Wayne Shorter came to the group with a reputation as a dominant role as an instrumentalist, drawn from both his solo work and his contributions to Miles Davis' "second great quintet" during the 1960s. Josef Zawinul on his gradual takeover of Weather Report Wayne wanted it like that, but we were always 'partners in crime'. Then, after the second album there's no question about it, it became more and more my group. In the beginning let's say Weather Report was a joint thing. On some Weather Report tunes, however, Zawinul was criticized for allowing his synthesized arrangements to dominate the sound. In Weather Report, he often employed a vocoder, as well as recorded sounds played (i.e., filtered and transposed) through a synthesizer, creating a very distinctive, often beautiful, synthesis of jazz harmonics and "noise" (which he referred to as "using all the sounds the world generates"). Working with companies such as ARP and Oberheim, Zawinul developed new ways of voicing and patching electronic tones for textures, ensemble roles (including emulations of traditional band instruments) and soloing. Having originally made his name as a pioneering electric piano player, he went on to consistently develop the role of the synthesizer in jazz during his time with Weather Report. Joe Zawinul's playing style was often dominated by quirky melodic improvisations (simultaneously bebop-, ethnic-, and pop-sounding) combined with sparse but rhythmic big-band chords or bass lines. Initially, the band's music featured an improvisational method (similar to Miles Davis's Bitches Brew-period), but eventually that shifted to a more groove-oriented approach, and catchier compositions (as epitomized by their 1977 hit single "Birdland"). From the point where Alphonso Johnson joined the band, individual solos became more prominent in concert, but were never allowed to overwhelm the collective approach. That position remained consistent throughout the life of the band. While their work was categorized as "jazz fusion", the band members generally distanced themselves from that term.įrom the start, Weather Report took the unusual approach of abandoning the traditional "soloist/accompaniment" demarcation of straight-ahead jazz and featured opportunities for continuous improvisation by every member of the band. Over their 16-year career, Weather Report explored various areas of music, predominantly centered on jazz (initially the " free" variety), but also incorporating elements of art music, ethnic music, R&B, funk, and rock. 2.10 1986–present: After Weather Report.During the first half of their career, Weather Report were seen as one of the defining acts in modern jazz, winning the DownBeat "best album award" five times in a row.Īlongside bands such as Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock's the Headhunters (all with members inspired by and partially responsible for the fusion-era work of Miles Davis), Weather Report is widely considered one of the defining bands of the jazz fusion genre.
Zawinul used the latest developments in synthesizer technology, and took advantage of a large variety of sounds and tone colors to make the band stand out.
The band started as a free improvising jazz group with avant-garde and experimental electronic leanings when Vitouš left Weather Report (due mostly to creative disagreements), Zawinul increasingly steered the band towards a funky, edgy sound incorporating elements of R&B and native musics from around the world. Throughout most of its existence, the band was a quintet consisting of Zawinul, Shorter, a bass guitarist, a drummer, and a percussionist. Other prominent members at various points in the band's lifespan included Jaco Pastorius, Alphonso Johnson, Victor Bailey, Chester Thompson, Peter Erskine, Airto Moreira, and Alex Acuña.
The band was founded (and initially co-led) by Austrian keyboard player Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter and Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš. Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986.
Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Joni Mitchell, The Zawinul Syndicate, Weather Update Jazz fusion, world music, jazz-funk, free jazz