Zawinul Online

Back in 2004 I wrote a 9,300-word article about Joe’s pioneering use of electronic keyboards that appeared in issue No. 9 of the magazine Wax Poetics. It covered Joe’s development as an electronic keyboardist from 1966–-when his playing on the Wurlitzer electric piano helped transform “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” to a national hit–-to his use of the Fender-Rhodes and analog synthesizers with Weather Report. The article included material from my interviews with Joe as well as interviews with Roger Powell, Brian Risner and Jim Swanson. My friend Andy Forward, the most avid Zawinul collector that I know, called it “the best (as in well written and well researched) thing I have read about Joe.”

I am pleased to report that the article is included in Wax Poetics Anthology Volume 2, a compilation of the best from issues issues 6 through 10 in a collectible, hardbound edition. In addition to my article about Joe, there are in-depth retrospectives on Eumir Deodato and Sun Ra, and much more. The Zawinul article also has different photographs from the original magazine issue. Whereas the magazine featured a number of contemporary photos of Joe at his home in Malibu, the anthology includes several vintage shots of Joe working at his rig at his house in Pasadena in the 1970s.

If you’re interested, you can purchase a copy of Anthology Vol. 2 at the Wax Poetics online store. The original issue No. 9 is also available here.

I recently saw a CD of Weather Report’s Tale Spinnin’ up for auction on ebay for the bargain basement price of–get this–only $90.50. (Wonder how they determined to thrown in that fifty cents on the minimum bid.) Granted, it was the 2002 Sony Legacy Recordings reissue with improved sound and all, but alas, there were no bidders.

That version of Tale Spinnin’ was part of a Sony reissue program under the direction of Bob Belden which also included Mysterious Traveller and Black Market. All three were remastered and included new liner notes by jazz historian Hal Miller.

I’m not sure how many copies of Tale Spinnin’ Legacy made, but by 2008 it was out of print. So I am happy to report that Sony licensed a new reissue to Iconoclassic Records. It hit store shelves last month, and has the same great sound as the 2002 Sony reissue, but with new 1,300-word liner notes by yours truly, based on interviews with Wayne Shorter, Ndugu Chancler and Alphonso Johnson.

Now, if you already own a copy of Tale Spinnin’, then you probably don’t need to buy this one, too, unless you yearn to read the new, never-before-published comments by Wayne, Ndugu and Alphonso about the making of the album. But if you don’t already own it, you can go straight to the Iconoclassics web site and pick it up for a lot less than $90.50. :-) Iconoclassic did a very nice job on the packaging. And those new liner notes are pretty cool, too.

The 75 DVD will be released this month in PAL region 2 format. Those of you with a DVD player capable of playing that format can pick up a copy at AbstractLogix. No word yet on when an NTSC region 1 version will be available for the typical stateside DVD player.

Zawinul fans on the other size of the Atlantic may be amused to learn that 75 has finally made its appearance in record stores here in the US. I don’t know what the rationale is for delaying the US release for so long. Perhaps it has to do with licensing issues, as the US release is through Heads Up International And I wonder when it became available in Japan. But it’s good to see it stocked in record stores here.

I assume most Zawinul fans either already own 75 or intend to purchase it. Aside from documenting Joe’s last live tour with Sabine Kabongo, Linley Marthe, Aziz Sahmaoui, Alegre Corréa, Jorge Bezerra, Jr. and Paco Sery, 75 is a must simply for the inclusion of Zawinul’s duet with Wayne Shorter, recorded during Joe’s next-to-last concert.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Wayne, and I asked him how he would describe the musical communication he shared with Joe when they played duets. Wayne said, “The duet process that we had was just something very… It’s like what you wished. And we were actually wishing on the same level, the same intensity, what your wishes are musically, just for that moment. But not every wish. The same thing happens with Herbie [Hancock]. And those are two guys that I can do duets with. And now also there’s Danilo Perez. So there’s three people. We just do a duet, no discussion, and when it’s done we don’t talk about it. We don’t say I should of, I could of. Just let it be.”

It’s been a year since I woke up to the news that Joe Zawinul passed away. I want to thank everyone who contributed to the Memorial page. A while back I received an email from Sabine Kabongo, who said, “Thank you for the tribute page you made. It was a helping process to read all those messages of cares and shares.” You all made a difference.

