Heavy Weather

by Weather Report

Overview

"Birdland," the joyous opening track of Heavy Weather, may be the most famous tune in all of fusion. With its infectious cascading melodies buffed up by state-of-the-art pop music production, the Charlie Parker tribute "Birdland" sets the tone for the rest of the recording. Less experimental and more listener friendly than earlier Weather Report recordings, Heavy Weathermade the band fusion superstars. It also signaled the new status of the band's most recent arrival, Jaco Pastorious, whose highly melodic and technically precise bass work quickly became Weather Report trademarks. Pastorious's fretless bass, in effect, stood alongside Joe Zawinul's keyboards and Wayne Shorter's saxophones as an equal instrumental voice. The bassist, with his considerable journeyman experience, also brought a gripping funk and rock groove to the band. "Birdland" may be the album's signature performance, but "Teen Town," "The Juggler," and the reflective ballad "A Remark You Made" are knockout tracks as well.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/23/1997
Label:	Sony
UPC:	0074646510827
catalogNumber:	65108
Rank:	12172

Tracks

1. Birdland
2. A Remark You Made
3. Teen Town
4. Harlequin
5. Rumba Mama
6. Palladium
7. The Juggler
8. Havona

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Weather Report   Primary Artist
Jaco Pastorius   Bass,Mandolin,Drums,Vocals,Steel Drums,Mandocello
Wayne Shorter   Soprano,Saxophone,Soprano Saxophone,Tenor Saxophone
Alex Acuña   Percussion,Conga,Drums,Tom-Tom,Hand Clapping
Joe Zawinul   Synthesizer,Bass,Guitar,Piano,Drums,Keyboards,Mellophonium,Tabla,Vocals,Melodica,Performing Ensemble,fender rhodes,oberheim,Arp 2600
Manolo Badrena   Percussion,Conga,Tambourine,Timbales,Vocals
Tom Oberheim   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Bob Belden   Producer,Reissue Producer
Jaco Pastorius   Composer,Producer
Steven Berkowitz   Director,Reissue,Reissue Series
Joe Zawinul   Composer,Producer,Orchestration
Kevin Gore   Director,Reissue,Reissue Series
Jerry Hudgins   Engineer
Ron Malo   Engineer
John Ephland   Liner Notes
Seth Rothstein   Director
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
Brian Risner   Engineer
Randall Martin   Reissue Design
Lou Beach   Illustrations
Nicholas Bennett   Packaging Manager
Alejandro Neciosup Acuña   Composer

Editorial Reviews

"Birdland," the joyous opening track of Heavy Weather, may be the most famous tune in all of fusion. With its infectious cascading melodies buffed up by state-of-the-art pop music production, the Charlie Parker tribute "Birdland" sets the tone for the rest of the recording. Less experimental and more listener friendly than earlier Weather Report recordings, HEAVY WEATHER made the band fusion superstars. It also signaled the new status of the band's most recent arrival, Jaco Pastorious, whose highly melodic and technically precise bass work quickly became Weather Report trademarks. Pastorious's fretless bass, in effect, stood alongside Joe Zawinul's keyboards and Wayne Shorter's saxophones as an equal instrumental voice. The bassist, with his considerable journeyman experience, also brought a gripping funk and rock groove to the band. "Birdland" may be HEAVY WEATHER's signature performance, but "Teen Town," "The Juggler," and the reflective ballad "A Remark You Made" are knockout tracks as well. Steve Futterman

Barnes & Noble

Weather Report's biggest-selling album is that ideal thing, a popular and artistic success -- and for the same reasons. For one thing, Joe Zawinul revealed an unexpectedly potent commercial streak for the first time since his Cannonball Adderley days, contributing what has become a perennial hit, "Birdland." Indeed, "Birdland" is 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. The other factor is the full emergence of Jaco Pastorius as a co-leader; his dancing, staccato bass lifting itself out of the bass range as a third melodic voice, completely dominating his own ingenious "Teen Town" (where he also plays drums!). By now, Zawinul has become WR's de facto commander in the studio; his colorful synthesizers dictate the textures, his conceptions are carefully planned, with little of the freewheeling improvisation of only five years before. Wayne Shorter's saxophones are now reticent, if always eloquent, beams of light in Zawinul's general scheme while Alex Acuña shifts ably over to the drums and Manolo Badrena handles the percussion. 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.

All Music Guide - Richard S. Ginell

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