The tape is the band's kickoff that predominantly uses electrical bass together with incorporates liberal uses of funk, R&B grooves, together with stone that would afterwards live hallmarked every bit the band's "signature" sound. Also, the to a greater extent than restricted compositional format became evident on this album, replacing the to a greater extent than "open improvisation" formats used on the kickoff 3 albums. It was voted every bit the album of the twelvemonth past times the readers of Down Beat for 1974, garnering their 2d overall win inwards that category, likewise garnering a five-star review from that publication along the way.
Weather Report's quaternary recording finds Wayne Shorter (on soprano together with tenor) taking a lesser business office every bit Joe Zawinul begins to actually dominate the group's sound. Most selections likewise include bassist Alphonso Johnson together with drummer Ishmael Wilburn although the personnel shifts from rail to track. "Nubian Sundance" adds several vocalists field "Blackthorn Rose" is a Shorter-Zawinul duet. Overall the music is pretty stimulating together with sometimes adventurous; high-quality fusion from 1974.
In 1974, 3 years after the band's inception, Weather Report became 1 of the world's nearly pop jazz groups due to their uncompromising originality together with musicianship. This was the twelvemonth that founding fellow member Miroslav Vitous was replaced past times Alphonso Johnson, who became a critical property every bit both a fluid, creative bassist together with a composer. Drummer Ishmael Wilburn together with Brazilian percussionist Dom Um Romao, alongside a shifting cast of supporting players, set the foundation for the band's nearly exciting incarnation yet. The overdue reissue of Mysterious Traveller is a welcome acknowledgement of this mid-period lineup's importance inwards the development of fusion.
This album contains around of the Report's nearly pop works, chiefly the long opener "Nubian Sundance." The audio of cheering crowds (apparently tacked on inwards the studio to copy a alive performance) however seems a fleck presumptuous today, but the overall functioning is sure enough worth cheering. Zawinul's weirdly nonsensical vocals appear a precursor to Pat Metheny's wordless singing, together with they add together a witty season to the tune. "Cucumber Slumber" is around other perennial favorite which gives Johnson the adventure to function out the funk via slides together with double-stops. The skulking championship rail brings much fun every bit well, alongside Shorter squeaking out alarums inwards the alley. The bass together with sax direct maintain a java intermission on "Jungle Book," leaving Zawinul alongside ii percussionists to carve out an inarguable masterpiece. His mightiness to computer program the synthesizers to adjust his vision was ever cardinal to the WR sound, together with this rail was the ultimate realization of his artistry.
The disc is admittedly uneven at times, a hazard run past times whatever ensemble that chews at boundaries every bit much every bit the Report. "American Tango," for example, is rather inconsequential inwards the large painting demo despite its interesting textures. It's an ironic bye for Vitous every bit his bandmates had bigger fish to fry. "Scarlet Woman" is disconcerting on the kickoff few listens, every bit Shorter together with Zawinul coughing out sinuous lines sporadically over a cyberspace of near-silence. On the other hand, the sax/piano brace "Blackthorn Rose" is both gorgeous together with rejuvenating every bit a alter of footstep from the electronic effluvium.
Zawinul's motto for the grouping was "We ever solo, nosotros never solo." The exceptional combination of liberty together with composition that Weather Report consistently achieved on tape amply testifies to that philosophy, together with Mysterious Traveller is a quintessential slice of evidence.
Mysterious Traveller was Weather Report's quaternary studio album together with the successor to Sweetnighter, I Sing The Body Electric together with the eponymous kickoff album (Live In Tokyo was entirely of late released inwards total exterior Japan).
"Nubian Sundance" kicks inwards difficult alongside ii drummers together with a percussionist, but there's a curious feeling of suspension, akin to watching Muybridge's Equus caballus forever galloping but never moving forward. On travel past times of this, bass, a lot of Rhodes, synthesizers, crowd sounds together with vocals practice a wonderful impression of a neon-lit rainforest peopled past times Rio carnival celebrants.
After the festival comes "American Tango"; a to a greater extent than reflective footstep similar wandering inwards the shadows of a Mediterranean sidestreet, the keyboard tune languorous every bit sleepy sexual practice inwards morning time sunlight. "Cucumber Slumber" (what keen titles they had!) is all electrical bass, sax, Rhodes together with chugging drums.
"Mysterious Traveller" slips inwards spookily hence revs upward to a rhythmic workout that recalls Sweetnighter. After all the coloring together with wonderful grandstanding of the previous 4 tracks, the acoustic brace of "Blackthorn Rose" betwixt Wayne Shorter together with Joe Zawinul arrives similar a welcome, meditative oasis.
"Scarlet Woman" steals inwards alongside a plangent sax call, muted desert drum together with synthesized air current together with piece of cake steals away again. The album closes alongside the reflective "Jungle Book", every bit if recalling the events of a long hot 24-hour interval after the Sun has set.
On Mysterious Traveller Weather Report were clearly growing, employing a wider palette of sounds, conjuring unlike moods: the music is sunnier, to a greater extent than upbeat, colourful together with funky than its predecessors.
Early copies of the album practice non listing "Cucumber Slumber" on the dorsum embrace or inner sleeve, together with listing "Jungle Book" every bit the lastly rail of side 1 rather than side two. However, nearly known copies of the album include the 7 tracks inwards the social club listed above. One exception is the cassette release, alongside "Blackthorn Rose" every bit the minute rail of side 1 together with "American Tango" every bit the minute rail of side two.
The Mastersound SBM edition of Mysterious Traveller includes a previously unreleased song, "Miroslav's Tune", every bit a bonus rail at the cease of the album.
The album peaked at #2 inwards the Billboard Jazz album chart, #31 inwards the R&B album chart, together with #46 inwards the Billboard 200 chart.
Track listing:
1. "Nubian Sundance" (Zawinul) – 10:40
2. "American Tango" (Vitouš, Zawinul) – 3:40
3. "Cucumber Slumber" (Johnson, Zawinul) – 8:22
4. "Mysterious Traveller" (Shorter) – 7:21
5. "Blackthorn Rose" (Shorter) – 5:03
6. "Scarlet Woman" (Johnson, Shorter, Zawinul) – 5:46
7. "Jungle Book" (Zawinul) – 7:25
Personnel:
Josef Zawinul - Electric together with acoustic piano, synthesizer, guitar, kalimba, organ, tamboura, clay drum, tack piano, melodica
Wayne Shorter - Soprano together with tenor saxophone, tack piano
Miroslav Vitouš - Upright bass (track 2 only)
Alphonso Johnson - Bass guitar
Ishmael Wilburn - Drums
Skip Hadden - Drums (tracks 1 together with 4 only)
Dom Um Romão - Percussion, drums
Guest musicians:
Ray Barretto - Percussion (track 3)
Meruga Booker aka Muruga Booker - Percussion (track 1)
Steve Little - Timpani (track 6)
Don Ashworth - Ocarinas together with woodwinds (track 7)
Isacoff - Tabla, finger cymbals (track 7)
Edna Wright - Vocalists (track 1)
Marti McCall - Vocalists (track 1)
Jessica Smith - Vocalists (track 1)
James Gilstrap - Vocalists (track 1)
Billie Barnum - Vocalists (track 1)
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