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Jazz composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter will perform at Royce Hall on April 9, along with pro

To become a legendary jazz composer and saxophonist, Wayne Shorter’s solo mentality and tendency to push boundaries in music have certainly come in handy.

Shorter will be performing with his quartet on April 9 at Royce Hall. He will also be promoting his biography “Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter,” written by Michelle Mercer.

Shorter’s individualistic attitude makes him stand out from other musicians. Mercer sees him as an original thinker.

“He is like a mystery to be solved,” Mercer said. “His struggle to be as much of an individual as possible and his desire to make the most of any moment, to be as creative as he can, makes him a very inspirational person.”

Shorter’s religious practice of Buddhism has transformed his life and music by encouraging him to continually evolve as a person and a musician.

“I value each moment because I never get bored, give up or take things for granted as I await the great surprises that come with eternity,” Shorter said.

But Mercer found it difficult to capture in words the Buddhism that has had such a profound impact on Shorter’s life.

“My greatest challenge writing this biography was to understand his Buddhist practices well enough to articulate them,” Mercer said.

Fascinated with comic books from an early age, Shorter first wanted to become an artist. It was not until he was 15 years old that he became interested in music. His first instrument was the clarinet, which he chose because he thought of it as colorful and because it came apart.

Shorter then became interested in bebop music because of the exhilarating freedom it allowed its musicians and listeners.

“There was much resistance to this music, similar to the emergence of rap when it first came out,” Shorter said. “People wanted to stamp it out.”

His love of music eventually led him to join Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he learned the art of show business and how to conduct himself on stage while performing. After he joined up with the legendary Miles Davis’ quintet, from which a lifelong friendship emerged, Shorter learned to place more depth on his performance while exploring the sound of his music.

When Shorter spoke of Davis, he usually took on Davis’ deep raspy voice as if Davis himself were talking about Shorter. Davis thought of Shorter as “the intellectual musical catalyst” because Shorter’s compositions would trigger innovation in the rest of the group.

“Miles liked to rearrange others’ music in what we referred to as ‘cutting out the meat,’ but he never did that to mine,” Shorter said.

Shorter’s next project was the Weather Report, where he learned the art of collaboration as well as how to write music that would attract younger audiences. Shorter currently has his own quartet, where he has learned to open himself up on stage to the world. With his group, Shorter hopes the music will hit home with audiences in order to inspire them to feel free to be individuals.

“I don’t worry about the critics scrutinizing our musical foundation, because it isn’t about music anymore, it’s about life,” said Shorter.

Shorter has also worked with other musicians such as Joni Mitchell and Carlos Santana. He enjoyed collaborating with them because they took chances.

“I liked how they were both courageous with guts and how they were different from their contemporaries,” Shorter said.

Shorter likes to be different, but he is also modest. He does not consider himself a “legend” as most critics consider him. He even dismissed the notion that he has had an impact on jazz.

He defines his 50-plus years in music as doing what he likes without the financial support of major record labels.

“I keep doing what I want without money and this puzzles today’s T. rexes, people like the music executives who can’t understand how people can create something without their help,” Shorter said.

When asked how the average college student can relate to jazz, Shorter compares the experience to leaving one’s comfort zone and embarking on an intellectual journey.

“To relate to jazz, one has to step out of their safety zone of life and extend their self over that imaginary, artificial barrier and explore the unknown for themselves,” he said.

Mercer explains the relevance of Shorter’s music for college students in less abstract terms.

“His shows have the kind of energy as a rock show would with the intellectual weight of jazz,” she said.