Wayne Shorter Quartet Tickets

Regarded as one of the most significant and prolific performers and composers in jazz and modern music National Endowment for the Art's "American Jazz Master," Wayne Shorter has an outstanding record of professional achievement in his historic career as a musician. He has received substantial recognition from his peers, including 6 Grammy Awards and 13 other Grammy nominations to date.

Born August 25, 1933 in Newark, NJ, he attended Art's High School and later graduated from New York University. He served in the US Army from 1956 to 1958, after which he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. His five years as one of Blakey's Messengers clearly established him as a newcomer to watch due to winning the number on "New Star Saxophonist" Downbeat poll for 1962. He came in 2nd place for "Best Composer" while Duke Ellington came in first.

In 1964 Miles Davis invited Wayne to go on the road with his band which included Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Ron Carter. He stayed with Davis for 6 years, recording a dozen albums with him, creating a sound with a bandleader that changed the face of music during that tumultuous decade.

In 1970 he formed Weather Report with Joe Zawinul and Miroslav Vitous. Through his solo career and his work with Weather Report, he helped to redefine the new hybrid of music, which came to be known as fusion or progressive music. During that period, Wayne won the Downbeat poll on Soprano Sax after 1969 for 15 to 17 years consecutively. With the 1985 release of his solo album "Atlantis" the New York Times called him "One of the most significant composers and individual saxophonists in jazz.

He has received credit for Saxophone performances in the motion picture soundtracks "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1983), "The Fugitive" (1993), and "Loosing Isaiah" (1995). He was commissioned and wrote a piece for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Millennium Concert where once again he was highly acclaimed by the critics. Most recently he was commissioned by the La Jolla Music Society and composed a piece for the Imani Winds ensemble, further solidifying his place as one of the most important composers of the 20th century and beyond.

"The most important living composer in jazz." - THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Jazz's pre-eminent saxophonist... an intrepid astronaut navigating the musical cosmos with improvisational brio." - BILLBOARD

"Wayne is a real composer...he knew that freedom in music was the ability to know the rules in order to bend them to your satisfaction and taste." - MILES DAVIS

"The master writer to me, in that group, was Wayne Shorter. He still is a master. Wayne was one of the few people who brought music to Miles that didn't get changed." - HERBIE HANCOCK