Thursday Night Jazz: Paul Thompson Honors Wayne Shorter

Pittsburgh bass icon Paul Thompson pays homage to the life and legacy of jazz legend Wayne Shorter.

Our weekly jazz explorations continue with bassist Paul Thompson, presenting the first of three concerts (curated by Paul) to honor the life and music of Wayne Shorter. On the curation of this series, Paul said “with his passing this spring, it seemed appropriate to celebrate the legacy of one of our greatest composers. Wayne Shorter’s career and library reads like a history of Jazz music over 60+ years.” As such, he has assembled some of his favorite musicians in Pittsburgh to play some of Shorter’s timeless music and to tell his story through song. This project is part of City of Asylum’s newest ongoing series, Thursday Night Jazz, which aims to bring local jazz heroes to the stage for intimate nights of world-class jazz. 

Wayne Shorter, called a genius, a trailblazer, a visionary, was born on August 25, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey. Miles Davis convinced Shorter to join his quintet in September 1964, where he stayed (and at times became the band’s most prolific composer) until 1970. After working with Davis, Shorter formed Weather Report, which would go on to produce many high-quality recordings in diverse styles, with funk, bebop, Latin jazz, ethnic music, and futurism, to name a few. In 2000, he formed the first permanent acoustic group under his name, a quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade, playing his own compositions. Dozens of Shorter’s 200+ compositions have become modern standards.

Featured Musicians:

Paul Thompson: bass

Scott Boni: sax

Joe Sheehan: piano

George Heid III: drums

About the Artist:

Paul Thompson has been playing bass professionally for over 30 years, including recording and touring stints with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. Recent playing credits include Hubert Laws, Geri Allen, Micheal Feinstein, and Bob James, among others. Currently, he can be seen playing around the Pittsburgh area with Salsamba!, THOTH Trio, the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, in pit orchestras at the Byham and New Hazlett Theaters, or performing with some of our city’s rich jazz community. An active educator, Paul currently teaches Jazz Bass at Duquesne University and West Virginia University and is an Adjunct Instrumental Music teacher at his alma mater, Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12 Performing Arts School. http://www.youtube.com/pdbass 

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