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Track Listings
| 1. Birdland |
| 2. A Remark You Made |
| 3. Teen Town |
| 4. Harlequin |
| 5. Rumba Mamá |
| 6. Palladíum |
| 7. The Juggler |
| 8. Havona |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter didn't truly fulfil Weather Report's artistic and commercial potential until they brought on-board a bassist who could function as an equal partner in the musical equation, like co-founder Miroslav Vitous, whose main shortcoming was his inability to play funk. In renegade bassist Jaco Pastorius, the band found a formidable composer and improviser, who possessed deep roots in funk and R&B, yet was equally at home in modern jazz and Afro-Cuban settings. Not coincidentally, the presence of this innovative fretless bassist on Heavy Weather gave Weather Report the rhythmic/melodic dimension it had been missing since Vitous's departure, as evidenced by his voice-like declamations on Zawinul's ballad "A Remark You Made". On Zawinul's chart-topping, big band-styled arrangement of "Birdland", Pastorius provided the kind of big, sweeping orchestral gestures the tune required, while on the shifting canvas of Wayne Shorter's "Harlequin", the bassist's ability to articulate complex chords allowed him to function as a string section unto himself. And on his own "Havona", Pastorius not only soloed with horn-like artistry, but combined with drummer Alex Acuna and percussionist Manolo Badrena to give Weather Report its funkiest rhythm section ever. --Chip Stern
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is the first Weather Report album to feature bass legend Jaco Pastorius on all tracks (he appeared first on Black Market, but shared the bass duties with Alphonso Johnson). On Heavy Weather, Jaco showed pretty much everything he had, from the pyrotechnics of "Teen Town", through the lyricism of "Harlequin" and "The Juggler", and finally to Jaco's own tune "Havona". This last track features (in this reviewer's opinion) one of THE outstanding bass solos on record.
As great as Jaco's contribution was on an individual level, it is matched, if not surpassed, by the ensemble playing on most if not all of the tunes. Even without the chart-topping (and perhaps rather overplayed) "Birdland", this album would stand as one of the absolute classics of 70s jazz-rock. For anybody with an interest in that genre, this is a must-have.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
This is the album where Weather Report came into their own. From the first notes of Birdland (a track which has become a jazz standard),this album becomes a wonderful sophisticated ,tuneful enterprise. Wayne Shorter on sax and Joe Zawinul on keyboards steer the whole project majestically but it is Jaco Pastorius on electric bass and his total individuality and style that star here especially on Teen Town.A classic!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Marco
Format:Audio CD
I am listening to the album (...for the umpthousendth time) as I write this review...
This album really stands on a class on its own. I tend to organize my albums by genre and I have troubles finding this album's spot. I end up listening to it both when I am in a rock mood or in jazzy mood. And didn't get tired of it yet. Zawinul, Shorter and Pastorious are at their best here.
Well worth the money.
This album really stands on a class on its own. I tend to organize my albums by genre and I have troubles finding this album's spot. I end up listening to it both when I am in a rock mood or in jazzy mood. And didn't get tired of it yet. Zawinul, Shorter and Pastorious are at their best here.
Well worth the money.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By P. Holmes
Format:Audio CD
I don't think Weather Report played jazz or even fusion. There are none of the cliches that signify 'Jazz' - no bop-derived melody lines, no rounds of solo taking, it's all very compositional - but it's far more interesting than most fusion ever aspired to be. Don't label it - it's just music, and you'll like it if this is the sort of music that you like.
I don't know if I played this too much in the 70s and 80s but whereas it used to be my favourite WP album, I now prefer the earlier stuff. Jaco's amazing of course, but there's not enough Shorter on this album, and in my view it was the dominance of Zawinul and Pastorius that killed the band. OK so Jaco was a bass player from another planet, but it was the planet Listentomearentigreat.
Anyway put the words jazz and fusion out of your mind, ignore the dated synth sounds, have an open mind, listen to 'A Remark You Made', and thank God for Wayne Shorter.
I don't know if I played this too much in the 70s and 80s but whereas it used to be my favourite WP album, I now prefer the earlier stuff. Jaco's amazing of course, but there's not enough Shorter on this album, and in my view it was the dominance of Zawinul and Pastorius that killed the band. OK so Jaco was a bass player from another planet, but it was the planet Listentomearentigreat.
