Weather Report - Live in Offenbach 1978

Historical live Rockpalast concert released.
No other group mixed improvisation, formal structures and electronics quite like them (Iain Murray in the liner notes)
Hans Koert

During the 1970s and 1980s I was fascinated, according to my concert log, by the music of traditional jazz bands like the Original Prague Syncopated Orchestra, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Toots Thielemans, Tete Montoliu, the Portena Jazz Band and Art Blakey, to list some. Music like jazz-rock fusion as played by Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report didn't had my interest yet - I didn't like the electronic stuff, screaming electric guitars and poppy rhythms. Now, 40 years later, a senior now, the music of this period, like Miles Davis Bitches Brew, has broadened my view and enriched my musical taste. One of the bands I discovered a few years ago was Weather Report. Recently a live 2cd album and a dvd, released by Art of Groove of a legendary Weather Report concert, entitled Weather Report - Live in Offenbach 1978 came to my desk, which renewed the acquaintance both in sound and light.

Weather Report - Live in Offenbach 1978 ( Rockpalast MIG 80092 2CD / DVD) (photo courtsy: Manfred Becker)
Weather Report was founded in 1970 by the Austrian keyboard player Joe Zawinul, who passed away four years ago, 75 years old and reed player Wayne Shorter, who both had played in Miles Davis' band, to be heard in albums like Bitches Brew and In A Silent Way. Up to 1986, the band lasted sixteen years, the personnel changed several times, but both Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter were the solid factor in the band. A few years before this live recording, the band got some important new members, like drummer Peter Erskine and bass guitar player Jaco Pastorius. Especially the latter gave Weather Report its more jazzy drive, which I missed in the early recordings. In 1978 Weather Report had reached its peak of popularity and it toured all around the world. It's remarkable to learn that two major tours were scheduled in that year along the Far East (Japan and Australia) and Europe ( Sweden, Germany, England, France, Belgium and Denmark) and, during the last month of 1978, more then three dozen concerts all around the States, almost a mug's game by this extreme popular band of the moment. The concert in Offenbach (Germany) was scheduled on the 29th of September 1978 at the Stadthalle and featured Joe Zawinul at the keyboards, Wayne Shorter on sax, Jaco Pastorius at the electric bass and Peter Erskine on drums. The concert was broadcasted complete by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln (WDR). This concert is now available on a DVD and a 2CD audio album: 138 minutes boiling live music by Weather Report.
It’s hard to tell what part I like much, but of course Joe Zawinul's In A Silent Way, which was also recorded by Miles Davis at the album with the same name, fascinated me and the Weather Report hit, Birdland, which was a hit, originally released at the Weather Report album Heavy Weather (1977).
Enjoy a fragment from this great concert with Joe Zawinul's famous composition and hit Birdland as played in the Offenbach Stadthalle.
Fred & Jack, a composition by Peter Erskine, impressed, thanks to Peter's stunning drum solo and in Teen Town, a Pastorius tune, bass player Jaco Pastorius shows what a great bass player he is.
Weather Report: f.l.t.r.: Jaco Patorius, Peter Erskine, Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter (late 1970s)
It is remarkable to learn that this great band played, as far as I know, but once in Holland as a six piece band at the 1984 North Sea Jazz Festival, two years before the band was broken, featuring Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Victor Bailey, Omar Hakim and Mino Cinelu. Jaco Pastorius left the group in 1981 and, mid 1980s, he even left the music scene, washed out with a serious burnout, and was killed at a fight in the Midnight Bottle Club in Wilton Manors September 1987. Both Peter Erskine and Wayne Shorter are still active in jazz.
Jaco Pastorius ( 1951-1987) (photo courtesy: Manfred Becker) (source: Weather Report: Live in Offenbach 1978)
This Weather Report Offenbach release ( MIG 80092 2CD) is unique as it is the first complete Weather Report live recording ever released. The only known live album by Weather Report 8:30, recorded at several concert halls, like at the Carl Marx Theatre in Havanna, Cuba and at Long Beach, California had some studio recordings added. Another extra is that this entirely concert is also available on a DVD album, also entitled Weather report - Live in Offenbach 1978 ( MIG 80097 DVD). A must have for all Weather Report fans.
Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl
Weather Report must have been one of the most important Jazz-Rock groups from the 1970s, founded by his two major instrumentalists Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter 40 years ago. Late 1970s Weather Report was at the very height of its success and featured, except Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, guitar legend Jaco Pastorius and drummer Peter Erskine. In September - October 1978 they toured along Europe and were scheduled for a dozen concerts; the live concert at the Stadthalle in Offenbach was recorded and is now available on a 2cd album and a DVD, which offers this complete concert. A must-have for all Weather Report fans. Keep Swinging loves to point you to this kind of historical concerts. If you love to be the first one to know, follow the Keep Swinging blog at Twitter (#keepswinging) or ask for its free newsletter, available in the English of Dutch language. Contact for registration: keepswinging@live.nl

