Today in Jazz – Wayne Shorter’s 81st Birthday! (Aug 25, 1933)
So you can probably count on you fingers how many musicians are still performing beyond the age of 80. Two that I can think of off the top of my head are B.B. King and Tony Bennett, and when Wayne Shorter, Wayne Shorter joined that group last year and this year Wayne will kick off a European Tour on October 16th in Croatia. Among the destinations are Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Portugl! Wayne was born in Newark, New Jersey on August 25,1933. For some unknown reason, I know Wayne’s name, but until last year, I had not really listened to any of his best albums. I know I have heard his sax before, I have some Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, along with Miles Davis in my collection and I know I’ve listened to Weather Report! Can you say, once again, too much music, too little time! So this post is not only for you readers, but for me, too! From Wikiipedia: Jazz critic Ben Ratliff of the New York Times has described Shorter as “probably jazz’s greatest living small-group composer and a contender for greatest living improviser.“[1] Many of Shorter’s compositions have become jazz standards. His output has earned worldwide recognition, critical praise and various commendations, including multiple Grammy Awards.[2] He has also received acclaim for his mastery of the soprano saxophone (after switching his focus from the tenor in the late 1960s), beginning an extended reign in 1970 as Down Beat’s annual poll-winner on that instrument, winning the critics’ poll…