I recently wrote a story about my face-to-face visits with Joe. I wanted to put it into words before the memories faded too much. You can read it here.

Boy, do I miss those concerts!

75, a double CD of the Zawinul Syndicate’s July 7, 2007 performance at the Lugano Jazz Festival, will be released on October 17. This was the Syndicate’s last multitrack recording. An added bonus is the inclusion of Joe and Wayne Shorter’s duet performed on August 2, 2007 at Veszprem, Hungary, which was the next to last performance of Joe’s life.

Another release, Absolute Z with the Absolute Ensemble, is in the works, but has been postponed to 2009.

And finally, look for a relaunch of the official Joe Zawinul web site later this year.

Zawinul lives.

It was a little late in coming, but the Down Beat Critics Poll elected Joe to the magazine’s hall of fame by a nearly two-to-one margin over runner-up Hank Jones. He joins Weather Report co-founder Wayne Shorter, as well as collaborators Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius and Cannonball Adderley, all of whom have also been so honored.

The results of the poll were announced in the August issue of the magazine, which included a two-page article about Joe. The article indicated that keyboardist Scott Kinsey “inherited the task of archiving Zawinul’s sprawling collection of unreleased recordings.” That’s not exactly right. Joe’s estate, which is being administered by his eldest son, Anthony, is in the process of archiving the thousands of recordings that Joe created over the years, converting them to digital form. It’s certainly possible that we’ll hear some of these recordings at some point–and that Scott will be involved musically–but I suspect it will take quite a while just to get the material organized and properly archived.

Several Zawinul Syndicate band members are touring Europe this spring as the Z Syndicate, in tribute to Joe Zawinul. The line-up consists of former Syndicate members Paco Sery on drums, Aziz Sahmaoui on vocals and percussion, Jorge Bezerra Jr. on percussion, Alegre Corréa on guitar and vocals, and Sabine Kabongo on vocals, plus Thierry Eliez on keyboards, Alioune Wade on bass and Emile Parisien on sax.

The dates are on the Tour Dates page.

The May issue of Jazzwise magazine is advertising the Findamorale Festival 2008, billed as a tribute to Joe Zawinul’s mastery of musician selection plus premiere of new UK projects. On the schedule is the Victor Bailey Group on June 5, the Amit Chatterjee Alliance on June 6, the Matt Garrison Trio with Scott Kinsey on June 7, and the Paco Sery Group on June 8.

Bailey will be performing at London’s Baltic Restaurant with Casey Benjamin (sax and keyboards), Peter Horvath (keyboards) and Rocky Bryany (drums). The other concerts will be at Charlie Wright’s International. There does not appear to be a web site for the Findamorale Festival, but the musicians’ and venue web sites include the show times and details.

With Joe’s passing last September, there have been a number of one-off tribute concerts commemorating Joe’s contributions to the music world. In January, Vince Mendoza conducted the Metropole Orchestra in Amsterdam, featuring Peter Erskine, Alex Acuña, Victor Bailey, Amit Chatterjee and Jim Beard. Plans call for a repeat performance at this summer’s North Sea Jazz Festival. The Jazzinec International Jazz&Blues and Funky Festival, currently underway in Trutnov City, Czechoslovakia, is dedicated to Joe’s memory, and the festival finale will be a tribute to Joe performed by Victor Bailey and Amit Chatterjee.

One of the more interesting tributes is that being undertaken by the UK band Curfew, which plans to take its Zawinul Legacy project on the road this summer. You can get a sneak peek by viewing their YouTube video.

The band’s keyboardist, Martin Lawrie, told me, “I have been a lifelong fan of Joe’s here in the UK, and now that he is gone, we have to keep the music alive. Whilst I’ve always included some of Joe tunes in my fusion band’s set, I would like to do a more specific tribute. I particularly want to keep the music in the style of the Syndicate, as Joe always looked forward and the Syndicate was the current showcase for his genius and I think, the most exciting and enjoyable (and I include 7 Weather Report concerts that I went to when I say that!).”

The band is planning a set that includes the classics “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and “Birdland,” as well as gems from the Weather Report and Zawinul Syndicate books. Zawinul fans in the UK and Europe should keep an eye out for the Zawinul Legacy this summer.