Wayne Shorter

Fri., April 23, 5:45 and 7:15 p.m., $16, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org.

by Shaun Brady

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Published: Apr 20, 2010

jazz

With most composers, inspiration drawn from Asian art would be fairly easy to predict — a fusion of East and West, perhaps some "exotic" instrumentation. But Wayne Shorter's mind doesn't work in quite such a linear fashion. A simple conversation with the legendary saxophonist/composer can be as dense and unpredictable as his improvisations, lurching unexpectedly through science fiction novels, comic books, or classic film as his neurons leap from one tenuous connection to another. The same could apply as Shorter takes on the PMA's East Asian art collection, from which he'll draw inspiration for a newly-commissioned composition for his renowned quartet, featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. The museum has enlisted several notable composers of late to interact with the art in its galleries, thereby drawing together its exhibitions and performance series — most notably, pianist Jason Moran's multimedia exploration of the Gee's Bend quilts. But with Shorter, arguably the most influential living jazz composer, it finds an artist whose stature aligns with some of those enshrined on its walls.

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