You can’t rehearse the Unknown (Wayne Shorter)

Wayne Shorter, master musician and composer in the jazz idiom, first came to prominence in the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers of the 1950’s. His early career was almost exclusively as a tenor saxophonist switching to the soprano sax in his later years. He went on to perform with the various Miles Davis Quintets of the 1960’s. Then after several solo recordings he formed the fusion band Weather Report with Joe Zowinal and Miroslav Vitus. When Weather Report disbanded in 1985 Shorter played with many different musicians such as Carlos Santana and Joni Mitchell. In 2000 he formed a Quartet with Danilo Perez on piano, John Patitucci on base, and Brian Blade on drums. Many critics consider Wayne Shorter to be one of the greatest jazz composers of all time. Due to poor health, he can no longer tour, and he is now composing the music for an opera Iphigenia with the bassist Esperanza Spaulding writing the libretto and the architect Frank Gehry doing the set design.

In addition, this jazz legend has had a life-long interest in astronomy and science fiction and in 2018 published a three-disc album of music accompanied by an illustrated novel. The story was written with Monica Sly about a rogue philosopher and illustrated by Randy DuBurke.

Wayne Shorter has practiced Nichiren Buddhism throughout most of his life and with a great interest in the wonders of the universe has attempted to inject eternity in his compositions.