Hommage à Wayne Shorter (1933-2023)

The world lost one of jazz's greatest titans when saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter passed away in 2023. From his work as a sideman with Art Blakey and in Miles Davis's Second Grand Quartet to his sprawling solo career and stint at the helm of Weather Report, Shorter helped shape the sound of jazz for seven decades, pushing the boundaries of music to the cosmos.

The Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal (ONJ) (which released an album of his works brilliantly arranged by Jean-Nicolas Trottier just before his death, Wayne Shines / Miles Smiles) this time pays tribute to his colossal corpus with previously unreleased interpretations of a repertoire arranged and produced by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, drawn from other influential Wayne Shorter albums, such as JuJu, Speak No Evil and Adam's Apple. For this concert, the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal will be under the direction of Ron Di Lauro. 


Rounding out the program is the winning work of the Sophie Desmarais 2022 International Composition Competition for Large Jazz Ensemble: The Blue Fairy, by Italian composer Anna Bignami, who is also a conductor based in Copenhagen, Denmark. And the late Charlie Biddle's Little Ones, arranged by Jean-Nicolas Trottier.