There are different grades in musical talents. Somebody - after learning it - can play a song well. Somebody can write new melodies, and make a complete song of it. And somebody can create a quite new, exciting thing, almost a new genre, music which we hear and say: Yes, it must be that. Maybe this is the description of the word "unique".
Weather Report belongs to this last category. It's hard to find any band or musician who is similar to it, usually we read that it's for example Chick Corea's band, Return to forever. Both are jazz, jazz fusion, usually called jazzrock, but these genres are always disputed. Be that as it may, Weather Report was a world-wide known "supergroup" (making their greatest albums in the seventies). I mean that the band members are also big names in their personal carreers. The pianist/keyboardist Joe Zawinul, the saxophonist Wayne Shorter and for example, the bassist Miroslav Vitous or Jaco Pastorius. By the way, this is one of the coolest band names I've ever heard.
Now I've picked three albums which I suppose to be the best albums: Sweetnighter, Black market, and Tale spinnin'. I had a dilemma about Mysterious traveler, but that will be another post.
Sweetnighter from 1973 (as many albums of their's) starts with a longer, faster, evolving song, then calms down in the second song, which is usually a slower, more silent thing. Here the first is the 13 minutes long Boogie woogie waltz, with the sometimes-appearing cool bass melody of Vitous, and the undefineable saxophone parts of Shorter. This music always changes, evolves then the instruments find each other again to express melodies in a very unique way. After it, Manolete immediately leads us to somewhere else in a spanish mood. Listen carefully at 2:24, when a new rhythmic part starts, I like it very much. Later we get to the track next to last, it's Will, my favourite song on this album. Starting with a light drum pattern and the fine electric piano by Zawinul, it gets a little bit louder but stays intimate until the very end of it. Shorter's longly lingering sounds create an unforgettable mood.
Black market from 1976 is perfectly like its cover: vivid, varicoloured, and there's also a little bit of mistery behind that lake - and the songs - as on the other albums, like a constant flavor of Weather report. The first song, Black market is very friendly, especially because the carefree melody by Zawinul. And, as I told you earlier, the second song is usually a calmer thing. Cannon ball is beautiful at first, but sometimes it becomes serious and louder - with typical Weather report melodies. It's typical because when you hear it, you say: it must be Weather report. A cool part: at the start of the third track, Gibraltar, the noise of the big ship - it creates a strict atmosphere. Then everything gets silent for a while and after it immediately comes the louder part. After it we get to my favourite track on this album, Elegant people, a beautiful song, starting with one of the coolest melodies in "my musical life". For me, Hernandnu, the last track is the most connected with mistery. That melody has an uncertain feeling, but not in a negative way.
Tale spinnin' from 1975 maybe concentrate less on the melodies. Fast starting, then something else: Lusitanos, with the always coming back shift in emphasis, melodies, moods. It can be beautiful, contemplative, strict and uncertain at the same time, this is also a typical Weather report attribute. My favourite song on this album is Badia, a silent, slower expression. I've always liked in music when a song starts almost silently, then the little parts connect and we gradually get in that mood. The beautiful melody sometimes has an additional, slightly hoarse vocal, too, which is ice on the cake. And at 2:42 we meet the unexpected new fast part - to keep it exciting. In the end, Five short stories is an interesting improvisative dialogue between Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, closing the album.There could be many more interesting things about these albums, but I think it's enough to be curious about the band.
Black market: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7fOetV0ha4
Cannon ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkKw7mDmIIg
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