Right from the start, a vastly different Weather Report emerges here, one that reflects co-leader Joe Zawinul's developing obsession with the groove. It is the groove that rules this mesmerizing album, leading off with the irresistible 3/4 marathon deceptively tagged as the "Boogie Woogie Waltz" and proceeding through a variety of Latin-grounded hip-shakers. It is a record of discovery for Zawinul, who augments his Rhodes electric piano with a funky wah-wah pedal, unveils the ARP synthesizer as a melodic instrument and sound-effects device, and often coasts along on one chord. The once fiery Wayne Shorter has been tamed, for he now contributes mostly sustained ethereal tunes on soprano sax, his tone sometimes doubled for a pleasing octave effect. The wane of freewheeling ensemble interplay is more than offset by the big increase in rhythmic push; bassist Miroslav Vitous, drummer Eric Gravatt, and percussionist Dom Um Romao are now cogs in one of jazz's great swinging machines.Styles:
Fusion
Tracks:
01 Boogie Woogie Waltz
02 Manolete
03 Adios
04 125th Street Congress
05 Will
06 Non-Stop Home
Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - acoustic and electric piano / synthesizer
Wayne Shorter - soprano and tenor saxophone
Miroslav Vitous - acoustic and electric bass
Eric Gravátt - drums (tracks 2, 4 and 6)
Dom Um Romão - percussion
With:
Muruga Booker - percussion
Andrew White - electric bass (tracks 1, 4 and 6), English horn (tracks 3 and 5)
Herschel Dwellingham - drums (tracks 1, 2, 3 and 6)
1 comentário:
I suppose that, for most of us, the album that introduced a band's music to us tends to remain our favorite. That is definitely the case with me & Weather Report. I was 17 in '73, and I just beginning to explore music beyond rock n roll. This record took me to places I hadn't been before! (Still does) Although I enjoy (almost) everything they recorded. Sweetnighter is the one that balances their earlier exploratory abstractions with their later groove-oriented stuff.
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