluesy melody in the C Dorian mode, “Footprints” perhaps is the composition most associated with Shorter. 

After the quintet broke up in 1968, Shorter continued to collaborate with Davis, appearing on the studio albums, In a Silent Way and Bitches’ Brew. In 1970, Shorter went on to become a founding member of Weather Report, along with keyboardist Joe Zawinul, bassist Miroslav Vitous, and others. Weather Report enjoyed phenomenal popularity and acclaim, thanks to its fusion of jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, and other musical genres. During his 14 years with Weather Report, Shorter played both tenor and soprano sax and composed music for his bandmates.

 He continued to record albums under his own name and worked on side projects with other musicians, including Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell, and Carlos Santana. Shorter also toured and recorded albums as a member of V.S.O.P. during the late 1970s and early 1980s. 

Shorter returned to acoustic jazz in 2000, forming a quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade. The Wayne Shorter Quartet released several live albums.  Shorter received numerous Grammy nominations and awards during his lifetime. In his later years, he worked on an ambitious project, an orchestral suite titled Emanon. He also composed an opera titled Iphigenia, inspired by Euripides’ play. It debuted in 2021.  

Patricia Martin 

Remembering Jimmy Heath: Triple Threat

Photo by EAVONE Jazzman on Unsplash

Jimmy Heath, also known as “Little Bird,” was a legendary jazz saxophonist who appeared with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra at Playhouse Square in April 2012. Short in stature but long on talent, he was known as a “triple threat” for being a jazz composer, arranger, and musician.

Heath was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 25, 1926. Both of his parents had musical backgrounds. His father played clarinet in a marching band and his mother sang in the church choir. Jimmy’s older brother studied violin and later became a founding member and double bass player for the Modern Jazz Quartet. His younger brother Albert (Tootie) played drums. Jimmy Heath began playing alto saxophone at age fifteen. He and Percy attended high school in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Jimmy played saxophone in the marching band. Heath founded his first big band, the Jimmy Heath Orchestra, in 1946. After the band broke up in 1948, Jimmy and John Coltrane joined Dizzy Gillespie’s band. Jimmy also played with Gil Fuller’s Orchestra. Around that time, he switched to tenor sax. He was influenced by Charlie Parker and Johnny Hodges. Unfortunately, Jimmy became addicted to heroin, which ultimately led to his dismissal from Gillespie’s orchestra. He was later convicted of selling heroin and sent to Lexington, Kentucky, where he underwent withdrawal. After his release, he was convicted
again in 1955 for dealing drugs and sentenced to six years in prison. While incarcerated, he composed a number of songs and conducted the prison orchestra. He also learned to play the flute.

Heath was released from prison early and met his future wife Mona Brown shortly afterward. He recorded his first album for Riverside Records in 1959. He briefly toured with Miles Davis, but the terms of his probation made it difficult for him to travel with the band. Riverside Records went out of business in 1964, leaving Jimmy without a record contract until the early 1970s. He began teaching at Jazzmobile, a free music training program in Harlem, where he was commissioned to write several major compositions.

In 1975, Jimmy, Percy, and Albert Heath formed the Heath Brothers, along with Stanley Cowell on piano. Later, Jimmy’s older son James Mtume joined the group as a percussionist. Percy Heath died in 2005, but Jimmy and Albert continued to perform and record as the Heath Brothers with other musicians.

Jimmy Heath joined the music faculty of Queens College at the City University of New York, where he taught for over 20 years.

Jimmy Heath wrote over 100 compositions and appeared on 125 recordings during his career, which spanned over 7 decades. He was nominated for a Grammy Award three times and received the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2003. One of his noteworthy compositions, “Gemini”, was written for his daughter Rosyln and appears on his 1962 album, “Triple Threat. “ The instrumental has a ¾ time signature and features a haunting flute solo as the piece begins. “Gemini” became a hit for the Cannonball Adderley Sextet, whose live version was released in 1962. Other notable songs include ”Gingerbread Boy” and “C.T.A.”

In January 2020, the scrolling marquee at Playhouse Square announced the sad news that Jimmy Heath had died at age 93. I recalled how thrilled I was when he signed his CD “Turn Up the Heath” for me after the show in 2012.

Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery was one of Jimmy Heath’s former students at the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory. He appears on the recent Night Is Alive releases, “Old New Borrowed and Blue” and “My Ship.”

Author: Patricia Martin for Night is Alive