In the beginning, Weather Report was a cooperative. Composition duties were split between the three leaders (Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Miroslav Vitous) and in performance, each of the 5 musicians was an equal participant. This album, from 1971, is exemplary of this approach. Though informed by Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, the rhythms are much looser and the music is more playful. (There's also quite a bit of 60s post-bop in "Eurydice" and a few of the other tunes.) Most of the compositions are simple, relying on the sophisticated interplay of the group to generate excitement. There's also one genuine classic, Zawinul's gorgeous "Orange Lady" (another less successful version is available on Miles Davis's album Big Fun). Zawinul's keyboard set-up is limited to just electric and acoustic piano, but he produces an incredible range of sounds -- just listen to the spaced out "Milky Way", which could have been an outtake from the first two or three Tangerine Dream albums. Unlike later efforts, Wayne Shorter plays a lot of (soprano) saxophone here. Fans of Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way should definitely pick up this classic fusion recording.