Retrospect
Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Friends of the Keep Swinging blog Keep Swinging Contributions

Young Lions

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.)
Today I love to spotlight an album just titled The Young Lions. If you find it, you might buy it because of the great cover, I think; a couple of young lions laying on a high rock in the zoo. This record, originally released as a Vee Jay record ( Vee Jay SR 3013 ) was recorded April 1960 by a septet featuring some young promising musicians, like Lee Morgan on trumpet, Frank Strozier on alto saxophone, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons at the piano, Bob Cranshaw bass and Louis Hayes and Albert Heath on drums.

The term Young Lions refers to a novel of Irwin Shaw. In the liner notes Julian Cannonball Adderley, a well known alto saxophone player himself, criticises the popular music of those days, the early 1960s. In those days the rock and roll became very popular and jazz music seemed to be old fashioned, or al least, not done. He says in the liner notes: These are the times when teenagers may become wealthy by writing and performing mediocre songs. When a scarcely literate hillbilly with dubious talent may become a star with a milion dollar income, or when an "All American Boy" type can spin records to which teenagers dance and become a major television personality. Thanks Cannonball for these words ..... I think history learns that 50 years later society didn't change. I wrote about this before in Jazz Versus Hitparade in which Keith Jarrett claims that pure jazz never can become a hit - popular by the mass.
This album contains five tunes ( my CD version, reissued by Blue Moon has some extra alternate takes) all composed by a young Wayne Shorter, who is labeled as the surprise of the year by Cannonball Adderley. Cannonball labels him as a true non-conformist player who is completely independence stylistically. Great to listen to these early examples of Wayne Shorter, composing and playing the saxophone. Lee Morgan is another Young Lion; a booming star in those days, but dismissed by some as a Clifford Brown imitator. Well, that's not true - Lee has his own style and plays great on these tunes. Both Frank Strozier and Bobby Timmons were members of the now forgotten hard bop group MJT + 3 directed by Walter Perkins.

In the 1980s a group of avant-garde jazz musicians, they called themselves The Young Lions, performed at a concert, that was registrated on a two-LP set by Elektra Musicians. Musicians, like Anthony Davis, Chico Freeman, Bobby McFerrin and a young, at that moment unknown trumpet player Wynton Marsalis.
In the 1990s the term Young Lions is used again: A group of talented young musicians, like Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman and Christian McBride, to name some, called themselves The Young Lions, bop-orientated soloists, who wanted to play swinging jazz. They belong now to the generation of leading jazz musicians.

And for completeness: in The Netherlands a CD was made, titled: Presenting The Young Dutch Jazz Cats : a great compilation CD if you are interested in the Dutch jazz history.

AT RANDOM:
Scrim (John Parricelli) - JOHN PARRICELLI. featuring John Parricelli, Dudley Philips and Mark Lockheart. From the album Alba ! Found on a sampler titled Algemeen Dagblad presents .. A Summer With Culture Records Benelux.


