Heavy Weather
Weather Report
1977
Album Summary
Heavy Weather is the seventh album by Weather Report, released in 1977 through Columbia Records. The release originally sold about 500,000 copies; it would prove to be the band's most commercially successful album. Heavy Weather received a 5-star review from DownBeat magazine and went on to be voted jazz album of the year by the readers of that publication. Featuring the jazz standard "Birdland", the album is one of the best sellers in the Columbia jazz catalog. This opening track was a significant commercial success, something not typical of instrumental music. The melody had been performed live by the band as part of "Dr Honoris Causa", which was from Joe Zawinul's eponymous solo album. Although not mentioned as a live recording in the liner notes, "Rumba Mamá" (a percussion and vocals feature for Manolo Badrena and Alex Acuña) was recorded at a band's concert in Montreux, Switzerland during the summer of 1976, of which a film would be subsequently released on DVD in 2007.
Wikipedia4.0 - Sounds like the soundtrack to a 1981 cop comedy, maybe starring Dustin Hoffman and Danny Glover. They have to solve a murder case involving Colombian drug dealers. A wealthy heiress is the love interest. She’s modestly hot in a big-haired 80s way. There’s one sex scene where she’s wearing ridiculous lingerie and we see her tits for half a second. There’s a car chase, a couple explosions, one drunken evening that makes the main character question his choices, finally he cracks the case, the bad guys go to jail, he says goodbye to his partner and the girl. The last scene shows him moving back out West, giving up the cop grind, to work as a ranch hand.
Pretty good. Really great structure and song writing. Excellent musicianship. The songs aren't really my bag, but it's great music to analyze.
This album is great but I don't think it's the best fusion album of all time. That being said, Birdland is a pretty iconic first track (even if I do prefer the Maynard Ferguson version). A Remark You Made is likewise a standout track.I really love Pastorius' tone and it's just an excellent ballad. My other favorite track is the final song Havona, which is a really unique song and a great way to end the album. Overall, I think the production limits the album. Compositionally it's amazing, but some of the songs don't hit quite as hard as they ought to. That being said, there is certainly a reason it's a classic fusion album. Birdland: 9.5/10 A Remark You Made: 9.5/10 Teen Town: 7.5/10 Harlequin: 7.5/10 Palladium: 8.5/10 The Juggler: 8/10 Havona: 9/10 Decent 8/10
"Jazz Odyssey." That was the answer offered by Spinal Tap bassist when the band found themselves short of a guitar player. The result was a hilarious mix of well-intentioned attempts at virtuosity and well-pissed fans. This time though, a Spinal Tap fan was not giving a disapproving thumbs-down to a vision quest of jazz and psychedelia. Weather Report featured Jaco Pastorius, the man who was oft deemed the Hendrix of bass, and Heavy Weather is chock full of reasons why and how he earned that title. Melodic one moment, and tastefully dissonant the next, with a good amount of percussivity, Pastorius managed to display his range while still playing well with others. Tracks like Harlequin gave free reign to the sax, piano and keyboards (?) all laying atop snaking basslines that were melodic in their own right. If the first listen was a monolithic odyssey, the second run on this record allowed for this writer to be introduced to each track as individual works, whether it was the frenetic, tambourine-driven Birdland or the contemplative Rumba on side-B, this record proves to be one that keeps on giving. There will be something new to take away from each listen, from each instrument. I can't wait to do this a third time.
- easy listening, some spicier tracks but overall chilled. - bigband not my thing, solos a little muddy. - Drums are the standout, maybe followed by piano.
6 estrellas nomás por los lolz. y por subir el promedio. consumí esto irónicamente, es música para la hora de la comida, jazz de programa de tv. fenomenal.
This is awesome. Didn't know about the existence of this band and ended up hearing this album and others multiple times.
one of the first jazz super groups - incredible album, great background music.
A true masterpiece, timeless, a jewel for the ages. Let's give it 10 stars!
