It was on the phenomenal title track to this classic LP that most listeners first came to know the name Joe Zawinul. Brooding, funky and brimming with far more soul than you'd expect from a white Austrian immigrant in the mid-1960s, Zawinul's now-legendary Wurlitzer-based composition easily pinpoints the exact moment at which the fusion of jazz and R&B was brought to the masses. Cannonball's career was hardly the same from this point on, and Miles would dive headlong into the brew soon enough with Zawinul as his lead songwriter and keyboardist. The entire Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! LP is a Southern gospel-soaked goldmine from end to end, even if this "live" session was cut in front of a select studio audience with an open bar, but nothing here matches the deep, laid-back groove of that title track. It all started here. So long, Zawinul.
Showing posts with label Joe Zawinul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Zawinul. Show all posts
Tuesday
Cannonball Adderley Quintet
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! - 1966
It was on the phenomenal title track to this classic LP that most listeners first came to know the name Joe Zawinul. Brooding, funky and brimming with far more soul than you'd expect from a white Austrian immigrant in the mid-1960s, Zawinul's now-legendary Wurlitzer-based composition easily pinpoints the exact moment at which the fusion of jazz and R&B was brought to the masses. Cannonball's career was hardly the same from this point on, and Miles would dive headlong into the brew soon enough with Zawinul as his lead songwriter and keyboardist. The entire Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! LP is a Southern gospel-soaked goldmine from end to end, even if this "live" session was cut in front of a select studio audience with an open bar, but nothing here matches the deep, laid-back groove of that title track. It all started here. So long, Zawinul.
It was on the phenomenal title track to this classic LP that most listeners first came to know the name Joe Zawinul. Brooding, funky and brimming with far more soul than you'd expect from a white Austrian immigrant in the mid-1960s, Zawinul's now-legendary Wurlitzer-based composition easily pinpoints the exact moment at which the fusion of jazz and R&B was brought to the masses. Cannonball's career was hardly the same from this point on, and Miles would dive headlong into the brew soon enough with Zawinul as his lead songwriter and keyboardist. The entire Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! LP is a Southern gospel-soaked goldmine from end to end, even if this "live" session was cut in front of a select studio audience with an open bar, but nothing here matches the deep, laid-back groove of that title track. It all started here. So long, Zawinul.
Weather Report
Live in Tokyo 1972
While Weather Report were tight, focused and (at times) overly sick on their studio LPs, they were a completely different animal in a live setting. On stage, the band's focus turned from creating a singular, rigidly structured organism to allowing the members to stretch out on their own terms. And stretch out, they did. As expected, Joe Zawinul is tremendous, effortlessly switching from acoustic piano to heavily modulated Rhodes, often sounding like multiple keyboardists at once. However Miroslav Vitous and Eric Gravatt really come into their own here; managing to hold down the groove while tearing off into their own direction throughout. A truly captivating album and one of Weather Report's finest, hands down.
While Weather Report were tight, focused and (at times) overly sick on their studio LPs, they were a completely different animal in a live setting. On stage, the band's focus turned from creating a singular, rigidly structured organism to allowing the members to stretch out on their own terms. And stretch out, they did. As expected, Joe Zawinul is tremendous, effortlessly switching from acoustic piano to heavily modulated Monday
Miles Davis
Deep Brew (Bitches Brew Recording Sessions) - 1969
Volume 1, Volume 2
Aside from being among the most powerful statements in the history of recorded music, Miles Davis' 1969 Bitches Brew LP also stands as a testament to the incredible editing work of the album's producer, Teo Macero. Throughout three studio sessions on August 19-21, 1969, Miles led ensembles of up to 13 musicians through numerous song sketches, bizarre atonal experiments and dense polyrhythmic vamps that forced them to listen closely to one another and allow the music to take on a life of its own. In some of the quieter moments you can actually hear Miles giving instructions by snapping his fingers to set the tempo, telling individuals where to solo, or, in his distinctive whisper, saying, "Keep it tight"; indicating that all the while he and Macero maintained a clear picture of how they would fuse these sections into cohesive compositions. Considering this method of recording, the resulting LP is nothing short of astonishing.
Going well beyond the expansive Complete Bitches Brew Sessions box set, Deep Brew, Volumes 1 & 2 collects nearly all of the material recorded during those August sessions. Amazing stuff.
