Tuesday, September 11, 2007

JOE ZAWINUL: OFF TO BIRDLAND 1932-2007


With Jaco Pastorius, Peter Erskine and Wayne Shorter, from a 1978 Stadthalle Offenbach concert.

Joe Zawinul was jazz fusion to me for as long as I knew what the two words meant together. I haven't listened to a Weather Report album in a while, but I think the time might be right to get to know Heavy Weather and 8:30, and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, on which Zawinul played, all over again. Thanks, Joe, for the wonderful, arresting, demanding, maddening, wonderful sounds.

1 comment:

Bob Turnbull said...

I was sad to hear this as well...Try out Zawinul's playing on Cannonball Adderly's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - Live At The Club" which is one of my favourite jazz records (from '66 I think). Zawinul wrote the title track (which was a Top 40 hit) and one other. The whole album is terrific playing with great energy.