On August 24th, Wayne Shorter will make his emphatic return to the spotlight.

Just a day shy of his 85th birthday, the iconic jazz saxophonist will release a massive triple album. “Emanon” will be the 10-time Grammy award winner’s first album in nearly five years. Along with new material, the album will also be paired with a graphic novel written by Shorter and screenwriter Monica Sly.

The release will be comprised of material performed by Shorter’s quartet, along with the Grammy award winning, 34-piece Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

When Publisher’s Weekly asked about the thematic and musical concepts behind the release, Shorter elaborated. “Nothing is actually finished in life. In music, when someone stops writing a song, it’s not necessarily finished. The meaning goes on, more than the name, or the era, style and all that. That’s why I used the word “Emanon” – no name. The record itself is not a soundtrack for the graphic novel. It’s a panorama that always changes. When you keep listening to the music, the music might turn out to be the graphic novel, and the novel might turn out to be the music.”

With a career spanning nearly six decades, Shorter is often regarded as one of the most prominent figures in modern jazz.

Working with everyone from Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter has cemented himself as one of music’s most highly regarded figures. While he may be well into the later stages of a remarkable career, the 2018 Kennedy Center honoree continues to innovate, reinforcing the genre’s limitless capacity.

“Emanon” will be released on August 24th via Blue Note Records. You can pre-order it here.

Listen to Shorter team up with Herbie Hancock in one of my all-time favorite compositions, 1975’s Hang Up Your Hang Ups below.

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