Tydzien instrumentalny na liscie trwa w najlepsze, tym razem z poteznymi jojowymi referencjami, bo grany jest heavy weather bedacy siodmym studyjnym krazkiem jazzowej bandy weather report pod przewodnictwem pana Zawinula, ktory juz sie pojawil na liscie na plycie Davisa, ale zdecydowanie nie jest to krazek jednej osoby, bo w sklad zespolu wchodza takie nazwiska jak Wayne Shorter, wiec legendarna saksa, Jaco Pastorius na basie, Alex Acuña drumsy i Manolo Badrena tamburyniarz i perkusja, wiec paleta charakterow zaowocowala roznorodnymi kompozycjami, bo kazdy z czlonkow ma swoj kawalek, ktorych lacznie jest 8 na 37 minutach, co jednak najbardziej mnie urzeklo podczas odsluchu, to idealny balans na granicy improwizacji a kompozycji, ktora ma charakteryzowac fussion, no i nie mozna zapomniec o wykorzystaniu ciekawych instrumentow, bo klawisze Zawinula, to pianinko, elektryczna klawiaturka, jak i konsola synthowa, tak samo z saksa pojawia sie zarowno w wersji tenorowej jak i sopranowej, podobnie Jaco gral glownie na basie i to jeszcze bezprogowym, ale na otwierajacym birdlandzie gra on na mandoloncelle, wiec specyficzna wloska lutnia, grajaca dosc niskie tony, krazek niesamowicie lekki, raczej utrzymany w dosc szybkim tempie, a jednoczesnie przepelniony ciekawym wielowarstwowym brzmieniem, ktore jednak nie zabija energii ktora wrecz bije z poszczegolnych instrumentow, ale najbardziej czuc to z grania pana Jaco, ktorego kawalki sa dla mnie hajlajtami albumu, wiec na plejke leci otwierajacy birdland i zamkykajacy havona, ciekawy lore piece na temat pana Jaco, to fakt ze mial dziwne hobby polegajace na szukaniu barowych bojek, wiec prawie jak w fajt klubie, takie hobby z pewnoscia nie sprzyja zdrowotnosci, bo w wieku 35 lat zakonczyl swoj zywot przed wrotami jednego z barow, swietny basista i ciekawa postac z tego ktotkiego opisu
"Heavy Weather" is a great example of a jazz fusion record that has such a good vibe that it's no wonder why it's one of the most successful and acclaimed records of the genre. The opener, "Birdland", has Joe Zawinul and Jaco Pastorius mixing piano and fretless bass as the signiture sound of the band. Joined by Wayne Shorter, Alex Acuña and Manolo Badrena, what you have is a dream team of jazz, and songs like "Teen Town" and "Palladíum" are unforgetable classics of the style.
Surprisingly good, has Supertramp vibes with the wide use of instruments Instrumental + , jazz, so good, I love it!!
Jaco is so good. I had heard of him, and was familiar with his style, but didn't realize this was his band. I do love fusion jazz.
I was surprised by how much I liked this, as I always feel like Jazz Fusion is a genre that leaves a sour taste for me. But the consistency and experimental flair throughout was just the right flavor for me.
A jazz fusion classic. Jaco Pastorious is so good, such a unique bass sound. Of course « Birdland » is a true masterpiece in itself but the whole album is really good.
Wow! What a nice surplice. This was excellent. I see why they call the genre 'fusion.' Jazzy and funky and kinda perfect for early mornings. Will definitely return to this quite a bit.
HUGE FAN. I loved the jazz/rock fusion. Absolutely amazing album. 10/10.
Great album. Cool grooves. Didn't know what to expect. Every song puts you in a good mood. Can't wait to see what the rest of my group thinks about this.
This was my first introduction to Jaco Pastorius. I love this album. This is an important recording due to it's commercial success and many folks intro into fusion jazz. It contains elements of jazz, latin, rock, and soul music. I definitely have a sentimental connection to this album and have listened to it many time since my introduction in the early '80s. I listen to this as great musicians interacting with each other and no one artist is better than the next.
Mostly hooky with a 90% chance of sweet and tuneful melodies. The groves are ebullient and some of the crescendos nearly orgiastic – these cats were having a blast it seems and were fearless in charting a new course for jazz or pop music. It's not just a kinder, gentler approach to fusion, but precise and excellent on its own terms, with at times otherworldly playing.