Anyway put the words jazz and fusion out of your mind, ignore the dated synth sounds, have an open mind, listen to 'A Remark You Made', and thank God for Wayne Shorter.
By Tim Niel
Format:Audio CD
Some reviewers complain that 'this is not jazz' or that some of the tracks are cheesy. What they don't like is that Weather Report show themselves for the first time to be capable of numerous styles.
Heavy Weather has tracks that are big band pastiche, punk jazz, and bop. The rhythm section is elastic, slippery, funky or jazzy as the individual track requires; Shorter and Zawinul deliver soloes, riffs - and melody, which is sometimes lacking in Weather Report tracks(Cucumber Slumber, for instance, from Mysterious Traveller). Pastorius shows himself capable both of working with the rhythm section and soloing in his own right.
The result is an album in which variety is key. All the tracks have different characters. And the recording itself feels spacious and airy. It's a joy to listen to; the fact that Birdland was a mainstream hit, I presume, is what leads some jazz 'purists' to describe this as cheesy. I couldn't agree less. This is a joyful album, exuberantly musical. A huge advance on the tentative, studio-bound stiffness of Black Market.
Heavy Weather has tracks that are big band pastiche, punk jazz, and bop. The rhythm section is elastic, slippery, funky or jazzy as the individual track requires; Shorter and Zawinul deliver soloes, riffs - and melody, which is sometimes lacking in Weather Report tracks(Cucumber Slumber, for instance, from Mysterious Traveller). Pastorius shows himself capable both of working with the rhythm section and soloing in his own right.
The result is an album in which variety is key. All the tracks have different characters. And the recording itself feels spacious and airy. It's a joy to listen to; the fact that Birdland was a mainstream hit, I presume, is what leads some jazz 'purists' to describe this as cheesy. I couldn't agree less. This is a joyful album, exuberantly musical. A huge advance on the tentative, studio-bound stiffness of Black Market.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By mtro
Format:Audio CD
When I first listened to this album, I was already aware of how cheesy opening track 'Birdland' is, and the entire album does have a somewhat cheesy sound, due particularly to Zawinul's then revolutionary, now dated, synthesizers and Jaco's brilliant but dated sounding fretless bass technique. The songs are extremely structured and there are relatively few solos, with a more compositional technique used and less room for instrumental virtuosity than say Return To Forever. However, this emphasises the strength of the tunes, composed by Zawinul, Shorter and Pastorius who all excel. My personal highlights are Shorter's 'Harlequin' and Pastorius's 'Teen Town', which both are good examples of the moodier, emotional edge to the album.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is considered Weather Report's finest hour, and though I am a big fan of the Alphonso Johnson period (Mysterious Traveller, the perenially underrated Tale' Spinning, and Black Market), it is not difficult to see why. The addition of the virtuosic, inimitable Jaco Pastorius gifted the precocious Zawinul and Shorter with a clear equal in terms of, playing ability, compositional ability, and stage presence. The latter Jaco easily took the role of. Back to the music however, and there are a range of emotions evident in the music, namely, the joyous, celebratory staccato leaps of "Birdland", a mournful, reflective mood in "A Remark You Made" (One of Wayne Shorter's finest performances.) The only bad patch on the album I feel is the ridiculous, manic "Rumba Mama", a complete anamoly when compared with the complexity of Palladium, or the flawless, incisive bass lines on "Teen Town". Add to that, it's very listenable to the non-jazz fan. An acknowledgeable classic.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good Fusion Music!
This is an album with several very good singles but some which let it down slightly. There are some excellent musicians who made the album for example, Jaco Pastorius on bass and... Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2005 by Donald Corbett
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant Way To Get Into Jazz
I brought this album after hearing chromatic fantasy by jaco an i was impressed.Being a bassist myself an strongly inspired by jaco i believe this album is perfect for anyone who... Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2004 by Adam
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as they say it is...
A couple of years ago I was just getting into Jaco Pastorius and owned a few of his solo records. A friend said that I would have to buy "Heavy Weather" because it was... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2001
3.0 out of 5 stars
When it's good, it's very very good. But ...
I can't help feeling this is a slightly over-rated record; I think everyone on it has probably done better things elsewhere. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2000
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