The Pop Corporation

An absolute giant of jazz, Wayne Shorter, has sadly left us. He was a fair old age, which is lovely to see in a genre where too many left us way too young, but even with that said, we would like to throw praise his way.

The fact is, Shorter is one of the people who shaped the way jazz sounded in the 20th Century, up there with the best of them, even if his name isn’t as well known outside of jazz circles. Playing with the Jazz Messengers (alongside PopCorp fave Hank Mobley), as well as Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Herbie Hancock, Shorter not only had the ear of his peers, but also, the critics and award shows, bagsying himself 12 Grammys.

Shorter would eventually inherit the Messengers from Art Blakey, but was a primary composer during Blakey’s tenure. He was a member of Miles’ Second Great Quintet, and then co-founded fusion overlords Weather Report. Of course, there’s a clutch of solo LPs in the mix too, because Shorter was as prolific as he was brilliant.

He was the composer of standards, and attracted criticism as well as critical praise, but that’s what you get when you push the envelope – while jazz critics may talk of musical freedom, they can be as protestant as any rock critic. Of course, this wouldn’t hurt Shorter, who went where the music took him, and to hell with anyone’s feelings.

From bop, to fusion, to samba, to R&B, to rock ‘n’ roll, Shorter was a curious musician who would bring his personality to anyone he was interested in. He seemed to gravitate toward real heads though, also working with Milton Nascimento, Carlos Santana, working with Joni Mitchell on just under a dozen LPs, and memorably, the blockbuster solo wig-out on Steely Dan’s epic ‘Aja’ title track.

It’s easy to be effusive about a musician when they’ve died, and often, it can read insincerely – but in Shorter’s case, these few words just aren’t enough. You need to get the LPs out or load up Spotify and half-deafen yourself with his work. His playing was melodic, but could be wild and avant garde – he was brave and brilliant.

He said: “I think that music opens portals and doorways into unknown sectors that it takes courage to leap into. I always think that there’s a potential that we all have, and we can emerge, rise up to this potential, when necessary. We have to be fearless, courageous, and draw upon wisdom that we think we don’t have.”

The greatest tribute you can do right now, is listen to his music right now. If you play an instrument, no matter what level, go play it with abandon. If you don’t know his work, get to know it and dive into headlong.

Wayne Shorter has been called a genius, a trailblazer, and a visionary. It’s hard to argue with that.