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In 1970, saxophonist
Wayne Shorter and pianist
Joe Zawinul, fresh from their stint with
Miles Davis, created an ensemble that performed with a jazz sensibility coupled with a groundbreaking use of electronics. Known as Weather Report, their band undertook evolutionary explorations that one writer then described as "folk music of the future." By the time Weather Report disbanded in 1985, some of the brightest stars of the post-'60s era had passed through the group, including bassist
Jaco Pastorius, drummer
Peter Erskine, and guitarist
Steve Khan. Now another Davis sideman, keyboardist Jason Miles has produced a heartfelt tribute to WR with over 20 all-star performers. With ex-Weather Reporters
Victor Bailey and Omar Hakim holding it down on bass and drums, Jason Miles and company's take on WR's music comes tailor-made for smooth-jazz audiences.
Take 6's vocal samplings on the hit "Birdland" and the funky "Palladium" are as snappy as the harmonies of "A Remark You Made" and "Mysterious Traveller" are impressionistic. Add the
Brecker Brothers, alto saxophonist
David Sanborn, vibraphonist
Andy Narrell, and pianist
Joe Sample into the mix, and you have pointers aplenty to the sonic signature Zawinul and Shorter laid down years ago--and to the future sounds they made possible.
--Eugene Holley, Jr.