Heavy Weather

beautiful.

Pastorius. You can't deny what he added to this and other WR albums. So many bass guitarists can easily turn to him as an influence / aspiration: Jeff Berlin, Les Claypool, Tony Levin, Robert Trujillo... I could go on and on. I will say, the first track is not my favorite version of "Birdland." But it's still a song that always makes me smile (makes me think of playing it in jazz band when I was in school). Did not care for the opening of "Rumba Mama", honestly. But the rest of the song was good. Really, the whole album was really good. Top tracks: "Harlequin," "Havana," "Palladium"

Never heard of these guys but I don't know jazz so to be expected. Birdland was such a cool opener with the synth (?) to start and all the other classic instruments fused in. Kind of reminded me of something you'd hear from Steely Dan. I'd say this whole album is somewhere between jazz fusion and jazz rock. Whether the beats were uptempo like Birdland and Palladium, or softer like A Remark You Made and the Juggler, I really dug them. Maybe a little too much synth on a couple songs but overall a solid album. Surprised, maybe even disappointed, at how short it was.

My friend Max sometimes listens to the worst jazz you've ever heard - almost like it's been made to intentionally offend me This album isn't that, this is great fun and I really enjoyed it. Do better, Max.

High energy jazz rock that is a lot of fun. Standout is "A Remark You Made" is beautiful. Leadoff "Birdland" is good too.

Very nice album. I particularly liked Birdland. The melodies were tight, and well balanced.

Ja classic met Pastorius op bas. Qua fusion uit die tijd zijn Mahavishnu Orchestra en Chick Corea Elektric Band ook nice, vind die zelf wat leuker iig. Deze guys hebben altijd wel een beetje dezelfde sound gehad

Happy 100th album! It's upbeat, chill music perfect for the first day of class!

you know what, i started out doubting this, but i throughly enjoyed it. you know what? hell yeah.

Weather Report has never been my brand of jazz. It just feels too clean and smooth somehow. However, the talent and chemistry of the musicians behind the group is undeniable. This album is a pleasant listen and it has a lot of great elements, even if it's never going to be what I turn to when I want to hear some jazz 4/5

4 perché ancora non riesco a suonare Teen Town >:(

Pleasant, but sometimes delves too far into the free jazz genre at the cost of harmonic cohrence.

I’ll admit that seeing an album listed as jazz fusion didn’t exactly fill me with delight, but there have definitely been some jazz albums that surprised me, so I tried to keep some optimism. And I’m glad that I did! This album is really fun, maybe leaning more towards bossanova than jazz at times, with a definite Cuban vibe. I don’t know where Weather Report are from, but they felt very tropical. This album was a nice surprise, and a nice rump shaker.

Great jazz album :-)

Good jazz

Great instrumental album 4.25

Very solid...

Pretty good

Some of the most talented jazz players of the era go off the chain, and the results are glorious. I need to check out more Weather Report.

A nice very famous jazz album. Not my favourite but always worth listening to.

They said that when this album came out white dads across the world started tapping their foot and nodding along. And I just think that's beautiful. Best Track: Birdland Worst Track: Rumba Mama

5/11/24 The album is different to what i would normally listen to. But it was a good album. Entertaining.

4.25

This is more my sort of jazz than the 50s trad stuff. Broadly, it feels a bit more interesting, and I definitely prefer the sounds of sax to the parping brass. This also had some good guitar parts in. Also, Birdland makes me sing 'Haywards Heath', which reminds me of Southern Rail. Despite that, a solid listen.

So wow is this shocking. I really liked this album. I don’t know if it’s because it came at a good time or what- I was working along to it, but it was the perfect sense of not too distraction but good enough that I could really appreciate the music and the talent. The last song was incredible, an amazing way to wrap up the album. I usually have nothing great to say about albums with no singing, but wow this was awesome. I see so much talent, so much influence, and would 1000% listen again.

B+

Amazing music to listen to. I remember a friend of mine showed these to me, and it was a whole experience.

ei paljoa kuulu puhepulinaa.. hyvä! jos ei kerrassaan ole mitään sanottavaa niin ei turhaa pälätystä tarvitakkaan! monet voisivat mallia ottaa .. hullun hyvä bassolinja = nopeatsi budududududdum ja vitun tylsän kuuloinen... tämä on proge jazz rock fuusion mahtavuus tuo sama basso budududududdududududududududududum.. voi että jos päällä olisi geddy leen kuuloinen helari laulamassa jostain abstraktista hevonpaskasta omgomg olisi viiiielä parempi omg omg... bassdsoo niin hullu oh mai gawd the bass on this omg.. (illuusio, illuusio musikaalisuudedta... paska basso... missattu pointti ovelasti...) a remark you made

Abandoned mail music (positive). 3.5/5

As a drummer, this album is a masterclass in funk drumming/percussion. Alex Acuña and Manolo Badrena offer a thunderous and unrelenting performance, knowing when and when not to pull back the volume - while keeping up the intensity throughout. Jaco Pastorius's bass playing speaks for itself. The intro to "Rumba Mama" might be one of the most badass track intros I've ever heard.

