Weather Report - Weather Report (1982)

For some crafty reason, Weather Report gave its 11th Columbia album the same eponymous title as its first, which no doubt led to massive retail confusion. It is the last WR album for Peter Erskine, Jaco Pastorius, and Robert Thomas, Jr.; Thomas left the band soon afterwards. And with Pastorius receding a bit into the background, the creative balance tilts heavily toward Joe Zawinul, who contributes all but one of the seven compositions. "Volcano for Hire" and "Dara Factors One and Two" are the requisite Zawinul groove-athons, and his deepening awareness of the rapidly improving synthesizer's harmonic and timbral possibilities color such tracks as "Current Affairs" and the three-part "N.Y.C." suite. Though the creativity level seems to be on medium-tank here, the band could still startle the ear with surprising new sounds, a supremely pithy Wayne Shorter statement, or fresh Third World spices. Their ability to swing is never in doubt.

by Richard S. Ginell in All Music Guide

Style:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 - Volcano for Hire (5:25)
02 - Current Affairs (5:54)
03 - N.Y.C. Pt. 1: 41st Parallel/Pt.2: The Dance/Pt.3: Crazy About Jazz (10:11)
04 - Dara Factor One (5:25)
05 - When It Was Now (4:45)
06 - Speechless (5:58)
07 - Dara Factor Two (4:27)

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - synthesizer / keyboards
Wayne Shorter - soprano and tenor saxophones
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Peter Erskine - drums
Robert Thomas - percussion

Weather Report - River People (1978)

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - keyboards
Wayne Shorter - soprano saxophone
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Peter Erskine - drums

Weather Report - Night Passage (1980)

All things being relative, this is Weather Report's straightahead album, where the elaborate production layers of the late-'70s gave way to sparer textures and more unadorned solo improvisation in the jazz tradition, electric instruments and all. The flaw of this album is the shortage of really memorable compositions; it is more of a vehicle for the virtuosic feats of what is considered by some to be the classic WR lineup -- Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Robert Thomas, Jr. and Peter Erskine. For Erskine, this is is first full studio album and he amply demonstrates his terrific sense of forward drive unique among the other superb drummers in WR annals. "Port of Entry" is a tour de force for Jaco, who knocks off several of those unbelievably slippery, pointed runs that have made him a posthumous legend. There is also a tremendously fun retro trip to Duke Ellington's "Rockin' in Rhythm," everybody swinging their heads and hands off.
by Richard S. Ginell in All Music Guide

Style:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 Night Passage
02 Dream Clock
03 Port of Entry
04 Forlorn
05 Rockin' in Rhythm
06 Fast City
07 Three Views of a Secret
08 Madagascar

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - keyboards
Wayne Shorter - soprano and tenor saxophones
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Peter Erskine - drums
Robert Thomas - percussion