Monthly Archives: June 2002

Joe Zawinul’s Dialects To Be Reissued

On the heals of their recent Weather Report reissues, Sony is due to release Zawinul’s 1986 solo album, Dialects, on July 16. I have always liked this album, and it is an absolute tour de force in its use of synthesizers and drum machines. The reissue will also feature liner notes penned by Zawinul himself. So far as I know, until this release Dialects has only been available on CD as an import from Japan.

Sony also released a SACD version of Mysterious Traveller on June 18.

New Weather Report Live Recordings in the Offing

I have it on good authority that the Weather Report boxed set project is in the works. I am told that it will include live recordings that span the history of the band. I don’t know how many discs will be included, nor the release date, but it looks like things are getting serious.

In the meantime, the Sony reissues of Mysterious Traveller, Tale Spinnin’, and Black Market are in the stores. I noticed that Tower Records has them on sale for the bargain price of $7.99. The packaging is better than the previous US versions. Each disc includes fine new liner notes written by Hal Miller. As for sound, they sound good to me, though I haven’t compared them to the previous US versions, nor do I have the Japanese MasterSound versions, which have long been acknowledged as sonically superior to their American counterparts.

Zawinul Booked at Ronnie Scott’s in October

Zawinul Online visitor John Miller reports from the UK that Zawinul is booked for a six-day engagement at the legendary London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, Oct. 14-19. The booking is billed as the Joe Zawinul Quartet, but I assume they mean the Zawinul Syndicate. Zawinul is also booked at the London Hammersmith Apollo (formerly the Hammersmith Odeon) on Sunday, July 28 as part of the North Sea Jazz Festival tour.