Holy crap Lois is that a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part Six Stone Ocean reference????!!!!

"Birdland" starts it off - and then the jazz flows to "Havana". Didn't realize this was Weather report. A decent album. Will repeat listen

Jaco only needed 4... Bass nerds aside, the album is one of the pinnacles of fusion. It's a great play with awesome instrumentation. Birdland is newest Jazz standard I know of.

I think this might be the level of jazz that I am comfortable with.

progejarre jaha

This is a fun album, probably won’t rush back, but nothing to hate.

Fantastic listen. Goes hard and unashamed.

Listened on plane so perhaps missed Jaco’s legendary playing cuz of humming. But don’t rly feel like relistening again I fear.

This was awesome. Hope I get another record from these dudes. Crazy talented group of guys here. Maybe the most talented group to ever do it. Very rad.

Of course, I already knew Birdland beforehand. The song is still played everywhere and is a real hit. I wasn't familiar with the band or the album. It's nice that this has now changed. I like the music and the rhythm. Even if I don't like the whole album, I will listen to individual tracks again and again. 4/5

Ben benieuwd Altijd deze band al willen checken Heel nice, niet wat ik had verwacht Dacht dat t meer een synthwave band was

For years I only knew the Manhattan Transfer's horrifying version of "Birdland", and it turns out to actually be one of the coolest song! Weird!

Right in the sweet spot whilst I was happily tapping away at my laptop. Music that was challenging enough when zooming in, but could melt into the background. Impressive chops demonstrated throughout. I got a kick out of some fretless bass and synth licks in particular (is that Joe Zawinul on the keyzzzz?). 'Birdland' is a great opener. My girlfriend also liked this.

Gets a 4 just for Birdland!

Pretty good, even if it is kind of background music. Favorite track: "Rumba Mama."

If the weather was always like this, don't think anyone would ever complain.

Good, smooth jazz. Some nice funk and freestyle. Easy listening.

Solid jazz

This is my kind of music, so I am a bit biased, but this is a really good album. I've heard a few of the tracks before, but not the whole album. Really easy to listen to, no 'skip-me' tracks.

Chill

Loved

I believe that's the first time I hear a jazz fusion album. Still got a lot to know. Boys like Zappa has been on my waiting list for a long time. Anyway. That was a great experience. I had to listen twice to get the feeling but it worked: Now i'm totaly into Jazz Fusion and i want to hear more! 4 stars that's the vote.

Great musicianship on full display here. It was nice to work to today.

Well this is good fun. Those first few notes of Birdland sound like the start of some kind of ambient edm but then the horns kick in and away we go. Birdland is a good fun frolic, Teen Town is a cool jam, and something in The Juggler keeps catching my attention. I won't be sad if this pops up on my radar again.

Koooosss

Great jazz record

I had never heard of this! Loved it start to finish!

Petty good, made me feel like I was watching an old talk show at times.

What the hell was this? And I mean that in the best way! I hadn't heard of Weather Report, and to learn that legendary bassist Jaco Pistorius was part of the lineup has me wondering how I hadn't. This was funky as all hell. I don't have a deep knowledge of jazz fusion, but albums like these inspire me to dig deeper into the genre. This album has such a great vibe that I nearly considered giving it 5 stars, but due to elements of it sounding aged (naturally, given that it's nearly 50 years old), I will settle upon a strong 4.

i hate to say it but the jazz fusion hits hard today

I'm not mad for jazz fusion but I'm usually never mad about a Weather Report album being on. It's really tasteful in it's balance of musicianship and hooks, never leaving the audience behind for their own ego. Tonally, they choose some great synth patches, guitar sounds, and Jaco's trademark fretless bass. The fact that this is a Jaco Pastorious WR album alone is huge as it means I'm listening to one of the best bassists of all time, if not THE best. What an animal that boy. Listen to him flex on track 3, putting some real muscle behind his tone and laying into it with the section on the lower notes. Furthermore any lesser bassist would solo non-stop but he minds the space in the song, playing simple or not at all when necessary. You can always count on Weather Report to bring interesting sounds from their "world jazz funk" universe to the table. From the live cut of "Rumba Mama" to a cover of "Birdland", they make it all fit together somehow under their banner.

