Wayne Shorter was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader whose visionary approach redefined the sound of modern jazz. Emerging in the late 1950s with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, he later became a key architect of the Miles Davis Quintet and co-founded the groundbreaking fusion group Weather Report. Known for his lyrical improvisation and complex, emotive compositions, Shorter’s work spanned post-bop to fusion and beyond. Over his six-decade career, he earned multiple Grammy Awards and remains celebrated as one of jazz’s most influential voices.