Wayne Shorter, one of modern jazz’s most passionately acclaimed composers and an enigmatic, intrepid saxophonist, passed away on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 89.

Alisse Kingsley, his publicist, verified his hospital death. No immediate information was available regarding the cause.

On the tenor saxophone, Mr. Shorter had a cunning, self-assured approach that was easily recognizable by his low-gloss tone and elliptical sense of phrase. On the soprano, where he left an indescribable mark, his voice was brighter; he could be perceptive, enticing, or evasive, but always with razor-sharp intonation and clarity of attack.

His career spanned more than 50 years and was primarily inextricably linked to jazz’s nuanced development over that time.

2:26 Wayne found something special

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