Jazz Articles about Joe Zawinul

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Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate: 75

by Woodrow Wilkins
February 17, 2009

A gift. That's perhaps the most effective description of the late Josef (Joe) Zawinul and what he has given to the world of music. So it follows that on his 75th and final birthday, one of the pioneers of jazz fusion performed the music that would become the two-disc 75, his final recording. Zawinul was born in Austria but moved to the United States, where he played with such luminaries as Maynard Ferguson and Cannonball Adderley. It was ...

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Joe Zawinul: Brown Street

by Woodrow Wilkins
April 3, 2007

If you're looking to relax and maybe have a little background music to help you snooze, don't go near Brown Street, the new release by Austrian-born Joe Zawinul. If, on the other hand, you need a pick-me-up, this is it. Revisiting some of his past hits and backed by the WDR Big Band, Zawinul reiterates that he's an exceptional musician and songwriter. Zawinul's career has spanned more than four decades. Among the jazz icons he has performed ...

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Joe Zawinul: Still Stirring Up The Weather

by R.J. DeLuke
April 2, 2007

"The music seemed fresh. If any of those bands stayed fresh, it was Weather Report, the band of the '70s and early '80s, says legendary keyboardist Joe Zawinul, cofounder, with Wayne Shorter, of the seminal fusion band that leaped to the forefront of the music during that time and hurled it around the globe, winning legions of fans as well as accolades from the critics and media. Weather Report hasn't played since 1985 when Shorter and Zawinul decided ...

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Joe Zawinul: Brown Street

by John Kelman
February 20, 2007

The fusion supergroup Weather Report's hit “Birdland" may have been covered by big bands before, but the majority of the extensive repertoire created during its 1971-86 run has remained largely untouched. Given founding member Joe Zawinul's innovative orchestrations on primitive analogue synthesizers, it's surprising more large ensembles haven't taken advantage of his ready-made arrangements. Until now. Teaming with arranger Vince Mendoza, Brown Street represents the first time Zawinul has taken a concerted look back, and it's an ...

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Weather Report: Forecast: Tomorrow

by AAJ Italy Staff
November 20, 2006

Questo splendido cofanetto che traccia in maniera esaustiva la carriera dei Weather Report, ha avuto una gestazione lunga e tribolata. Se ne parlava da parecchi anni e la mania di perfezionismo di Joe Zawinul ha rimesso in discussione parecchie volte le scelte dei curatori. Ma finalmente il box è stato distribuito e abbiamo la possibilità di ripercorrere la lunga cavalcata di questo gruppo di temerari che, almeno nelle fasi iniziali, ha ridisegnato la storia della musica sospesa fra jazz e ...

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Weather Report: Forecast: Tomorrow

by Ronald S. Russ
October 13, 2006

Weather Report Forecast: Tomorrow Columbia/Legacy 2006

If you followed jazz during the 1970s you were well aware of Weather Report. They consistently won the Down Beat readers' poll for jazz group of the year and helped forge a link between jazz, rock, and what would be later termed world music.

Formed in 1970 by saxophonist Wayne Shorter, keyboardist Joe Zawinul and bassist Miroslav Vitous, the band lasted for over 15 years with an ever-changing ...

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Weather Report: Forecast: Tomorrow

by John Kelman
October 11, 2006

While the virtuosity of its members was never in dispute, of all the groups that emerged in the 1970s fusion era, Weather Report was the one that best avoided the trappings of excess--the victory of technical facility over musical substance to which other bands of the time fell prey. However, despite an auspicious beginning that leaned closer to a free jazz aesthetic than groups like Mahavishnu Orchestra or Return to Forever, notwithstanding an emphasis on electric sounds and advanced production ...