А почему мы вдруг резко решили уйти от альтернативы и тяжеляка, причём так кардинально? Неужто скучные альбомы кончились?)) У меня ещё на первом треке кажется случился снос башни. Звучит как что-то среднее между аниме-опенингом, песни из интро к шоу Леттермана и заставки программы Время (Время вперёд, короче). Так быстро, стремительно, эклектично пронеслись эти 6 минут. Но остальные треки как-то поскучнее оказались. Зато там есть потрясные соляки на безладовом басе! Это прям мммм, аааа, конфетка. Да и просто фоном он звучит офигенно, в Harlequin, например. Так, середина. Что такое Rumba Mama? Это кто-то на диктофон записывал каких-то латиносов, или что?)) Как-то странно... И немного не туда. Но как разгрузка в середине альбома - чётко. Если подводить итог, то в целом альбом классный. Его не стыдно включить на виниле на домашней тусе, можно смело добавить пару треков в повседневный плейлист. Много разных жанров намешано. К концу вообще в какой-то спейс джаз ушло, ну или что-то подобное. Прикольно, неожиданно. Если ругать за что-то - только если за какую-то странную румбу. Не из этой оперы вообще, глубинный смысл не понят.
Okay, this is cooool. Obvious five stars for atmospheric instrumental jazz with just enough synth to keep you on your toes.
Awesome accessible start but quickly gets a bit jazzy for me. 4 stars are mostly in the strength of Birdland.
Fluid and delightfully arranged. Some very pleasant melodic phrasing. Joe Zawinul's solos are ethereal and vibrant - classy stuff.
Good funky jazz. Not going to be on any list of favorite albums I'll ever make, but it's the sort of thing you wouldn't be upset if it came on as background music
Siento que esto es jazz con algo de drogas. De hecho cuando inició el disco, no supe que esperar, ya después me di cuenta de qué era. Como lo he dicho antes, el jazz aún no logra atraparme, así que el disco lo escuché con poca atención. Sin embargo, sí me gustan las variaciones y que suene animado, muy uptempo (???). "Rumba Mama" está padre por su inclusión de los tambores que se escuchan, "Palladium" porque de repente tiene unos arranques padres, pero yo creo que la que más me gustó sí fue "Birdland". Música como para cena animada o con show, no sé, algo así. 7.5/10
Pues chido y todo, perobpues sí la escuché más como de fondo. harlequin y rumba mama fueron las que más me gustaron. Y el radio despues del disco me mostró muchas canciones que me gustaron, mood: gracias weather report, por lo d que me mostró un radio interesante y por dar tantos samples a los del lofi y toda esa onditabdel pop hypnagogico. Lel
Great album. Brings back a lot of memories. Not my favorite Jazz Style.
as predicted, heavy weather rolled in with a high pressure system that almost derailed everything during track one but then it stabilized and provided a nice 68 degree and sunshiny album. I give it Four 1980's Bruce Asbury's
The synth sounds a bit dated, but this album is a fusion masterpiece featuring acrobatic musicianship and great exploratory passages.
Enjoyable music to listen to. Very jazzy. I just didn't vibe with all the songs.
Turned off by the title and the album cover; upon starting the first track I realized that I was actually very familiar with Zawinul and his Jazz Fusion! I played a lot of this in Jazz Band growing up. I guess that's what I get, judging an album by its cover!
Wow, a very funky album. Mildly to moderately enjoyable. I remember playing Birdland on jazz flute as a kid, which was some unexpected nostalgia...and probably the biggest reason it was my favorite track. All of these songs aren't at what I'd call "legendary" status, but they're all very solid. I certainly understand why the album is on this list. This was very much worth the listen.
mes colocs ont du se demander ce qu’il se passait pour que j’écoute de tels solos de saxophone un samedi midi
A cause de Coltrane, je pensais que le jazz n'était pas trop mon style. En fait je kiffe bien !
