Posted on 09/11/2007 6:03:10 AM PDT by TheEditor
VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Jazz legend Joe Zawinul, who soared to fame as one of the creators of jazz fusion and performed and recorded with Miles Davis, died early Tuesday, a hospital official said. He was 75.
My intro to Joe’s music was “In a Silent Way” and “Pharaoh’s Dance”. You usually don’t hear them played at weddings or HS dances!
Great jazz man.
Total class man & musician.
RIP Joe.
Is that related to Patti Smith’s Birdland?
I saw Weather Report several times in their heyday. They were an amazing band, powered by Joe’s keyboards. He brought a new vocabulary to jazz, and was one of the first jazzmen to master synthesizers.
Rest in Peace, Joe.
Patti Smith’s “Birdland” is completely different. But you’ve no doubt heard Zawinul’s; its a classic played everywhere. You just don’t recognize the name. Some of Z’s other hits have been used in commercials and movie sound tracks in recent years.
If you listen to “Birdland” and aren’t in a better mood at the end, you’re probably dead too.
I’ve been conducting my own private memorial tribute to Joe in my office this morning. There’s a zillion different performances of “Birdland” on YouTube!
One of my fave albums of all time in any genre is Weather Report’s MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER . I’ll listen to it today when I get home from work in tribute to the man .
ping
He was a visionary. Some of the earliest (if not the earliest) jazz/world fusion hybrid music was his.
I love his quote about his band Weather Report: "We always solo, we never solo." If you've never heard them, this won't make any sense...if you have, you know exactly what he meant!
I didn't even know he was ill. Rest In Peace Joe...Thank you for all the incredible music.
I agree. I paticilarly liked his middle period with WR (Tale Spinnin’ and Black Market), but I loved most of his stuff.
I even liked WR’s last album (This is This) although no one else did.
I also love Black Market, particularly the title track, "Cannonball" and Shorter's "Elegant People."
Every album Weather Report made was a landmark, and this is an understatement!
I had read somewhere that a live reunion for Joe and Wayne was in the offing. It's very sad that it won't happen.
May his soul rest in peace.
Joe is probably jamming with Jaco as we speak.
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