Part of the burn seemed to come upwards from the Japanese people themselves. “When nosotros went to Japan,” Zawinul recalled, “we didn’t know what form of a reply nosotros would get, but I couldn’t believe what happened. We thought, ‘What are nosotros gonna practise amongst these Japanese people, man?’ They’re hence beautiful, such wonderful listeners, but pose back. That was their culture. So nosotros said, ‘Let’s hitting ’em hard, correct from the get-go note,’ too nosotros hitting ’em hard! We improvised, because the tunes nosotros had written at that fourth dimension were non real long–eight bars here, a prissy niggling melody, too hence on–but nosotros worked it over, too sometimes we’d play it long, sometimes short. It was an inspirational agency of doing things, too through that like shooting fish in a barrel nosotros developed into a band.” [IASW, p. 144]
In a 1977 article, journalist Sy Johnson recalled his impressions of a Weather Report concert from this period. “[Weather Report’s get-go album] was an intriguing but introspective thing that puzzled many too won over few. I heard the band inward a java menage inward the Village soon afterwards that get-go Columbia record, too the vagueness had disappeared. H5N1 hard-driving confidence was radiating from the bandstand. Eric Grávátt was on drums too moving the grouping amongst rare musicality. Dom Um Romão had taken Airto’s house on percussion… [This band] was everything nosotros could possess got imagined, too more.” [Jazz77]
In a 1972 article, Zawinul talked close the band’s alive performances: “Right from the start, [playing together] was only a real natural thing. But I can’t actually utter close the music. None of us can. We don’t know what’s happening. We possess got our tunes too lines, which nosotros ever play differently. What’s happening upwards at that spot is only composing, too when it’s right, it’s magic. There’s a certainly chemical scientific discipline inward the band which amazes me–and which makes it real consistent, also.” [MM72]
He offered these words of advice to those planning to attend a Weather Report concert: “Don’t become expecting anything–just allow it come upwards to you. That’s the solely agency I tin terminate say it. At the moment, if you lot await anything from anyone too hence you’re probable to larn a bully shock! That’s all.”
While side ii of I Sing the Body Electric gives us heavily edited glimpses of Weather Report every bit heard alive inward Tokyo, this two-disc Japanese import contains entire grouping ensembles from that concert -- too every bit such, it is a revelation. Now nosotros tin terminate follow the wild, stream-of-consciousness development of early on Weather Report workouts, taking the listener into all kinds of stylistic territory -- from Joe Zawinul's lonely acoustic pianoforte to dissonant gratis cast too electronic explosions -- amongst lots of adjustments of tempo too texture. The pulse of jazz is to a greater extent than evident inward their locomote hither than on their American albums, too the illustration of Miles Davis circa the Fillmore concerts directs the trigger-happy interplay. In his subsequent recordings amongst Weather Report, too every bit a leader, Wayne Shorter would rarely equal the manic intensity he displayed inward Tokyo. All of the music is encapsulated inward 5 lengthy "medleys" of WR's repertoire, iii of which incorporate elongated versions of themes from the group's eponymously titled debut album from 1971. This would live on the radical apogee of Weather Report on records, though they could retain this degree of burn inward concert for years to come.
Weather Report actually cooks inward this concert that is both groundbreaking too barrier shattering. The music is definitely seventies Miles Davis styled fusion, but that's the solely thing this album has inward mutual amongst what you lot possess got heard from that era. It is interesting that keyboardist Joe Zawinul has stated that he had the whole electrical jazz sentiment inward heed when he joined Miles Davis to tape the classic album "In a Silent Way." If you lot hear to this album too empathize that this is a Zawinul driven band completely dissever from whatsoever Miles David ensemble, it is obvious that Zawinul's claims close "In a Silent Way" are good founded too justified yesteryear facts too the passage of time.
There is a lot to recommend the music flora at this alive concert event. For ane thing, Weather Report's audio was oft forged at concert dates too and hence recorded inward the studio. The existent essence of Weather Report, ane could observe, is that of constant alive composition too improvisation that thrives on the spontaneity of the moment. Weather Report was founded on the notion that everyone solos piece no ane solos, too it was an ongoing collaborative effort.
That was inward sudden contrast to most of the music of the time. Whether listening to pop music, blues, or jazz of that fourth dimension period, the bulk was primarily based on vocal composition. That is, the music was get-go a vocal amongst the construction of verse, chorus, or yoke - too it was recorded or performed alive inward that format. Weather Report pioneered the ongoing audio that was based on a riff or melodic fragment, musical rhythm or bass trouble - too was ongoing without clear Definition of compositional structure. That was a existent contribution to the development of music inward full general too jazz inward particular, ane that is withal beingness explored today inward the musical idioms that followed.
In improver to all the analyzable elements, this album rocks! There is a lot to recommend this album for rock, funk, soul, too jazz audiences - too every flake of it moves too grooves too only kicks hard. There is a lot of experimental, fifty-fifty avant garde audio hither every bit well. The sonic experimentation is awesome, too those amongst renewed involvement inward classic synthesizer audio volition live on thrilled too amazed.
Wayne Shorter excels every bit ever inward the saxophone department. His feel of melody, harmony, rhythm, too improvisational flair are unequalled. He really tells a musical even out amongst every song, every solo. His collaboration amongst Joe Zawinul's keyboard locomote is legendary too does non disappoint here. He too succeeds inward taking many of the songs inward unexpected directions every bit he spins his musical contributions throughout the concert.
Track listing:
CD 1
01 Medley: Vertical Invader/Seventh Arrow/T.H./Doctor Honoris Causa (VitouÅ¡, Zawinul) – 26:14
02 Medley: Surucuc̼/Lost/Early Minor/Directions (Shorter, Zawinul) Р19:19
CD 2
01 Orange Lady (Zawinul) – 18:14
02 Medley: Eurydice/The Moors (Shorter) – 13:49
03 Medley: Tears/Umbrellas (Shorter, Zawinul) – 10:54
Personnel:
Josef Zawinul - Electric too acoustic piano
Wayne Shorter - Saxophones
Miroslav Vitouš - Bass
Eric Gravatt - Drums
Dom Um Romão - Percussion
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