Time exposure for the 18th of December:
1937:

• chinese laundry blues = sid seymour mad hatters

1947:

• embryo / jet propulsion / king jacquet / try me one more time = illinois jacquet o
• rebop continental / rosetta = quintet johnny meyer

1957:

• stompin' at the savoy = earl bostic o

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

PLAYLIST
culture/a summer with culture records = david grisham quintet-svend asmussen/swingin' with svend = young lions/vee jay (1960) = miles davis/munich concert (3) = beets brothers/live in holland = bebop/cedar walton, houston person enz = natalie lamb-peruna jazzmen/1979 = ornette coleman trio/at the "golden circle" stockholm - volume 1 = buddy tate-milt buckner/midnight slows (lp) = millers/de 28 beste van de ..... (2lp)

Nederlands ( To the English translation )

Vandaag wil ik een plaat in de schijnwerpers zetten, getiteld The Young Lions. Als je hem tegen zou komen in een bak platen zou je hem al willen hebben voor de hoes, denk ik, want die is prachtig: een groep jonge leeuwen, die lodderig vanaf een hoge rots het publiek in de dierentuin bekijkt. Deze plaat, origineel uitgebracht door Vee Jay records ( Vee Jay SR 3013 ) werd opgenomen in april 1960 door een septet met daarin een aantal jonge veel belovende musici, zoals Lee Morgan op trompet, Frank Strozier op altsax, Wayne Shorter op tenorsax, Bobby Timmons aan de piano, Bob Cranshaw bas en Louis Hayes en Albert Heath op slagwerk.

De term Young Lions werd geleend van een gelijknamige novelle van Irwin Shaw. Op de hoes bekritiseert Julian Cannonball Adderley, zelf een bekende altsaxofonist, de populaire muziek begin jaren zestig. In die tijd haakte de jeugd massaal af van de jazz en vergaapte zich aan nieuwe muzieksoorten als de rock & roll. Jazz had afgedaan - jazz was ouderwets. Hij schrijft hier over: These are the times when teenagers may become wealthy by writing and performing mediocre songs. When a scarcely literate hillbilly with dubious talent may become a star with a milion dollar income, or when an "All American Boy" type can spin records to which teenagers dance and become a major television personality. ( = Tegenwoordig kunnen tieners rijk worden met het schrijven en uitvoeren van middelmatige nummers. Zelfs de eerste de beste boer, zonder uitgesproken talent, kan een ster worden en een miljoen verdienen of een Echte Amerikaanse Jongen kan een beroemdheid worden op TV door alleen maar plaatjes te draaen, waar tieners op kunnen dansen.) Bedankt, Cannonball voor deze woorden - ik denk dat, zelfs na vijftig jaar, dingen niet anders zijn. Ik schreef hier al eens over in mijn bijdrage Jazz Versus Hitparade waarin ik Keith Jarrett aanhaalde, die ongeveer hetzelfde gezegd heeft; dat echte jazz nooit in de Top Tien kan belanden en omarmd kan worden door de massa. Deze plaat bevat vijf nummers ( mijn CD versie, heruitgebracht door Blue Moon heeft een paar extra takes) zijn alle gecomponeerd door een nog jonge Wayne Shorter, die op de hoes door Cannonball Adderley genoemd wordt the surprise of the year (= de verrassing van het jaar). Cannonball kenschetst hem als een echte jazzmuzikant, die zich niets aantrekt van de rest en stylistisch zijn eigen koers vaart. Mooi om deze vroege Wayne Shorter composities en uitvoeringen te beluisteren. Lee Morgan is zo'n andere "welp" ; een snel rijzende ster in die dagen, hoewel sommige critici hem bestempelden als een kloon van Clifford Brown. Onzin natuurlijk - Lee speelde schitterend en in zijn eigen stijl. Zowel Frank Strozier en Bobby Timmons speelden in de, vrij onbekend gebleven hard bop groep MJT + 3 geleid door Walter Perkins.