Je tiens a remercier chaudement toute l'équipe de Weather Report, grâce à qui j'ai pu profiter plusieurs fois pleinement profiter de mes vacances. Grâce à une prévision météo à 7 jours des plus précises, j'ai pu amménager mon emploi du temps lors de visites de plusieurs pays, afin d'éviter le mauvais temps. En lançant l'album d'aujourd'hui, j'ai également pu réamménager mon planning de la semaine, me décidant à annuler ma sortie à vélo prévue pour jeudi, grâce à l'annonce d'une perturbation sur tout le nord de la Suisse alémanique lors de la piste 5 de l'album. Encore une fois, un grand merci à Weather Report.
Quel bonheur d'avoir affaire à de vrais professionnels. Les prévisions sont ici données à quinze jours, avec une précision étonnante pour les avoir vérifiées la semaine qui a suivi. Le featuring avec Catherine Laborde et Louis Bodin est sans doute le morceau le plus impressionnant. On y voit Weather Report gesticuler devant un fond vert sur lequel est projeté une carte de l'hexagone. Pendant trois minutes, chaque ville ou région sera impeccablement désignée par les index des différents membres. L'outro conclut l'album en beauté avec un « demain nous fêterons les Célestins » extrêmement satisfaisant.
03/10/2022 Not at all the jazz that I expected it to be. This is so energetic and funky as hell. Really fun album!
Felt like a slightly more modern miles Davis album. Very nice ambient jazz type music and such. Also I found out that the endtroducing album could be called trip hop and I’m just noting that here
Ah Birdland on kyllä aivan megakova, kiva kuulla vihdoin koko levy. Erinomaista "modernia" jazzia jossa jopa elektronisia saundeja. 4/5.
Mites tätä kuvailis? Kepeää fuusiota? Tälläsessä helsingin takatalven paskamyrskyssä kyl mieluusti asettuu tän levyn tunnelmiin. Yllätyin itseasiassa että tykkään tästä! 4/5
Wicked jazz fusion album. Super experimental and fun, lots of different influences from world music, jazz and funk coming through. The technical skill of all of the band members gets highlighted on this record; the drums, horns, keys, guitar, bass all have their moments in the spotlight throughout. Heavy Weather pushed the boundaries of a traditional sounding record at the time, and helped to evolve jazz and prog rock through this period. Fave tracks: Birdland, Havona
Really great album. My fifth listen this year and still hearing new phrases each time
Some banging fusion, Birdland is a certified tune and the rest is also v good
7/6/2022 - ALBUM #160 Today's Album: "Heavy Weather" by Weather Report - This stands out as a pretty great Jazz album up there with the likes of Herbie Handcock Headhunters and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and that becomes like a super obvious observation once you realize that this band is a mending of a lot of different members from those bands. The opener, Birdland, is a perfect Jazz track in my opinion. The long-form stylings of classic Jazz with the constant musical momentum of the fusion movement come together to create such a fun and energetic track. It is just one of those instrumentals that never gets old to me and has so many aspects to it it's impossible to explain everything I like about it. Carrying on, the album stays consistently high quality with the great contemplative ballad A Remark You Made and a bunch of upbeat energetic tracks like Teen Town, The Juggler and Havona. I think I'm not a huge fan of Rumba Mama because although it has an infectious loud energy to it, it doesn't really have a lot of progression to it and starts to feel stale as it goes on. I really like the closer on this album as well, Havona, as it ends off with this really dramatic and hectic improv section. It doesn't stick the landing when it comes to closing up the album with a strong climax, but it is pretty emblematic of the experimentation that was all over this record. The jazz fusion moments on this record especially stand out to me as being so fundamental to the genre and being just generally really likeable. Overall, there is a reason this is such a beloved and successful jazz album with covers of Birdland more plentiful than can be counted. Give this one a listen if you want a solid piece of Jazz history and a great album to just throw on to set a nice vibe. Highlights: Birdland, A Remark You Made, Teen Town, Harlequin, Palladium, The Juggler, Havona Score: 8/10 One of the most influential jazz albums of the late 70s
Birdland is a classic. I could listen to that on repeat! It was interesting listening to the entire album, and I really enjoyed it. I could definitely put this on in the background while working.
