WEATHER REPORT – Live at Montreux Jazz Festival (1976) Omar Hakim Interested? During the year’s touring, Shorter began to feel sidelined by the current Weather Report’s aggressive drive and the sometimes overly macho musical interplay between Pastorius and Zawinul, which on at least one occasion squeezed him out of band performance. The album also featured vocal contributions from Deniece Williams and Earth Wind and Fire leader Maurice White. Dom Um Romão The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Josef "Joe" Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter (and, initially, by Czech bass player Miroslav Vitouš). At the end of the tour both Wilburn and Brown left the band (as did Dom Um Romão) and Weather Report was, once again, drummer-less. For similar reasons, the studio-based drummer/composer Herschel Dwellingham played drums on four of the album’s six tracks, replacing Gravatt entirely on three of them: on “Non-Stop Home”, Dwellingham and Gravatt played together, with Gravatt the sole drummer only on “125th Street Congress”. The principals claimed that the band was still together (despite Hakim’s involvement with Sting’s band and Bailey’s with Steps Ahead), but it was also notable that Weather Report’s contract with Columbia Records had just expired, leaving both parties open to other options. Zawinul would comment that this sleeker, less crowded sound provided more listening range and made the music less chaotic now that the band were now focusing more on melody and harmony. (A Weather Update DVD – Joe Zawinul: Weather Update – was released in 2005). Their initial style was collectively improvised free jazz with a strong rhythmic pulse and Latin influences; moving into more funk-oriented rhythms. Conversely, it also showcased Wayne Shorter’s playing to the extent of containing more saxophone solos than any other Weather Report album in the band’s entire career. It is the band's second album with bassist Jaco Pastorius. Find Weather Report bio, music, credits, awards, & streaming links on AllMusic - Jazz fusion innovators who explored exotic… I elected not to do things.” The delay in releasing the 1982 Weather Report album had the side effect of breaking up the current line-up of the band. Pastorius was also a multi-instrumentalist (contributing drums, steel pan and mandocello to the latest recording sessions), a gifted composer (eventually responsible for some signature Weather Report pieces such as “Teen Town” and “Three Views of a Secret”), and a useful production foil for Zawinul due to his knowledge of recording studios and techniques. The band later employed the use of synthesizers, instruments, and other effects, but the first album is still considered a classic of early fusion. Zawinul would go on to form the world music/jazz ensemble Zawinul Syndicate. Mino Cinelu Hakim was immediately entrusted with recruiting the rest of the new rhythm section. After further gigs in Philadelphia, Weather Report went on to a tour of Europe. That band was a hummer!” Between March 2–4, 1979, Weather Report traveled to Havana, Cuba, to participate in the historic Havana Jam festival, a break in mutual Cuban/American political hostilities, which saw American artists such as Stephen Stills, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, Bonnie Bramlett, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge and Billy Joel play alongside Cuban artists such as Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Tata Güines and Orquesta Aragón. Melodically and rhythmically, Miroslav was great; what he did do, in terms of where I was coming from, was very unique. Retrospectively, Zawinul would accuse Vitouš of being unable to play funk convincingly (something which Greg Errico would corroborate) and claim that he had not provided enough music for the band. The band made a very well received appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, which was filmed for future release.
Mysterious Traveller was the second of Weather Report’s albums to win Down Beat’s “Album of the Year” award and the first in their unprecedented run of four such consecutive awards. Tell us why you would like to improve the Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories and includes your local jazz events calendar. Weather Report’s next album Weather Report (1982) – their second eponymous release following their 1970 debut – was recorded in 1981, although it was not released for another year. On release the album received a disappointing review from the critics (including several pannings) and band members have subsequently admitted that it was a substandard release. Down to a duo and with tour commitments looming, Zawinul and Shorter were obliged to quickly assemble a new band. At the beginning of 1980, Pastorius recruited hand-drummer Bobby Thomas Jr. (a fellow Floridan, whom he’d jammed with previously) into the band. Joe Zawinul plays a madcap keyboard solo on this Weather Update Tour in 1986.. It’s an intro to Consequently (Victor Bailey) With: Peter Erskine, Drums Victor Bailey, Bass Steve Kahn, Guitar Bobby Thomas Jr, Hand Drums Eric Kamau Grávátt The album also featured Zawinul’s first use of a synthesizer (an instrument with which he would become synonymous within jazz) and of sound effects. Weather Report was an influential jazz fusion band of the 1970s and 1980s, pitting jazz with R&B, funk, and rock elements while still retaining an extremely high level of compositional and improvisational skills. Listen free to Weather Report – Heavy Weather (Birdland, A Remark You Made and more).