• Abstract and Figures
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~!!~~-W~i~~~~-~~l~-~TA~n~,s ~~t~;~!~-wh,tis tlmJ :,.._ ----------------- The week the album is released, Col- Is that an electronic machine? And we'd ' WEATHER REPORT-Columbia CH ????l: I b. ·11 t th . ' t d h ' h d f th Milll.y w:..,:U,nl,r,Jl"!J.. Seventh A,row; Orang• . um 1a w1 · presen e group in a pnva e say no, an t at s t e en o at. -~.. ··. Lddy/ Mor,un Lake; watit/llll; Ttars: Burydire. concert-the first live performance by Zawinul: Next is Umbrellas. The first •? ··. Personnel: 8Wayne Shorter. tenor and soprano Weather Report-and a European tour i~ piece Wayne and I did together. The sec- saxophone.s;piano; Miroslav Joe Zawinul,Vitous. electricelectric andand acoustic set for June. ond , Miroslav wrote the melody and we bass; Al Mouzon, drums, voice; Airto Mouera, The Music did a little background and fit it together. Barbara Bwron, percussion. And it really gives you the feeling of ht" mg: ***** Shorter: Milky Way was originally con- different kinds of rain. Human behav1·or· . g= An ext r ao r d'm ary "'"",._., , gr ou p m en·t s an ceived by Josef Zawimrl. (Laughter) He in different degrees of rain. The people- .1;; ex t ra o r di n a ry review· of 1·ts de b u t alb u m · badtr an tidea. We just did it with two in- you can actually feel that in the tune. I . s:: This, in fact, is more than a review. It s umen s. can hear the little kids running with their , GI is an introduction to Weather Report and Zawinul: Horn and acoustic piano-no th 1 · jai·a discussion of the music on the group's electronics whatsoever. But I think it's a mamas holding e umbre las and getting . .d ) b h new way of doing something with the a little wet on t·he side. album (to be re 1eased m m1 -May Y t e Shorter: Some people carry their urn- musicians themselves, with parenthetical pedals and with the saxophone. And what d = b hi • it really represents is that Milky Way is brel 1as c 1ose even when it rains-they ca comments Y t s wnter. refuse to open them. And then, when 'it 'Q everything. Genesis Shorter: We had to start somewhere really starts pouring-they open inside _t The musicians who make up Weather before we got to the idea of weather and out. And some carry umbrellas when the Report, an incorporated, cooperative group, atmosphere and all that, so we thought sun is shining-in London. came together early this year when all of coming from a vacuum-nothing into Zawinul: On this, I use electric and found themselves free to engage in a new something-and then we thought about acoustic piano at the same time to get a venture. our galaxy-we're on the outer edges of little more treble, a little more punch in . Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul had the mi.Jky way. So we thought of our- the sound. worked together on Miles Davis' Bitches selves as seen from some all-seeing, mythi- The question of overdubbing was raised, Brew, and, according to the pianist, "it cal perspective, and then panning in and and the answer was that hardly any was was . a fantastic cooperation kind of feel- coming in closer, into the next cut and used, perhaps here and there a note or ing." Not long thereafter, Shorter left to humanization and reality. two to improve something, "but eventual- Miles and was doing some free-lance re- ly, y ou'll hear that same thing done live, d' d th. k' bo f · Vitous: It would be almoSI as if you because we'll have had the time to 1vork cor ,ng an m mg a ut onmng a were sitting in a space ship, watching me- group of his own. He was trying to obtain on it," Shorter explarns. the services of bassist Miroslav Vitous, teors flying by' a nd th en a change into Shorter: The piece has a very festive then with Herbie Mann, for a record date, ch_ord8' like you see that and you see air to it: there's a lot of joy in it, like i but the band was off for Japan. !his · · · when it rains during the very hot season. ) !·,-, Some time later, Vitous called Shorter Shorter: So inStead of opening the al- Lots of people dig rain. i and told him: "I'm free!" Wayne thought bum with a tune and every thing that irn- Zawinul: Some peop'le get a little mel- at first be meant for recording purposes, plies, from Tin Pan Alley to a classical ancholy when it rains , like on a Saturday but Vitous explained he no longer be- concept, we decided on no concept at all afternoon. A little sentimental. It has lots longed to any band. Meanwhile, Zawinul except juSt as much of fue universe as you of different feelings. had decided to leave Cannonball Adderley can see. No matter ' how smaU you think Shorter: If you hear anything in the and get into his own thing. He had used yot : are, everybody's got a share in it. So album that sounds at all "t>luesy, it's like Vitous on an album of his own, and the we use sound to convey that idea; like a blues upside down, with the downward two men had discussed the possibility of all right, let's begin here. part of the blues facing the oxygen of the worki~ together, In one afternoon, Mi- Zawinul: A preparation for the rest of good intent in life ... -Jike, you can do roslav called Wayne, Wayne called Joe , it. It's like a sou ndtrack to your mind . anything you want to do; the blues doesn't and, the pianist says, "all three of us found You can put yourself where you want; control you, you control the blue s. that we were free--so there was the band." there's enough room in space. I'm trying to get the feeling of playing They wanted to find out how it would This brought up the name of the group upward , and if there's anything sad, we feel and sound, so they called drummer and its implications. take that sadn ess under our wings and Billy Cobham (Al Mouzon, who'd recorded Zawinul: What the music does to peo- say, OK, come on, be sad- but that won't with Wayne, wasn't in town, though they ple is also what the weather does to people. last too long. So each bent note that you had already talked about getting him) and It doesn't really make that much difference hear , you can take it in that way, dig'? rented a studio for the afternoon. "That to me if it rains or the sun shines, I can Zawinul: Have you ever seen down in was rea1ly an experience," says Joe. "We be happy either way; but most people, I New Orleans how the bands march with decided that we were going to need some think, make up their way of living by those umbrellas-that's all in tbere-Bra- fantastic management, because the quality what' s happ ening out there when they zilian , Caribbean, an those little things are of the music was very high," he cont inues, look out the window in the morning - or there . "so we got Sid Bernstein (who, as every- even by the report at night. Shorter: And people who don't see one knows, brought the Beatles to ~be But the name can be taken any way umbrella s will see something else ... and U.S.). Then, I was supposed to do some at all. We first had an idea to call the that 's OK, too. independent producing at Columbia, and band Audien ce, becau se we make up the Zawinnl: The next thing is the Seventh ! ; I , ~ when they heard we had a band, the ma - soundtracks to our own ideas: we accom- Arr ow, which Miroslav wrote. What can I . t,!i: chine started rolling. pany ourselves: our thoughts. So we you say about it ... it's a masterpi ece. I J , : . "Then we needed a drummer, and At thought of an audienc e : the audience is Vitous: It's a continu ous composition; was the first choice, and when he started really the minds, and we make up the in othe r words, we don't just play one working with us in rehearsal it was really backgrounds for them, and for us. We motive and then something on that. It's fantastic--he sings and all that. And then are the film, or the play, and the music is first one motive and then comes another, Airto-,we'd tried another percussionist but the soundtrack. alm ost like another song, and all these ·he didn't have that individualism, and that' s The people who've beard our music, it motives are written, so it never really is what we really are aiming for-individuals really does something to their heads. In- imp rovisation . Actually, the piece is two all, but playing together. So we called stead of thinking. yes. here F7. and there songs, two of my songs which we decided Airto and he fit right in. this- it's nothing like that. Even the musi• to put together- it reminded me of an "We rehear sed three weeks-or rather, cian s who've heard it don't listen to it arrow.

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