Joe Zawinul RIP Sadly, one of my favourite musicians of all time has died, in his home town of Vienna, of a rare skin cancer. Undoubtedly one of the greatest influences in modern jazz, Joe almost single-handedly introduced electronic keyboards to the genre and his amazing band, Weather Report, broke all barriers, crossed musical boundaries, invented and epitomized the term Fusion Jazz. After a stint with Maynard Ferguson and Dinah Shore in the 50’s, Joe played with Cannonball Adderley for the next 9 years before being poached by Miles Davis, where his In A silent Way became the title track of Davis’s seminal album of electric jazz. Weather Report followed and throughout its transformations continued to amaze audiences and influence countless musicians for close to a decade. After splitting with longtime collaborator, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul continued his musical journey with bands such as the Zawinul Syndicate and Zawinul, developing his vision for fusion, encompassing elements of jazz, classical, rock and world music. I remember the first time I heard Weather Report in the early 70’s; I was 20, the album was called Mysterious Traveller and it truly was mysterious to me, I could neither understand what they were doing, nor could I get into the grooves and rhythms of this stupendous group. It wasn’t until my mind and ears were opened by judicious use of marijuana that I finally ‘clicked’ and I spent a whole summer listening to that album day and night, hearing new things and feeling new concepts every time. Needless to say I became an ardent fan and anticipated the release of their yearly albums with the same relish I felt as a kid, waiting for my weekly Beezer comic, dreading the day they would call it quits and wondering how I would fill up the undoubted chasm in my life that it was bound to create. I was fortunate enough to see Weather Report play live on many occasions during their heyday in the mid 70’s and very privileged indeed to see Zawinul perform at the Curium amphitheatre in Cyprus just a few short years ago, I sat just metres from the great man wearing his trademark little Jewish hat and baggy trousers. He was 75. Joe Zawinul RIP, I love you.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ineq1dTvO7kyN6rHToVENuwBgwKw Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Hc3vND-xM
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! classic lineup Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! great album Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Joe as young man Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Joe still rockin' it at 70
RIP, Joe. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I got that one on DVD. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! - N
Curious. Or, maybe not. I listen to Aural Moon (internet radio) when I'm sick of my own music library. Anyway, I walk back into my room after doing something else for a while, and right before my eyes (and, I suppose, my ears) the Aural Moon playlist rolls over to Weather Underground's "Cannon Ball", from Black Market. I suppose this would be the time to bring out those songs. I'll raise a glass.
Sad. World is poorer for another marvelous musician. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! RIP Joe.