Not the biggest fan of jazz but quite liked this one. Found it both accessible and with enough technical depth. Pretty close to prog rock in some parts... Maybe that's why I liked it?
Today's a cool morning filled with a heavy rain. The weather's heavy, you might say. And while I don't think a jazz fusion album suits such a day, this one didn't ruin the mood. I love the stormy energy of the instruments and the smooth flow of it all. Some tracks are quite boring, but as a whole, this album is a decent listen. Another great jazz.
Tuneful and melodic from the first to the last not, with great hooks and several absolute classics of the genre (starting with "Birdland"). Has aged extremely well (one woudln't have guessed), but masterful playing is timeless, innit? An outright pleasure to hear (on one's deathbed or any time) to be reacquainted with.
Awesome futuristic jazz album that covers prog, fusion, world music, latin percussion, etc. etc. the list goes on. The (mostly fretless) bass is really the standout for me on this album. The playing is virtuosic, lyrical, technial, and just all around amazing, but that's what you should expect from one of the greatest to ever do it- Jaco Pastorius. Solid 4 out of 5. Some tracks later on tend to track a little.
This was a fun jazzy fusion album, great for background busy-music! I always appreciate some fun noodles and experimentation from talented musicians.
Nice jazz-rock fusion. Some of it’s smooth, some of it’s spacey, a lot of it is funky and weird. A lot great percussion too. My favorite track is “Palladium.” Sick album cover too.
Classic funky fusion sound, love it, though it does sound a bit too dated at times for its own good.
“OHHHH! THAT song!” I exclaimed as the opening notes of Weather Report’s “Birdland” filled my ears. I’ve heard this song a gazillion times on the radio - usually as background music for PSA’s or commercials. I’m VERY excited to hear it again! This is possibly the first time I’ve heard the song in its entirety. As the album progressed my reaction was positive. The songs were varied and interesting. I want to listen to it again. Jazz always scared me or put me off. Heavy Weather and some of the other great jazz albums I’ve heard in this project has made me realize there’s a place for it in my world.
Hooray for Birdland! It is great. The rest is not as great --- sounded like a record of 80s TV themes, putting everything in soft focus like Cybil Shepherd in Moonlighting. I give Birdland 10 stars and the rest 3.
Hey, ég á þessa plötu á disk í kassa útí bílskúr! Long time no listen. Mætti alveg hlusta oftar, þetta er ljómandi skemmtilegt
"Now you must aquire a taste for free-form jazz" -Patrick Star I like this album, some stuff goes a little too jazzy (i.e. freeform or something) for my liking, but I was definitely grooving to this album Also is this a JoJo reference? Favorite song: Birdland or Teen Town Worst song: Harlequin
The first Jazz album I ever bought, or was it Elegant Gypsy by Al Dimeola, get quite be certain. Birdland is a great song but the rest just aren't for me, not 45 years ago and not now. The closer; Havana gets a bit closer but al in all bot my cup of tea...but Birdland does elevate it to 4 stars
While it was not exactly a chart success, to be able, as a jazz group, to produce a single that is still recognised 45 years after its release is quite some achievement. Birdland is such as track. The rest of the album mostly follows the pattern laid down by Birdland, but Rumba Mama stands out as breaking away from this structure. In general even improvised jazz needs to have some structure imposed on it to make it listenable, and Weather Report get the balance right here.
I think I listened to this years ago but forgot all about it. Thought it was great this time around, very groovy bass!
Pretty cool that the day's listening included Public Enemy and Weather Report. So this album — damn, some of the playing is otherworldly, particularly the bass. Tones of the instruments are also really great throughout. When this is at its best, this is sensational. I appreciate the jazz genre tucked into a slightly more structured song format. At times it's too structured, and self-aware and indulgent, but then, if I could play and write and execute these parts, I'd push myself to do it. These guys are playing things — individually and as a group — that not many can. So, perfect? No. Too indulgent and showy for that. Brilliant? Yes. And at its best (the opener, "Birdland" for instance), this is magical.