Michelle Mercer

1 month ago | thegig.substack.com | Nate Chinen |Michelle Mercer |Natalie Weiner

Let’s begin with a story. Just over seven years ago, I convened an especially sharp edition of The Year in Jazz at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. My esteemed fellow panelists — , Eugene Holley, Jr. and Giovanni Russonello — spent a brisk 90 minutes conversing about the sublime albums, shocking departures, and breakaway successes that had marked the Year of Our Lord 2017. Then, winding down the Q&A, we were almost stumped by one last question from the audience.

May 12, 2023 | michellemercer.substack.com | Michelle Mercer

When I taught a Wayne Shorter course last fall, the first guest lecturer I contacted was composer and pianist Rachel Z. Few people know just how closely Rachel worked with Wayne on compositions for his High Life album. Even fewer know that Rachel moved into Wayne’s LA home in the mid-90s, becoming family to the Shorters. She’s a brilliant musician and educator. In the following interview, however, Rachel and I discussed something entirely different.

Mar 7, 2023 | opb.org | Michelle Mercer

Composer, saxophonist and devout Buddhist Wayne Shorter died last week at age 89. His visionary composition and improvisation shaped not only 20th-century jazz but also pop, world and classical music. Shorter was as beloved personally for his philosophical character and colorful aphorisms as he was for his musical accomplishments. Michelle Mercer is the author of Footprints, a 2005 biography of Shorter, and shares this personal essay on her experiences “translating” the artist and his life.