In de jaren tachtig gaf een groep avant-garde jazz musici een concert onder de titel Young Lions. Dit concert is uitgebracht op een dubbel-LP van Elektra Musicians. Musici als Anthony Davis, Chico Freeman, Bobby McFerrin en een toen nog jonge, net beginnende trompettist Wynton Marsalis.
In de jaren negentig wordt de term Young Lions opnieuw uit de kast gehaald. Deze keer bedoelen we een groep jonge getallenteerde musici, die de jazz weer een nieuw, swingend elan gaven. Hard-bop georienteerde muzikanten als Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman en Christian McBride, om er een paar te noemen, lieten de jazz weer swingen. Ze behoren nu tot de groep actieve jazzmuzikanten.

En om even compleet te blijven: Ook in Nederland kennen we onze Young Lions, al noemden we de CD waarop ze bij elkaar gebracht werden bescheiden: Presenting The Young Dutch Jazz Cats. Een schitterende tien jaar oude verzamel-CD met daarin de net beginnende Nederlandse jazzmusici van nu; onmisbaar als je de Nederlandse jazzgeschiedenis wilt volgen.

AT RANDOM:
Scrim (John Parricelli) - JOHN PARRICELLI. featuring John Parricelli, Dudley Philips and Mark Lockheart. From the album Alba ! Found on a sampler titled Algemeen Dagblad presents .. A Summer With Culture Records Benelux.

Tijdopname voor 18 december:
1937:

• chinese laundry blues = sid seymour mad hatters

1947:

• embryo / jet propulsion / king jacquet / try me one more time = illinois jacquet o
• rebop continental / rosetta = quintet johnny meyer

1957:

• stompin' at the savoy = earl bostic o

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

SPEELLIJST
culture/a summer with culture records = david grisham quintet-svend asmussen/swingin' with svend = young lions/vee jay (1960) = miles davis/munich concert (3) = beets brothers/live in holland = bebop/cedar walton, houston person enz = natalie lamb-peruna jazzmen/1979 = ornette coleman trio/at the "golden circle" stockholm - volume 1 = buddy tate-milt buckner/midnight slows (lp) = millers/de 28 beste van de ..... (2lp)

Keep Swinging Oscar Aleman Flexible Records Choro Music Hit of the week - Durium

The Other Side Of Round Midnight

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.) One of the jazz films I like most is Round Midnight. This film was released in 1986 and tells the story of Dale Turner, in fact the lifes of Bud Powell and Lester Young mixed together, played by Dexter Gordon in the leading part, but also with musicians like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Cedar Walton, Bobby Hutcherson and Billy Higgins. I wrote about this film before in a previous Keep swinging contribution.

As the music, played in the film was made by real jazz musicians, they had to record a lot of music for the film and of course, most of it wasn't used. I found the LP The Other Side Of Round Midnight which contains some of these unreleased tunes. This LP contains nine tracks played by the musicians mentioned above and has some great music.

Dexter Gordon, whose solid sound fascinates me very much, is on four tracks. As it was music, used for the film, one number, titled Tivoli isn't complete recorded, but stops in the middle of Cedar Walton's piano solo. The title Call Sheet Music refers to the screenplay that tells what time yoú have to play a certain scene for the film - and of course about the long boring hours; the inactive periods. During one of these idle chunks of time Wayne Shorter started to play a blues, with the rhythm section joining in and Herbie Hancock, who heard what happened at the piano. This spontanious jam was recorded and is to be found on this compilation titled Call Sheet Music. A great piece of music !!

I posted some fragments from this great film - but you should find your own copy as it shows you Dexter Gordon is a great role !!