*Many, many thanks to Heat Warps' visitor Hansame for sharing this incredible set!
Volume 1, Volume 2
Aside from being among the most powerful statements in the history of recorded music, Miles Davis' 1969 Bitches Brew LP also stands as a testament to the incredible editing work of the album's producer, Teo Macero. Throughout three studio sessions on August 19-21, 1969, Miles led ensembles of up to 13 musicians through numerous song sketches, bizarre atonal experiments and dense polyrhythmic vamps that forced them to listen closely to one another and allow the music to take on a life of its own. In some of the quieter moments you can actually hear Miles giving instructions by snapping his fingers to set the tempo, telling individuals where to solo, or, in his distinctive whisper, saying, "Keep it tight"; indicating that all the while he and Macero maintained a clear picture of how they would fuse these sections into cohesive compositions. Considering this method of recording, the resulting LP is nothing short of astonishing.Going well beyond the expansive Complete Bitches Brew Sessions box set, Deep Brew, Volumes 1 & 2 collects nearly all of the material recorded during those August sessions. Amazing stuff.
*Many, many thanks to Heat Warps' visitor Hansame for sharing this incredible set!
Wednesday
Joe Zawinul
Zawinul - 1970
There has possibly never been a pianist who has explored the Fender Rhodes to a greater depth than Zoe Zawinul ... except for maybe Herbie Hancock. Thankfully, this LP contains them both. A towering monument of late 60s jazz fusion, Joe Zawinul's self titled LP stands up to In a Silent Way as one of the greatest electric piano-based albums of all time. In fact, it's easy to look at Zawinul as the sequel to Davis 1969 masterpiece, as both LPs included Zawinul and Hancock on Fender Rhodes, both feature extended exercises in subtle textures and mood, both include Zawinul's tune "In a Silent Way", albeit in drastically different forms, and esthetically, both covers are strikingly similar in the way the bandleader's head takes up the entire frame. Similarities aside, Zawinul and Hancock's use of ring modulators, echo and a bevy of other effects take the music and the Rhodes itself, into an entirely different sonic realm than Davis' album and well past the psychedelic boundaries that any rock group (then or now) could dream to tread. A landmark LP on so many levels. Enjoy.
Thursday
Miles Davis
Directions - 1980
To satiate his fans during his "retirement" in the late 70s, Columbia issued two fine rarities collections that focused on the rarely-heard (at that time) transitional periods of Miles Davis' career, Circle in the Round, which chronicled the years 1955-1970, and Directions, which covered 1960-1970. While Circle in the Round is notable for containing an all-acoustic version of Sanctuary, a tune that was later re-recorded in full electric glory for Bitches Brew, as well as a hauntingly majestic rendition of David Crosby's Guennevere, Directions simply overflows with gems from Miles' late 60s fusion peak - the rare period before everyone else fell in line and the road belonged to Miles alone. The Complete In A Silent Way and Jack Johnson session box sets have since collected most of the tunes on Directions, however this double LP places them in a context that illustrates Miles' transformation like neither of the sessions sets could, simply because it speeds up the process. Highlights include the tightly-wound funk morsel "Duran" featuring a smokin' John McLaughlin and "Willie Nelson" in all its wah-wah glory. Dig it now.
*Another fine Slidewell contribution. Thanks again to him for sharing the wealth with The Heat Warps.
To satiate his fans during his "retirement" in the late 70s, Columbia issued two fine rarities collections that focused on the rarely-heard (at that time) transitional periods of Miles Davis' career, Circle in the Round, which chronicled the years 1955-1970, and Directions, which covered 1960-1970. While Circle in the Round is notable for containing an all-acoustic version of Sanctuary, a tune that was later re-recorded in full electric glory for Bitches Brew, as well as a hauntingly majestic rendition of David Crosby's Guennevere, Directions simply overflows with gems from Miles' late 60s fusion peak - the rare period before everyone else fell in line and the road belonged to Miles alone. The Complete In A Silent Way and Jack Johnson session box sets have since collected most of the tunes on Directions, however this double LP places them in a context that illustrates Miles' transformation like neither of the sessions sets could, simply because it speeds up the process. Highlights include the tightly-wound funk morsel "Duran" featuring a smokin' John McLaughlin and "Willie Nelson" in all its wah-wah glory. Dig it now.*Another fine Slidewell contribution. Thanks again to him for sharing the wealth with The Heat Warps.
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