Heavy Weather

1977年発売 ウェーザー・リポートの代表作『ヘヴィー・ウェザー』

1977年発売。ジョー・ザヴィヌル、ウェイン・ショーター、ジャコ・パストリアスという黄金のラインナップが初めて全面的に勢ぞろいしたベスト・セラー・アルバム。不滅の定番「バードランド」「ティーン・タウン」を筆頭に、時代を超えた名演が並ぶ。これぞまさしくジャズ・フュージョンのバイブル!

Weather Report's biggest-selling album is that ideal thing, a popular and artistic success -- and for the same reasons. For one thing, Joe Zawinul revealed an unexpectedly potent commercial streak for the first time since his Cannonball Adderley days, contributing what has become a perennial hit, "Birdland." Indeed, "Birdland" is a remarkable bit of record-making, a unified, ever-developing piece of music that evokes, without in any way imitating, a joyous evening on 52nd St. with a big band. The other factor is the full emergence of Jaco Pastorius as a co-leader; his dancing, staccato bass lifting itself out of the bass range as a third melodic voice, completely dominating his own ingenious "Teen Town" (where he also plays drums!). By now, Zawinul has become WR's de facto commander in the studio; his colorful synthesizers dictate the textures, his conceptions are carefully planned, with little of the freewheeling improvisation of only five years before. Wayne Shorter's saxophones are now reticent, if always eloquent, beams of light in Zawinul's general scheme while Alex Acuna shifts ably over to the drums and Manolo Badrena handles the percussion. Released just as the jazz-rock movement began to run out of steam, this landmark album proved that there was plenty of creative life left in the idiom. ~ Richard S. Ginell

ウェザー・リポートの絶頂期はジャコ・パストリアス加入時を指すと言っても過言ではないでしょうジャコ加入2作目の本作は「BIRDLAND」がビルボード・ジャズ・チャートNO.1に輝き商業的に大ヒットを収めました。どこを切っても歴史に残る名曲名演。 (C)ZAN