Weather Report Harlequin on HQ Vinyl

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Track 4 from their eighth album “Heavy Weather” released in 1977 copyright Columbia Records. The band was formed in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American sax player Wayne Shorter & Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous. Zawinal had pioneered the use of electric piano and synthesizers in modern jazz and helped Miles Davis create the new genre of “jazz fusion” mixing jazz and rock. Wayne Shorter had been a member of Miles Davis’ second great quintet and was also involved in recording Davis’ early fusion compositions. Miroslav Vitous was classically trained and had also played with Miles Davis and several other popular jazz artists. Weather Report’s agenda was to use the jazz fusion style and introduce funk and R&B influences to create something new, while making their music more accessible to listeners of other types of music. Jaco Pastorius joined the band in 1976, replacing Alphonso Johnson. He was their first bassist to play a fretless electric bass, rather than the traditional stand-up acoustic bass. The twenty-five year-old, self-taught musician from Florida already had quality experience, having recorded a couple of albums with guitarist Pat Metheny as well as releasing his own solo album. With his innovative, melodic style, the bass became a lead instrument and he has been praised as one of the best electric bassists ever. As with many creative geniuses, Jaco had serious issues with substance abuse and even became homeless at one point. In later years, he frequented bars to provoke the security staff and was ultimately beaten into a coma by a bouncer who happened to be a martial arts expert at a nightclub in Miami. He died a couple of days later in September, 1987 at the age of thirty-five. The album received excellent reviews from all critics. It reached No. 1 on the jazz chart but also No. 30 on the Billboard album chart. It achieved Gold status in 1981 and went Platinum in 1991. Their most successful single “Birdland” is considered a modern jazz classic. In 2011 the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Recorded from the original vinyl. Written by Wayne Shorter and produced by Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius & Wayne Shorter. RIP Jaco Pastorius & Joe Zawinul. Featuring:

Joe Zawinul – ARP 2600 synthesizer, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha grand piano, Oberheim polyphonic synthesizer, melodica, guitar & tabla, vocals on “Birdland”
Wayne Shorter – Soprano & tenor saxes
Jaco Pastorius – Fretless Fender Jazz Bass, mandocello, drums & steel drums, vocals on “Birdland”
Alex Acuna – Drums, congas, tom-toms & hand claps
Manolo Badrina – Tambourine, congas, timbales & percussion, vocals on “Harlequin” & “Rumba Mama”