March 03, (THEWILL) – Wayne Shorter, one of the greatest jazz saxophonists, who was a central force in the 20th century great jazz group, has died in Los Angeles, at the age of 89.
A well-known figure in the jazz circuit in the late 1950s, Shorter is credited with shaping three great jazz groups, Jazz Messengers, led by drummer, Art Blakey, who established the mid-century hard bop style, the second iteration of Miles Davis’s quintet in the mid to the late 1960’s that led Davis to his electric period and the hugely successful fusion group, Weather Report, formed in 1970.
The 12-time Grammy award winner played alongside several greats including Miles Davis, Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock.
According to his publicist, he died surrounded by his family on Thursday.
Wayne Shorter was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1933, and initially played the clarinet at age 15. Soon after he moved on to tenor and soprano on saxophone and studied music at university before spending two years in the US Army.
Among the dozen Grammy awards he won, Shorter received a Lifetime Achievement award in 2015.
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