To become a legendary jazz composer and saxophonist, Wayne
Shorter’s solo mentality and tendency to push boundaries in
music have certainly come in handy.
Shorter will be performing with his quartet on April 9 at Royce
Hall. He will also be promoting his biography “Footprints:
The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter,” written by Michelle
Mercer.
Shorter’s individualistic attitude makes him stand out
from other musicians. Mercer sees him as an original thinker.
“He is like a mystery to be solved,” Mercer said.
“His struggle to be as much of an individual as possible and
his desire to make the most of any moment, to be as creative as he
can, makes him a very inspirational person.”
Shorter’s religious practice of Buddhism has transformed
his life and music by encouraging him to continually evolve as a
person and a musician.
“I value each moment because I never get bored, give up or
take things for granted as I await the great surprises that come
with eternity,” Shorter said.
But Mercer found it difficult to capture in words the Buddhism
that has had such a profound impact on Shorter’s life.
“My greatest challenge writing this biography was to
understand his Buddhist practices well enough to articulate
them,” Mercer said.
Fascinated with comic books from an early age, Shorter first
wanted to become an artist. It was not until he was 15 years old
that he became interested in music. His first instrument was the
clarinet, which he chose because he thought of it as colorful and
because it came apart.
Shorter then became interested in bebop music because of the
exhilarating freedom it allowed its musicians and listeners.
“There was much resistance to this music, similar to the
emergence of rap when it first came out,” Shorter said.
“People wanted to stamp it out.”
His love of music eventually led him to join Art Blakey’s
Jazz Messengers, where he learned the art of show business and how
to conduct himself on stage while performing. After he joined up
with the legendary Miles Davis’ quintet, from which a
lifelong friendship emerged, Shorter learned to place more depth on
his performance while exploring the sound of his music.
When Shorter spoke of Davis, he usually took on Davis’
deep raspy voice as if Davis himself were talking about Shorter.
Davis thought of Shorter as “the intellectual musical
catalyst” because Shorter’s compositions would trigger
innovation in the rest of the group.
“Miles liked to rearrange others’ music in what we
referred to as “˜cutting out the meat,’ but he never did
that to mine,” Shorter said.
Shorter’s next project was the Weather Report, where he
learned the art of collaboration as well as how to write music that
would attract younger audiences. Shorter currently has his own
quartet, where he has learned to open himself up on stage to the
world. With his group, Shorter hopes the music will hit home with
audiences in order to inspire them to feel free to be
individuals.
“I don’t worry about the critics scrutinizing our
musical foundation, because it isn’t about music anymore,
it’s about life,” said Shorter.
Shorter has also worked with other musicians such as Joni
Mitchell and Carlos Santana. He enjoyed collaborating with them
because they took chances.
“I liked how they were both courageous with guts and how
they were different from their contemporaries,” Shorter
said.
Shorter likes to be different, but he is also modest. He does
not consider himself a “legend” as most critics
consider him. He even dismissed the notion that he has had an
impact on jazz.
He defines his 50-plus years in music as doing what he likes
without the financial support of major record labels.
“I keep doing what I want without money and this puzzles
today’s T. rexes, people like the music executives who
can’t understand how people can create something without
their help,” Shorter said.
When asked how the average college student can relate to jazz,
Shorter compares the experience to leaving one’s comfort zone
and embarking on an intellectual journey.
“To relate to jazz, one has to step out of their safety
zone of life and extend their self over that imaginary, artificial
barrier and explore the unknown for themselves,” he said.
Mercer explains the relevance of Shorter’s music for
college students in less abstract terms.
“His shows have the kind of energy as a rock show would
with the intellectual weight of jazz,” she said.