Saxophonist Devin Daniels and trumpeter Julien Knowles distinguished themselves on breakthrough releases this year — Daniels on the star-making LesGo! and Knowles on his solo debut, As Many, As One, each of which features the other as a band member. Craig Allyn hide caption
Wayne Shorter performs during the Marciac Jazz festival in southern France in 2005. Two recent tribute projects each aim to capture the wandering spirit of the late saxophonist. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Wayne Shorter, photographed during a live performance at the Town & Country Club in London in April 1987. Fin Costello/Redferns hide caption
Wayne Shorter, photographed while performing with pianist Herbie Hancock in Paris on Sept. 4, 2007. Patrick Kovarik/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Wayne Shorter, photographed in 1985. David Redfern/Redferns hide caption
Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones is the first presentation of a work by a Black composer in the Met Opera's 138-year history. Ken Howard/Met Opera hide caption
Iphigenia, played by esperanza spalding, prepares for her sacrifice. From Wayne Shorter and spalding's opera, ...(Iphigenia). Jon Fine/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter with a page from his ...(Iphigenia) score. Jeff Tang/Courtesy of Real Magic hide caption
Mary Halvorson's volatile and cagey album Code Girl is her first set full of songs with lyrics, both a departure from and extension of her earlier work and one of Nate Chinen's favorite albums of 2018. Ross Mantle for NPR hide caption
The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in 2016. It was the last time a U.S. president — Barack Obama — attended the awards ceremony. Pool/Getty Images hide caption
Wayne Shorter, photographed in 2014. The famed saxophonist's ambitious new project, Emanon -- encompassing three discs of interweaving jazz explorations and orchestral arrangements, with an accompanying graphic novel — was released Sep. 14, 2018. NurPhoto/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption
The exterior of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Jazz musician Wayne Shorter performs on the stage of the 51st edition of "Jazz a Juan" a Jazz music festival on July 15, 2011 in Juan-les-Pins, Antibes. AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Wayne Shorter performs at the 2017 Detroit Jazz Festival. Farrad Ali hide caption
Jazz legend Wayne Shorter accepts the applause of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra during a retrospective of his music in May. Frank Stewart/Jazz at Lincoln Center hide caption
Miles Davis poses at the side of stage during the Newport Jazz Festival. David Redfern/Redferns hide caption
Wayne Shorter, who turned 80 in 2013, won the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll by a large margin. Robert Ashcroft/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Wayne Shorter. Robert Ashcroft/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Wayne Shorter performs with Herbie Hancock at the 2013 Newport Jazz Festival. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption