View Larger
Post Album to FacebookRate it!
Avg: 4.0 (47 ratings)
- Date Released: February 16, 1971
- Genre: Jazz
- Label: Legacy/Columbia
- Copyright: Originally Released 1971 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
The game-changing debut from a leader in jazz-rock fusion
-
We Say...
Recorded in 1971, the eponymous debut album from Weather Report advanced and quietly refined the emerging sound of the jazz-rock fusion elucidated on the Miles Davis classic In a Silent Way. Keyboardist Joe Zawinul, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and percussionist Airto Moreira were all veterans of Davis's band, both live and in the studio. Rounded out by drummer Alphonse Mouzon and bassist Miroslav Vitous, they forged a less-aggressive but equally searching sound fueled largely by group improvisation, with haunting, spaced-out results, particularly on tracks like the aptly named "Milky Way," a drifting, gently churning exploration of shifting textures and concise gestures that manipulated natural overtones using only acoustic piano and sax, while Zawinul's beautifully moody "Orange Lady" distends the post-Miles melody — which sounds like something off of Nefertiti — with all kinds of shifting colors and rhythmic accents.
While the quintet's finely tuned lines and chords was ultimately responsible for such airiness, Zawinul had already found innovative ways to turn is electric piano into a mood machine, devising ingenious ways to suggest sonic clouds and viscous sensations, a trait he continually developed through the band's fifteen-year history, especially when synthesizers entered the fold.
Not everything here is sedate and amorphous. A piece like "Seventh Arrow," penned by Vitous, reached back toward the musicians' jazz roots, taking a mildly abstract post-bop theme and amping it up with hard-charging grooves and ferocious energy. The album closer, Shorter's "Eurydice," isn't afraid to swing madly. Weather Report was an arresting opening shot of fusion, the first and one the best statements from a group that would spend its entire career leading the charge and perpetually changing the music's trajectory. -
They Say...
Here we have the free-floating, abstract beginnings of Weather Report, which would define the state of the electronic jazz/rock art from its first note almost to its last. Their first album is a direct extension of the Miles Davis In a Silent Way/Bitches Brew period, more fluid in sound and more volatile in interplay. Joe Zawinul ruminates in a delicate, liquid manner on Rhodes electric piano; at this early stage, he used a ring modulator to create weird synthesizer-like effects. Wayne Shorter's soprano sax shines like a beacon amidst the swirling ensemble work of co-founding bassist Miroslav Vitous, percussionist Airto Moreira, and drummer Alphonse Mouzon. Zawinul's most memorable theme is "Orange Lady" (previously recorded, though uncredited, by Davis on Big Fun), while Shorter scores on "Tears" and "Eurydice." One of the most impressive debuts of all time by a jazz group.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 8 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 8 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
08 Total Tracks, 39:49 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Weather Report, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Alphonse Mouzon - Drums // Wayne Shorter - Saxophone // Wayne Shorter - Saxophone // Wayne Shorter - Sax (Soprano) // Wayne Shorter - Sax (Soprano) // Wayne Shorter - ? // Wayne Shorter - ? // Miroslav Vitous - Bass // Miroslav Vitous - Bass (Electric) // Weather Report - Main Performer // Airto Moreira - Percussion // Airto Moreira - Percussion // Airto Moreira - Percussion // Airto Moreira - Drums // Airto Moreira - Drums // Airto Moreira - Drums // Joe Zawinul - Keyboards // Joe Zawinul - Piano (Electric) // Don DeMichael - Liner Notes // John Snyder - Producer // Wayne Tarnowski - Engineer // John Ephland - Liner Notes // Vic Anesini - Digital Remastering // Paul M. Martin - ? // Paul M. Martin - Art Coordinator
-
Performers
Airto Moreira played Percussion // Wayne Shorter played Sax (Soprano) // Miroslav Vitous played Bass (Vocal) // Joe Zawinul played Keyboards // Alphonse Mouzon played Drums -
Other Details
- Instruments:
- Percussion //
- Bass (Vocal) //
- Drums //
- Keyboards //
- Sax (Soprano)
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC