When I heard about Joe Zawinul passing away today I was reminded of Miles Davis' brief and entertaining liner notes from Zawinul's 1970 eponymous release on Atlantic:
"Zawinul is extending the thoughts that we´ve both had for years. And probably the thoughts that most so-called now musicians have not yet been able to express. - MILES DAVIS
P.S. Dig the two drummers and Herbie with the echoplex - and the clear funky black soprano sound - and the set that Woody has to play in. All these musicians are set up. Joe sets up the musicians so that they have to play like they do, in order to fit the music like they do. In order to fit this music you have to be 'Cliche-free'. In order to write this type of music you have to be free inside of yourself and be Josef Zawinul with two beige kids, a black wife, two pianos, from Vienna, a Cancer and 'Cliche-free'."
Few people had as profound an effect on the sonic landscape of jazz in the late sixties and early seventies as Zawinul. While he was hardly the first person to incorporate electric keyboards into jazz his use of Wurlitzers, Fender-Rhodes and other electric pianos to create large tapestries of sound was completely unique and eventually helped lay the groundwork for fusion (for better and for worse).
Miles Davis' "In a Silent Way", for which Zawinul composed the title cut, is one of my all time favorite albums. Zawinul was picked to participate on it the night before the recording session and was asked to "bring music". The composition he brought was pared down by Miles (who thought there were "too many chords") and then was ultimately re-arranged by producer Teo Marceo who artfully cut and pasted various sections of the recording into its final state. Zawinul's drone organs were the glue that held it all together... The out takes that appear on the complete Silent Way box set are well worth tracking down (random unrelated side note: Davis' On the Corner -on which Zawinul did not appear- gets a similar box set treatment later this month).
Above illustration is by Brad Howe for Wax Poetics
"In a Silent Way" is one of my favorite albums too. I probably wouldnt think to call it my favorite Miles album, but then I realize I've listened to it more than any of the others. Teo Macero did the right thing in paring it down-- the box set revealed that a lot of it was unnecessary, and some parts I thought were just plain "sour" sounding (I recall a unison horn break that was thankfully cut out). The title track was originally written by Joe as a bossa nova.
Now play Eno's "Zawinul Lava" in rememberance.
Posted by: illlich | September 12, 2007 at 12:24 AM
Don't forget his earlier pre-electric career with Cannonball Adderley, in which he wrote what Michael Shelley would call a Number One Hit: Mercy Mercy Mercy.
Posted by: Bob DuCharme | September 12, 2007 at 05:42 AM
Remember Willis Conover on VOA broadcasts in Asia, anyone ?
Zawinul's Mercy Mercy Mercy was the background music for the program opener....
http://virtualpoona.blogspot.com/2007/09/rip-joe-zawinul.html
Posted by: Fred | September 12, 2007 at 11:33 PM
Joe Zawinul was a great musician and songwriter. He never ran out of great ideas. Music is better off because of what he did.
But man, all I can think about now is how much of a dick he was. I never met him in person, but I met plenty of Jazz musicians who worked with him. They all say he was kind of a dick. He would often yell at members of his band, and had very high standards for performance. Infact, he often criticized his sidemen so much that they would cry. But again - I don't know this for sure. Just that every Jazz musician I ever met says its true.
But if it is true, I think in light of his music, this can be forgiven. I think the reason Joe was so rude to some of his band mates might have been because he had to have his band in top shape, and could accept no mediocrity. And that's sort of admirable. Besides, Charles Mingus was like 3 times the dick that guy was.
This week, I'm listening to my favorite Zawinul song (Directions) - One version that Miles did, and another that Weather Report did. Both live.
Posted by: Adwanoc | September 18, 2007 at 10:20 PM
Saw zawinul in israel ,,,,,,,,,and he was great as usual
when i first got the chance to see him it was during a concert in eilat(israel),and there was some kind of magic between his band and the people that started dancing .
Till them i didnt think that electric fusion and dancing can get together,so i started collecting many of weather's records(which realy made me think about music in a different kind of way).
It was realy sad to hear about the death of zawinul====hope the world will ever get the chance of hearing more giants as he was .
Posted by: elad | September 20, 2007 at 11:38 AM
I saw Joe with Cannonball and Nat as well as Weather Report, both a couple of times. I always liked what was going on be it straight ahead, or back beat. The Cannonball orations were great and very complimentary of Joe's creativity re Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, ect..
I was so lucky to have seen Weather Report in its infancy at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach (LA) California while visiting in 1970 or 71. The band had Eric Gravitt drums, and Airto percussion with the great bassist Niels-Henning Orstead Pederson. That show was hot, hot, hot! We ate dinner and drank 10 feet directly in front of Joe. I'll never ever forget that.
Posted by: Steve Royal | September 24, 2007 at 12:26 AM