Sunday evening, area jazz fans have an opportunity to rediscover a music legend, a giant of the sax from the golden age of saxophone jazz. The concert, “Legacy of Wayne Shorter,” presents three men who played with the transformative musician in the late prime of his career, and a present-day disciple, who together create a living legacy of a jazz great.
Shorter leapt into prominence in the late 1950s when he joined Art Blakeley’s Jazz Messengers, and from there his career included playing with the 1960s-era Miles Davis and later forming the influential Weather Report. But he wasn’t done yet—he later expanded his musical expressions with a series of quartet-based projects.
Three of the musicians who will be at the Raven on Sunday night, Nov. 3, include pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. This is the so-called Footprints Quartet, who backed Shorter on four live albums, from 2002 until Without a Net (2013).
If any musicians know the work of the complex Shorter, it’s these men. Much of their decade of work together was a joint adventure of discovery through Shorter’s compositions, often at some remove from the traditional melody-improv-melody structure of classic jazz.
Joining them will be Mark Turner, a veteran of two past Healdsburg Jazz Festivals and the ideal talent to round out the quartet in its inspired exploration of the music of Wayne Shorter.
Still, while the names of saxophone legends like Lester Young, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane are almost globally familiar, Shorter’s name recognition is a half-step lower than theirs. The best person to ask why Healdsburg Jazz is bringing this “Legacy” concert to town is the organization’s musical director, Marcus Shelby.
We began by asking bassist Shelby, 58 years of age and a professional musician since 1990, if he ever had the opportunity to play with Shorter (1933-2013).
“I unfortunately never played with Wayne Shorter, but consider myself a humble student of his work and legacy,” Shelby replied.
HT: What makes Wayne Shorter an appropriate subject for a legacy concert?
MS: Wayne Shorter is an appropriate and in fact, supremely necessary, subject for a legacy concert. He just passed away a year ago and now is the perfect time to celebrate, elevate and educate on the accomplishments and importance of such a prolific artist.
Wayne Shorter is one of the most influential musicians and composers in the long canon of our art form. The evidence is in his compositions that are a large part of our repertoire. “Infant Eyes,” “Yes or No,” “Witch Hunt,” “Foot Prints,” “Ju Ju,” “Ana Maria,” “El Gaucho,” “Deluge,” “Speak Like a Child,” “Black Nile” and a treasure trove of other songs are Wayne Shorter compositions permanently etched into the history of instrumental masterpieces.
His approach is a perfect blend of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins, which in turn influenced a whole generation of saxophonists that followed him.
Wayne Shorter was on the cutting edge of various musical movements from bebop to post-pop, fusion and beyond. His associations with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, and his own great quartet places him at the center of the foundation and evolution of Black American music.
What was his greatest strength—his compositions, his style as a performer or as a bandleader?
His music was sublime, complicated, diverse in harmonic architecture, divergent from traditional forms, and full of Africanisms (6/8 rhythms, blues and swing, melodic shouts and other cultural influences).
Wayne Shorter was thorough, meticulous and scholarly in his roles as music director for Art Blakey and his stint with Miles Davis.
Herbie Hancock once commented that while with the great Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s, Wayne would bring in full scores and parts for the entire band and Miles never changed, corrected or altered any of Wayne’s work. It was that good.
What about the three musicians who will perform next week—where do they fit in his career?
Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade were the inaugural members of Wayne Shorter’s final touring group. This band was formed in 2000 and remained with him until his death (in 2023). Healdsburg Jazz is super honored to present this group, in all of its authenticity, without the maestro himself.
The saxophone chair for the current Wayne Shorter legacy band will be held by the great Mark Turner, one of the great tenor saxophonists of our era and a master interpreter of Wayne Shorter’s music.
‘The Legacy of Wayne Shorter’ will be presented on Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Raven Theater (115 North St.). Before the 7pm concert, there will be an educational talk about the life and accomplishments of Wayne Shorter at 6pm. Tickets at healdsburgjazz.org.
