Jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter, UCLA adjunct professor of music and a member of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Board of Trustees, is one of this year’s recipients of Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, considered by many to be the ‘Nobel Prize' of music. Shorter is being honored along with Sting as 2017 Polar Music Prize laureates.
The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by the late Stig ”Stikkan” Anderson, a legend in the history of Swedish popular music. Anderson was the publisher, lyricist and manager of ABBA, and he played a key role in their success. The name of the prize stems from Anderson’s legendary record label, Polar Music.
Shorter has been an invaluable asset to the musical community, according to Polar Music Prize Foundation. He has worked in groups such as Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet, and Weather Report. Shorter has played on many key albums with Joni Mitchell, performed at the White House, and is a prolific producer and composer. He has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz as well as a Grammy for his musical accomplishments.
“Without the musical explorations of Wayne Shorter, modern music would not have drilled so deep," according to the awards committee. Shorter will be accepting his award at a gala in Stockholm on June 15. You can find more information about the announcement here.
Past recipients include Sir Paul McCartney, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Elton John, Bob Dylan and Renée Fleming.