Lovely and funky. Found myself thinking of Paul Rudd yelling "slappin' da bass!" frequently throughout. Unsure if there is any actual bass slapping in here. In any event, thoroughly enjoyable.

Buen álbum, satisfactorio de escuchar. Buena incorporación de los sonidos del sintetizador a la música de jazz moderno, que por momentos coquetea con su versión latina. La primera escucha se pasó rápido y agradable. Definitivamente una adición a la fonoteca.

Classic Jazz fusion album but it is not the kind of music I prefer.

Way out of my lane but still a blast to listen to. There's some cheesieness with the synth sounds but to me it sounds a bit charming rather than cloying. Jaco is the star of course, he's doing some amazing work on the fretless bass. Jazz is great because you can only succeed if you are fantastically talented on your instrument, but it also means that it can favour musicality over melody. There's enough variety here to keep me happy though.

Yes

CanCon alert🚨 🍁- oops, retracted. We don’t actually own the maple leaf Love “Birdland” already, but we’ll see where the rest of this album takes us. HL: “Birdland”, “Teen Town”, “The Juggler”, “A Remark You Made”, “Havona” My love for jazz fusion is fickle, with albums like Head Hunters and Bitches Brew being favourites from this generator, while others (idk if Street Life counts as jazz fusion) bored me, with my ears discounting fierce, virtuosic solos as samey mush. Heavy Weather has a little of the latter example, but also a lot of what I liked about the former, with Latin percussion, spacey synths, and a willingness to explore contrasting textures (the suspense in “Teen Town”; the melancholy in “Remark”). I can’t find much online about it, but “The Juggler” is an understated highlight, with a galloping, African rhythm and a playful descending riff from Zawinul. A real bop from an era of jazz that I’ve often dismissed as background music of the Weather Network. wait Weather Network… Weather Report… what does it mean…

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.

Sort of ethereal, almost futuristic jazz fusion. Jaco only has one stand out song, but he's kind of the secret sauce on the album. It's a testament to the era that an instrumental like Birdland can become a radio hit. Not my favorite example of jazz fusion, but still real solid. Legendary performers, legendary album. 3.9

Not really my kinda jam, but having said this it does kinda kick and I did find myself getting engaged, its Jazz but its not big band Jazz but its not wailing all over the place

A great Jazz Fusion album. The interplay betwixt the musicians is top notch. Jaco Pastorius on bass is fantastic, slinky and smooth on the fretless...a talent gone too soon.

Cool …

The alfa chad bassist Flea from RHCP told me personally on Twitter that this and Mr. Gone were his favorite Weather Report albums. Has some really good and some okay stuff here. Some of the synths are eh. My least favorite part of jazz fusion. The bass by the Alfa Jaco is great.

Jazz. Fully instrumental but awesome

Funky as hell. Love the electronic usage here. My only gripe is that it feels a bit longer than it really us. Favorites were Rumba Mama and Birdland

This is just fun to listen to. The bass is definitely the highlight for me. Favorite songs are Birdland, Teen Town, and Havona

I enjoyed Birdland a bunch - 8/10

I haven't really listened to much jazz, so I didn't know what to expect going into this, but it was pretty fun.

7/10 - Pretty jazzy. I liked a few random songs in it. Rumba Mama caught me off guard but the rest were fun to listen to.

Reminds me of mahavishnu in terms of jazz fusion styles but more of steely dan/later stevie wonder in terms of overall vibe. This album as a musician is technically impressive but not as unapproachable as I'd expect with a band of this caliber of chops. Lots of yacht rock/city rock influence while still being very progressive. It feels like it can both be background music or you can pick apart the songs which makes it nice.

The bass on this is wild. The music tends to force itself into the background. The movement on some tracks is outstanding if you can manage to stay focused. 8/10.

Album I had not heard before not my top style but a really great surprise

Klassiker.

I was not expecting jazz, but hell yeah. I've heard Birdland before and it's great. A Remark You Made might be the smoothest jam of all time. The whole thing is less-techy Vulfpeck or CASIOPEA vibes

The opening track, “Birdland,” is an immediate and clear child of late-‘70s fusion, but it’s simultaneously ahead of its time. And it still is. With a nod to Disco, an unabashed Pop sensibility, all wrapped in a commercial sheen, it remains serious music with roots in jazz experimentation. These guys are trying to see how far you can push it. Only Herbie Hancock managed to equal their impact on the mainstream. Modern listeners may be tempted to dismiss what they’re hearing out of some well-intentioned but nevertheless misguided sense of hindsight. Oft-duplicated but never replicated is a better and fairer way to listen to Weather Report’s music. So much followed in their wake, endless waves of Quiet Storm-formatted radio, that the special gifts of this group get watered down. There have been Jazz revivals galore since this record was released, and plenty of incredibly talented musicians, but ask yourself when the last great instrumental Jazz-based group made a record that sounded like it was new, that stretched the boundaries of the genre and of what a Pop record could sound like. I’ll wait right here, listening to “Heavy Weather.”

