Leo Sidran chats with Jesse Markowitz about curating Palladium, his ambitious Roulette concert celebrating the music of Wayne Shorter, and how a mentorship that began with social media evolved into a lasting artistic mission.
When Wayne Shorter passed away in 2023, he left behind one of the most celebrated bodies of work in modern music. As a soloist, as a composer, as a bandleader — his impact stretched across generations. Even while he was still alive, his compositions were among the most revisited in the jazz canon.
And in Newark, where Shorter was born, WBGO keeps that legacy alive every day.
Another of the people most committed to that mission is Jesse Markowitz — a social media innovator, curator, and, since 2015, a close collaborator and protégé of Shorter’s.
As Markowitz told me, “I started working for Wayne Shorter in 2015… and they just gave me carte blanche. They didn’t tell me anything to do, nor did they really ever check up on me.”At a time when very few people were focused exclusively on social media for jazz artists, Markowitz was building the language for it — first with Roy Hargrove in 2013, and eventually with artists like Dave Holland, Melissa Aldana, Sullivan Fortner, Kurt Elling — and Shorter himself. “I was literally the only one doing this in 2013, 2014, 2015.”
But what began as professional quickly became personal.
Shorter, Markowitz says, became “my hero, the person who, not quite single-handedly, but definitely the largest portion of opening doors for me in my life.”
And more than the music, it was Shorter’s example that stayed with him — “being a model on how to live my life where I can value individualism… and not try to fit into a mold.”
In 2018, Markowitz launched Palladium — a concert series devoted to reimagining Shorter’s music. “I started just going around New York and… when people would play Wayne Shorter’s music, I would do a little post about it… and that gave me the idea that I could turn this into a concert series that I curate.”
By keeping Shorter’s music alive, Jesse is quietly insisting on its relevance. In one press release he even refers to Shorter as this generation’s Mozart.
During the pandemic, he recorded two Palladium albums. “I needed to express myself this way, and Wayne loved it. He sent it to a bunch of his friends.”
This Tuesday, Palladium comes to Roulette in Brooklyn — Markowitz’s most ambitious production yet. He’s renting the venue himself. “I’ve never had a more expensive day, let’s say, than this Tuesday… maybe 70/30 of like nerves, terror, dread, financial dread, huge risk. And then the excitement of the music.”
Musically, the night will stretch Shorter’s compositions into unexpected territory — including bluegrass and electronic elements. And Markowitz believes Shorter would have embraced it.
“I really think Wayne would love this. Wayne was open to everything. He’s the most open person I ever associated with… I could really see him in the audience at this show.”
Tickets for the event are available online at this link.
Markowitz is also planning to turn the performance into an album, with support through a GoFundMe campaign.
You can also watch my full conversation with Jesse here, where we talk about Wayne Shorter, social media, cooking and more.
