"Heavy Weather"
Jaco Pastorius asserts more creative control here, becoming an equal partner with Zawinul and Shorter. To some listeners, this is bound to be an exciting development - after all, Pastorius is a premier innovator on electric bass - but it doesn't revive the glory of the band's best records. The stunning high point is "Birdland," a Zawinul composition that translates Weather Report's considerable strengths into something like a big-band format. Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn't meet the same standard. At best, the other compositions rely on a fairly predictable sax/keys/bass/drums format that lacks the daring of the group at its best and seems stale next to earlier efforts, in which style, arrangment, composition, improvisation, and instrumental roles were so arrestingly fluid. Alas, Weather Report has become a fusion band.
Beginning with an irresistible invitation to the dance (“Birdland”), Heavy Weather is a brilliant balancing act that shows off every facet of this remarkably talented band. After the opening “Birdland,” a truly celestial celebration of sound, Heavy Weather delves into the gentle, peaceful “A Remark You Made,” only to shake off that dewy sleep with Pastorius’ patented percussive magic on the invigorating “Teen Town.” It’s this alternating between different styles and composers that likens hearing Heavy Weather to looking at a finely cut gem in the light. The musical ground covered on this outing, and the unerring quality of the compositions themselves, are a powerful combination. Individually, these songs rank with the band’s best: “Harlequin” melting like a timepiece in the sun, Zawinul’s magical portrait of “The Juggler,” “Palladium” dancing like a bug in dappled sunlight, each arrangement a near reinvention of the band that played on the preceding track. Invariably, my favorite track on Heavy Weather is the track playing at the moment; even the live percussion solo “Rumba Mama” shines when the time comes. Note that the Columbia/Legacy remaster from 1992 sounds terrific on disc and features nice liner notes from Peter Keepnews, so I’d start there first. And I’d start here if you’re approaching Weather Report for the first time. This is arguably their greatest album, and thus one of the great fusion albums of all time. Best of all, nuances in the music continually come to light, so even on a rainy day (like today) an old standby like Heavy Weather can make staying indoors a pleasure.
Track listing:

1. Birdland (5:57)
2. A Remark You Made (6:51)
3. Teen Town (2:51)
4. Harlequin (3:59)
5. Rumba Mama (2:11)
6. Palladium (4:46)
7. The Juggler (5:03)
8. Havona (6:01)

Total Time: 37:39
Line-up

- Alejandro Acuña / drums, congas, tom toms, handclaps
- Manolo Badrena / tambourine, vocals, congas, timbales, percussion
- Jaco Pastorius / bass, mandocello, vocals, drums, steel drums
- Wayne Shorter / soprano & tenor saxophones
- Joe Zawinul / Oberheim polyphonic synth, ARP 2600, acoustic piano, Rhodes electric piano, vocals, guitar, melodica, tabla

**Includes full cover & booklet scan**

Enjoy!
Link in comment: