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It probably goes without saying that Weather Report were one of the most influential jazz rock bands of the 1970's and 1980's. Formed by keyboard player Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, both participants in Miles Davis' groundbreaking Bitches Brew, this DVD comprises an exciting previously unreleased live performance by the earliest version of the band. Made for German TVs 'Beat Club' it captures the group on their first European tour.
Also on board are virtuoso bassist Miroslav Vitous (then joint leader of the band with Zawinul and Shorter), powerful drummer Alphonse Mouzon and Brazilian percussionist Dom Um Romao. Interestingly Weather Report always eschewed the populist, indeed almost obligatory, contemporary requirement for an electric guitar and irrespective of the changes that their music underwent their continually evolving personnel remained rooted in a similar instrumental line-up.
This exhilarating concert captures the band in full flight performing often lengthy versions of tunes from their first two albums 'Weather Report' and 'I Sing the Body Electric'. Longtime fans will be delighted to see footage of the group at an early stage in its life when much of the emphasis was on collective improvisation hence their then ethos "we always solo, we never solo".
Tracks:
1. Umbrellas
2. Orange Lady
3. Waterfall
4. Seventh Arrow
5. TH
6. Morning Lake
7. Improvised Medley Including Dr Honoris Causa
Record Collector, (Charles Waring), July 2010
(4 stars) The edgy rawness of their early experimentation with jazz-rock fusion is documented on this absolutely riveting live performance.
(4 stars) A freewheeling mix of funk and trance jazz...well-recorded TV concert...a line-up for whom musical possibilities still seemed endless.
(5 stars) Excellent quality, previously unreleased...after some of the most sensitive music you've ever heard, they - funkily, soulfully, joyfully - jam.
(4 stars) A freewheeling mix of funk and trance jazz...well-recorded TV concert...a line-up for whom musical possibilities still seemed endless.
(5 stars) Excellent quality, previously unreleased...after some of the most sensitive music you've ever heard, they - funkily, soulfully, joyfully - jam.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Quite a find, this; excellently shot live TV programme featuring the 3 founders soloing and not soloing over the hammering rhythm section of Mouzon and Romao. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it's easy watching this to see how Zawinul and Vitous would eventually clash. The music is absolutely gripping and is played without any announcement or breaks. Mouzon is really 'on', and the rest of the players warm to and feed off his fire; at points he is definitely leading things, smart, tremendously powerful and funky. Late in the set he sings a few lines - that part hasn't aged well! Dom Um Romao is not so confident, still possibly feeling his way a bit here, and doesn't have the same astonishing communication with Mouzon that he later established with Eric Gravatt. Vitous spends more time playing Fender Jazz than the upright, but there is some typical Miroslav bowing and lovely unison with Shorter. Incredible stylings, however he keeps moving his 'one' during some of Mouzon's funkiest sallies; it didn't matter at the time and so it can't possibly matter now, but it's very noticeable.
Which leaves Zawinul and Shorter, the former with a single electric keyboard (his heavily modified Rhodes piano), a device on the top which presumably is the ring modulator Carlos Santana gave him, and a tape echo. Vintage playing; he had an unique attack and tone on the Rhodes, and at this stage he is still fairly fresh out of the Adderley band. He doesn't miss a thing, and nor does Wayne Shorter who contributes the least but in a way the most as when he does play, it really counts.
This music is the direct successor to Miles Davis's live bands with Wayne Shorter and was the highest expression of that particular branch of jazz at the time, i.e. the cutting edge. It reached its apogee with 'I Sing the Body Electric' and the music represented on the 'Live in Tokyo' double, which was roughly what they played at Ronnie Scott's a year or so later. Listening to that you would think you couldn't go any further with this music, could you? It seems that both Shorter and Vitous still think you can, given each of their recent CD releases.
This is a great slice of very early live Weather Report. If you know what I have been talking about in this review, you've probably bought it already. Worth it.
Which leaves Zawinul and Shorter, the former with a single electric keyboard (his heavily modified Rhodes piano), a device on the top which presumably is the ring modulator Carlos Santana gave him, and a tape echo. Vintage playing; he had an unique attack and tone on the Rhodes, and at this stage he is still fairly fresh out of the Adderley band. He doesn't miss a thing, and nor does Wayne Shorter who contributes the least but in a way the most as when he does play, it really counts.
This music is the direct successor to Miles Davis's live bands with Wayne Shorter and was the highest expression of that particular branch of jazz at the time, i.e. the cutting edge. It reached its apogee with 'I Sing the Body Electric' and the music represented on the 'Live in Tokyo' double, which was roughly what they played at Ronnie Scott's a year or so later. Listening to that you would think you couldn't go any further with this music, could you? It seems that both Shorter and Vitous still think you can, given each of their recent CD releases.
This is a great slice of very early live Weather Report. If you know what I have been talking about in this review, you've probably bought it already. Worth it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
If you are a fan of Weather Report this historical document is a must!
It's a brilliant performance by one of the most influential bands in modern music.
What makes it really interesting is this was the first stage in Weather Reports incredible journey,it does have more in common with 'free improvised music' than the more compositional style the band would later embrace with Sweetnighter,, Mysterious Traveler, Black Market, Tale Spinnin' ect,
But I guess the problem with mostly improvised music which this dvd is (apart from some sparse themes here and there) is.....unless the magic visits all the musicians most the time then thematic material must be used as a safety net to insure against the dreaded 'brown soup' were everyone is fishing for ideas that never come off!
On this dvd that thankfully does not happen,it is alive with an electricity that is absent from a lot of so called jazz and truly aspires to achieve the "sound of surprise"....Highly recommended.
It's a brilliant performance by one of the most influential bands in modern music.
What makes it really interesting is this was the first stage in Weather Reports incredible journey,it does have more in common with 'free improvised music' than the more compositional style the band would later embrace with Sweetnighter,, Mysterious Traveler, Black Market, Tale Spinnin' ect,
But I guess the problem with mostly improvised music which this dvd is (apart from some sparse themes here and there) is.....unless the magic visits all the musicians most the time then thematic material must be used as a safety net to insure against the dreaded 'brown soup' were everyone is fishing for ideas that never come off!
On this dvd that thankfully does not happen,it is alive with an electricity that is absent from a lot of so called jazz and truly aspires to achieve the "sound of surprise"....Highly recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Fantastic and illuminating !!!
2 Aug 2010
This is a videotaped performance for the German television show, Beat Club from 1971. Not having the opportunity to see early line-ups of Weather Report in concert, this sheds light on their power and innovation. Any fan of Weather Report or Bitches Brew era Miles Davis would love this DVD. Though they had already moved on to another percussionist (Dom Um Romão) by this taping, this is as close as you can get to a live show by the original band. Seeing Alphonse Mouzon (who even sings a little) and Miroslav Vitous playing in this context is amazing. The instrumentation is minimal at this point, no synthesizers for Joe Zawinul yet, just Fender Rhodes with a ring modulator at times but the creativity is at maximum. This is a great performance for being in a boring TV studio. The video quality is very clear and the sound is great for a TV show. You can hear absolutely everything, thanks to the abundance of Sennheiser 421 microphones in every shot. All of the German Beat Club video tapes that I've seen have survived well.
This DVD is a little short (48 minutes) but it it is worth every penny. If it were longer it would get 5 stars. I couldn't ask for a better performance, better sound or video quality from a videotape of this era.
I saw Weather Report twice in the Omar Hakim/Victor Bailey era but I prefer the original lineup, even more than the Jaco era..and I'm a bass player and Jaco fan but nothing beats this early stuff.
This DVD is a little short (48 minutes) but it it is worth every penny. If it were longer it would get 5 stars. I couldn't ask for a better performance, better sound or video quality from a videotape of this era.
I saw Weather Report twice in the Omar Hakim/Victor Bailey era but I prefer the original lineup, even more than the Jaco era..and I'm a bass player and Jaco fan but nothing beats this early stuff.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
High quality in all respects
11 Aug 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase
Picture and sound quality are very good and if you are thinking of getting this but are worried about that, don't worry. If you are a Weather Report "freak", and by that I mean you don't just dig them because of Jaco and Heavy Weather, you have to have this. Caught at a very early experimental period of the group this is very adventuresome music that you don't really get to hear on any major labels anymore. Very much in the style of their first studio album and Live in Tokyo. Too bad it isn't longer. Get it.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Music from yesterday that still sounds like tomorrow
4 Aug 2010
Of course, I was hesitant at first to buy this DVD. Other similar artists from the same time period have almost always had terrible video and sound. Not so with "Weather Report - Live in Hamburg 1971". This production is first-rate.
But it's the music that's important. The titles were almost all taken from WR's debut album. It's exciting to hear the band in practically its embryonic stage, knowing the manifold changes that were to come both personnel- and concept-wise.
Since the DVD is relatively short (only 48 minutes; a minor drag), there's really not much more to say except: If challenging, open-eared, free-jazz-fusion interests you, it is here; pristine, and joyously played by master musicians who were on their way to tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...
But it's the music that's important. The titles were almost all taken from WR's debut album. It's exciting to hear the band in practically its embryonic stage, knowing the manifold changes that were to come both personnel- and concept-wise.
Since the DVD is relatively short (only 48 minutes; a minor drag), there's really not much more to say except: If challenging, open-eared, free-jazz-fusion interests you, it is here; pristine, and joyously played by master musicians who were on their way to tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...
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