Others may have come after who were more successful, and others may have come before who hinted at what was to come, but it was Weather Report who took the first steps in fusing Jazz with the Soul/Rock sounds of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly and the Family Stone.
Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul, the founders of the group in 1970, came by their interests honestly. Wayne has left his gig in the Miles Davis Band and Joe his in the Cannonball Adderly Quintet to start Weather Report. Over the fifteen years of the band's existence it featured some of the best young Jazz players of the time drifting in and out of the line up and created some of the greatest Jazz Fusion music to come down the pipe.
Perhaps the most famous of their line-ups was the one with the two founders being joined by the late Jaco Pastorius on bass and Perter Erskine on drums. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that in the Sony/Bmg box set Forecast: Tomorrow of three CDs and a DVD of Weather Report's music, the DVD is a live concert featuring the above line up performing in Germany in 1978.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself here when talking about this box set. The three discs of music take you on a historical aural journey of Jazz Fusion's progression as a form and the role Weather Report played in its development. Each disc covers an era in the band's role in evolving the sound of the genre.
On the first disc we hear the fist tentative steps away from the safe shelter of the familiar into the unknown. The second disc is the band settled in for the ride so to speak, and contains material from the period mentioned above which was thought of as the peak of their creative energy. It was during this time that they became fully committed to the use of all electric instruments, when before they had retained the link back to jazz of using an acoustic bass.
Both discs one and two contain a couple of previously unreleased takes; including an incredible live version of "Nubian Sundance" to kick off disc two and an extended version of "Euryvocie" and a never before released version of "Directions" on disc one. The special treats on disc three amount to a live version of "Port Of Entry" and a rap remix of "125th Street Congress" by DJ Logic.
Article comments
1 - Pico
This sounds like one of those rare box sets that would work well for both the beginners and the long time fans. A pioneering band, indeed. Thanks for an informative write up.
-P
2 - M.K.
The video from the Beogradski Jazz Festival in 1980(if that is the one to which Peter Erskine is referring) does in fact exist. I have a copy, but the quality is not so great. The lineup includes Robert Thomas Jr. on percussion, however, so the author is correct that the Rockpalast is the only professional recording of the quartet band.
3 - Sam
I have been eagerly waiting for a WR Box and this looks like it. Picked it up yesterday. I'm pumped for hours of enjoyable listening. One down note: why weren't the tracks remastered? That would have made purchasing duplicade copies of many of these recordings somewhat worthwhile.
4 - meagan
This is a great site and you guys are great. thanks for everything your music is amazing and it helps me think in school.There is nothing else i listen to but this music
5 - Richard Marcus
M.K.
I don't know if you'll ever check back here again, but I received the following letter from the artistic director of the Belgrade Jazz festival and he would be very interested in obtaining a copy of the video tape you own, as they had assumed only an audio tape existed from that concert.
Here's a copy of the letter and his email address:
Mr. Marcus,
I am the artistic director of Belgrade Jazz festival (which had a 15 years
break, during wartime and started again, successfully, last year).
Radio Television Belgrade (National Broadcasting Company) was involved in the
festival from the beginning (1971-1990, and again this year), with recording
almost every concert from the main stage. But, sometimes, video footage was
not allowed - only audio.
Some tapes were lost long before wartime in Yugoslavia, because some TV
editors didn't feel the importance of keeping them in the archives, so they
used tapes for other purposes. (TV company was not rich to buy new tapes).
So... we do not actually know which shows are recorded and which are not.
There were very few concerts left in Belgrade TV archives now.
In fact, talking with lot of people which were involved in the festival in
1980 (both from Festival production team and Belgrade TV), it seems that
Weather Report concert WAS NOT FILMED but only recorded for radio purposes
(AUDIO). It seems that video footage was not allowed by the band management?
Audio tape exists, and - since I am working at the National radio too for many
years - I had a chance to play it on my radio show.
If TV tape exists too - which is the thing that Mr. M.K. is mentioning in his
comment - this information is of the HIGHEST IMPORTANCE for both the Belgrade
Jazz Festival (we try now to collect as much archives as possible), and
Belgrade TV (there is no such a tape now in their archives), and - last but
not least - me, because this was a REALLY FIRST SERIOUS JAZZ CONCERT that I
ever attended on the festival. I do believe all of those years that Weather
Report Belgrade Jazz Festival 1980 show was a turning point for me in starting
listening into jazz!
Therefore, I am curious to check if this tape which M.K. is mentioning is
trully from Belgrade Jazz festival, plus would like to get a copy of it for
our Festival archives, if this is possible.
I hope that you do understand the importance of having this in our archives
too and kindly ask if you have any idea how to reach Mr. M.K. by email.
Thanks,
Vojislav Pantic
Belgrade
[Personal contact info deleted]
cheers
Richard Marcus
6 - Derrick
I have a decent copy of the belgrade show! It is legendary, just simply amazing.!!!!
7 - vojislav
Oh, God, finally something new and promissing!
[Personal contact info deleted]
8 - Nenad Dinic
I have a great collection of Weather Report videos, and I am surprised with that Belgrade Jazz 1980 video. Never heard before. So Mr Pantic and Mr. Derrick, i would really love to contacat you and eventually get that famous concert. HOw we can do that?
9 - Derrick
This is Derrick everyone!!! I will send you a copy of the concert if we can contact each other by email. We can negotiate. I am interested in getting that master audio version from Marcus.
10 - vojislav
Mr Derrick, Mr. Dinic, others... is there any progress concerning exchanging this Weather Report video from Belgrade Jazz Festival 1980? How it is possible to make email contact? Mr. Dinic, are you living in Belgrade?
11 - Derrick
Yea it's Derrick, contact me by going to amazon's website and type in the weather report box set, fortcast tomorrow. Find my review comment and at the end of it the site gives you an opportunity to comment to my review and we can contact each other that way further.