esperanza spalding / Clark Rundell / Tineke Postma / Leo Genovese / Terri Lyne Carrington

This concert celebrates the musical legacy of one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century: An international all-star ensemble including esperanza spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese and the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria under the direction of Clark Rundell is dedicated to the works of saxophonist Wayne Shorter, who died in 2023.

Jazz visionary
Wayne Shorter shaped modern jazz over seven decades – from Art Blakey and Miles Davis to the fusion band Weather Report. As a composer, he changed jazz »from the inside out«, writes Shorter's biographer Michelle Mercer, »because his pieces are not just themes for improvisation, but open dramatic worlds. His music has shaped the language of modern jazz as profoundly as that of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk or John Coltrane.«
In his aesthetic thinking, Shorter defines music as an adventure without a fixed goal. He does not want to proclaim a clear message, but rather open up a mental space. He loves open meanings, science fiction associations, Zen thinking and ambiguity in the narrative.

Musical affinity
A deep musical affinity and close artistic friendship united Wayne Shorter with the singer and bassist esperanza spalding, who is honouring his symphonic legacy at the Wiener Konzerthaus. She says of Shorter's music: »For a long time we didn't know about the enormous interconnectedness of aspen groves and that their underground root systems actually make them the largest organisms on earth. That's what Wayne's imagination feels like to me. I can look at all the components of his music and understand how it works, but there's a level below or above that you can't perceive or analyse. You can feel that there is something invisible that creates all this expression. And I think that's what makes Wayne and his music so exciting and so extraordinary.«