Weather Report - Heavy Weather

The 1977 album Heavy Weather by Weather Report, rewrote the rules of jazz: singular, life-altering, and truly a work of art. It was released just as the jazz-rock movement began to run out of steam, this landmark album proved that there was plenty of creative life left in the idiom.

Heavy Weather is a skillful confluence of laidback sophisticated jazz and fast rhythms with an edge. This isn't the jazz fusion of a Mahavishnu Orchestra or Corea's Return to Forever; this relies on the advanced playing of each instrument to inject the album with soul and power.

The most notable members of Weather Report were it’s two longest serving band leaders: Joe Zawinul (keyboard), Wayne Shorter (saxophone), both who played with Miles Davis prior to forming the band. Other notable members who were featured on Heavy Weather are Jaco Pastorius (bass) who worked with Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell, Alex Acuna (drums) who played with Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney and other well known musicians.

The star of the album of course is the opening track "Birdland" - a remarkable bit of record-making, a unified, ever-developing piece of music that evokes, without in any way imitating, a joyous evening on 52nd St. with a big band.

Heavyweight vinyl produced by Columbia Records in 2008.