Jazz legend Wayne Shorter headlined Carolina Jazz Festival

Instead of staying home and eating cake for his 80th birthday, jazz legend Wayne Shorter is touring the world.

Headlining the 37th annual Carolina Jazz Festival tonight, the Wayne Shorter Quartet features pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Brian Blade and Shorter, a legendary saxophonist. Touring with their new album Without a Net, — Shorter’s first with Blue Note Records in 43 years — the group continues to redefine jazz.

“Jazz to me, means, ‘I dare you,’” Shorter said.

Shorter has been changing the face of jazz since his first recordings in the 1950s. Throughout his career, he’s co-founded the famous group Weather Report, played with the Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet, partnered with various chamber orchestras, and continues to tour with his quartet. Over his 50 years in the business, Shorter has won 10 Grammy Awards — including 2014’s Best Improvised Jazz Solo — and is revered as one of the greatest jazz composers of all time.

“He is definitely jazz royalty coming through our hall,” said Joe Florence, marketing manager for Carolina Performing Arts, who is hosting the event.

Shorter’s prestige stems partially from his bold approach to both performing and composing.

“Expressing the need to face the unknown with courage, to be fearless — do things that someone has never done before,” Shorter said. “Not for his own sake but for the sake of humanity.”

This is Shorter’s approach to life, as well as his music. Relying less on the success of past hits, he continues to explore new possibilities within the realm of jazz. The quartet has the freedom to improvise on stage and rarely will play the same songs two nights in a row.

“It’s the challenge of being in the moment without any strategy or plan or manipulation,” he said.

This is the second year that CPA has worked with the music department to feature a jazz musician during their festival. Florence said this partnership rises from CPA’s mission to bring performances outside of performance halls.

“That’s why we’re here — to get students involved in the programming,” he said.

Specifically for Shorter’s arrival, UNC professor and musician Stephen Anderson is hosting “Program Notes Live,” an informative lecture and demonstration prior to Shorter’s performance where everyone is welcome to discuss the artist’s music and style.

“Bringing in a seminal figure of the music shows that the University is serious about supporting (the jazz community) and showcasing the masters,” said music professor Dave Finucane.

“Jazz is a conversation among a group of musicians — and this band gets the conversation going,” he said.

Finucane said he encourages audience members to get caught up in the moment and stay open to what’s going to happen.

For Shorter, this means pushing boundaries. He said jazz is incomplete when put in a static position and that audience members should be along for the ride.

“I hope they walk away with a conviction that the things they are dreaming about doing are real,” he said.

Always taking life as it comes, Shorter said he doesn’t have a distinct plan for what he’s going to do next in his career.

“To me, there’s no such thing as a finished piece of music — there’s no such thing as a beginning or ending in life,” he said with a chuckle.

“We have an eternity to figure that out.”

arts@dailytarheel.com