Time exposures for the 11th of August:
1927:

• mistreatin' mama = jaybird coleman
• mean old bed bug blues = lonnie johnson
• sensation stomp / whiteman stomp = paul whiteman o

1947:

• one for my baby = frank sinatra-axel stordahl o

1957:

• blues for two / chalumeau (mono) / chalumeau (stereo) / everything i have is yours / from this moment on / motif/ sharon (mono) / sharon (stereo) = john jenkins quintet (with kenny burrell)
• bluezies / gran slam / martians' lullaby / red dog play = shorty rogers giants

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

PLAYLIST
art hickman o/the san francisco sound = teddy edwards/tango in harlem = roy eldridge/minor jive (2) = legendary years/vol1-harry arnold-quincy jones-coleman hawkins-lucky thompson = dexter gordon/the other side of round midnight (lp) = honolulu to hollywood/jazz blues & popular specialities

Nederlands ( To the English translation )
Eén van de mooiste jazzfilms is volgens mij Round Midnight. Deze film werd uitgebracht in 1986 en vertelt het verhaal van Dale Turner, maar in feite gaat het verhaal over de levens van Bud Powell en Lester Young, gespeeld door Dexter Gordon in de hoofdrol, maar ook met een groot aantal musici als Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Cedar Walton, Bobby Hutcherson en Billy Higgins. Ik schreef ( in het Engels) al eens iets over deze film in een eerdere Keep swinging bijdrage.

Omdat de muziek in de film gespeeld wordt door echte jazzmusici, moesten er nogal wat opnamen gemaakt worden. Een heleboel van die opnamen werden, vanzelfsprekend, niet gebruikt en bleven op de plank liggen. Ik vond de LP The Other Side Of Round Midnight, die een aantal van deze onuitgebrachte takes laat horen. De LP bevat een negental nummers, gespeeld door de musici, die ik boven al op rij zette, in verschillende bezettingen.

Dexter Gordon, wiens stevige solide geluid op de tenorsax me ontzettend boeit, is op vier nummers te horen. Aangezien het hier om muziek gaat, die gebruikt zou worden in de film, kan het gebeuren dat een nummer halverwege wordt afgebroken, zoals bij Tivoli, dat stopt als Cedar Walton aan een solo bezig is; meer was voor de film niet nodig. De titel Call Sheet Music refereert naar het draaiboek, waarin precies vermeld staat wanneer iemand moet opdraven om een bepaalde scene op te nemen. Dat betekent vaak vele saaie uren wachten en tijdens één van deze lege momenten pakte Wayne Shorter zijn instrument en begon een blues te spelen, die meteen opgepakt werd door de ritmesectie en ook Herbie Hancock voelde precies aan wat hem te doen stond. Gelukkig werd deze spontane jamsessie opgenomen en is terug te vinden onder de titel Call Sheet Music; een mooi stukje muziek.

Ik heb twee fragmenten uit de film gevonden om te laten zien. Als je de film niet kent, haast je dan om ergens een kopie te bemachtigen - het is een prachtige film voor jazzliefhebbers geworden, met een schitterende rol weggelegd voor Dexter Gordon.

Tijdopnamen voor 11 augustus:
1927:

• mistreatin' mama = jaybird coleman
• mean old bed bug blues = lonnie johnson
• sensation stomp / whiteman stomp = paul whiteman o

1947:

• one for my baby = frank sinatra-axel stordahl o

1957:

• blues for two / chalumeau (mono) / chalumeau (stereo) / everything i have is yours / from this moment on / motif/ sharon (mono) / sharon (stereo) = john jenkins quintet (with kenny burrell)
• bluezies / gran slam / martians' lullaby / red dog play = shorty rogers giants

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl


SPEELLIJST
art hickman o/the san francisco sound = teddy edwards/tango in harlem = roy eldridge/minor jive (2) = legendary years/vol1-harry arnold-quincy jones-coleman hawkins-lucky thompson = dexter gordon/the other side of round midnight (lp) = honolulu to hollywood/jazz blues & popular specialities

Keep Swinging Oscar Aleman Flexible Records Choro Music Hit of the week - Durium