Ok. I like jazz but dude! Switch it up!

I'm into it

Kicks ass

This was pretty sweet stuff. I'm not really one for pure instrumental albums but these guys are good and I can dig the jazz fusion going on.

I'm not actually sure how I feel about this album. I've listened to classical jazz before and enjoyed it, but not so much late mid-century jazz. I recognized a lot of elements that felt like 80s prog rock, which, since they came later, implies that Weather Report might have influenced them. Some casual googling turns up the Rush's bassist Geddy Lee points to "Teen Town" as being an influential song on him, so evidence in that column. I feel very early 80s music with this, but, again, I think it's the influence such music might have had on 80's tv show soundtracks.

very unexpected album, very cool

Great album I wouldn't have heard otherwise

Fusion jazz. Hated by critics. Loved by its fans. As great as Shorter, Zawinul, Acuna and Badrena are, it’s Jaco, the man who reinvents how the electric bass is played, less than 15 years after a small cohort worked it out. Entwhistle or Bruce hadn’t tried this, and they were more technically adventurous than James Jamerson, Carol Kaye or Duck Dunn. Jaco was something else. Let’s look at Jaco's bass solo on harmonics. It sounds like a guitar. But it’s not. It’s Pastorious. He is the Jimi Hendrix of bass and what a show that might have been. Put Bonham on drums and watch the whole thing crash under the impossible weight of expectations. The other thing about this first album is just how much energy there is. Fusion was developed by the guys who grew up on rock and roll but learned jazz. A lot of later fusion guys forget this thinking it’s about how clever you are. Oh these guys in Weather Report are clever, yes. But they’re also chuck and Richard and the Beatles and the stones. And Sly and Jimi and James Brown, and Motown, and P Funk. Throw it all together and you have a true fusion. This is jazz. Absolutely. But it’s also rock and roll. 4 stars.

As a parent, I can testify that one of the biggest thrills my children can give me is to fall in love with a piece of music that I myself love. This happened a couple of years ago when my son declared his love for Birdland, the opening track here. He had only just discovered it & I had not played Heavy Weather for years. Fact is, I first discovered the song, not on Heavy Weather, but on the Manhattan Transfer album Extensions (1979). That version had lyrics written by the great Jon Hendricks (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross) & would go on to win 2 grammies (Best Jazz/Fusion Performance & Best Vocal Arrangement). These days I prefer the original - it doesn’t need words. Other standouts on the album are both Pastorius compositions - the frenetic Teen Town & the closer, Havana. Here was a great band at their peak, performing listenable fusion.

Klikkað albúm. Live útgáfan af Birdland er alveg top notch!

Great funky instrumental jams

3.5/5 I liked it but the following suggested songs were less of my taste

I kinda wanted to give this five stars as it is - yet again - another genre defining album on this list, but it gets a little too noodly and self indulgent at points. Still, if you want to show someone what jazz fusion is, start here.

They definitely know how to play. The lively parts are exciting, the other parts are kind of boring though. Favorite song: Birdland.

If only all weather reports were as mild and pleasant as this album. Believe me, there is nothing "heavy" about it. Good intro into jazz fusion. Four thunderstorms out of five. ⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️

8/10. Rainy

Nice easy listening. I prefer the Buddy Rich version of Birdland but this is still an album I’ll return to. 8/10

Loved this. “Birdland” is obviously a staple of jazz music but this album is so much more than that. The interplay in the band is top notch and Jaco’s bass is just brilliant throughout. 4.5/5 Will definitely listen again

Oh shit het fasch weather report verpasst. Birdland ischn classic. Es trifft d Stimmig vomene fiktive Land wo Vögel existieret perfekt. De Jaco Pastorius am Bass so guet. De sound gfallt mir allgemein, vergliche mit nervöserem Fusion isches mir aber mengmol fasch zu entspannt, zu smooth.

Aaa i lieb da album zum glück hani hüt ine gluegt. Isch definitiv eis wo besser wird wenn mers meh lost und es verschüsst s pulver zimli am aafang. Bass chords sick (rip jaco). Finde s synth solo geg de schluss vo a remark you made meega nice und d drums uf Havona sind mer au no nie so ufgfalle, mega cool. Es wird wenn mer s album durelost irgendwenn scho chli viel, i ha nocher nomol e fusion album glost und isch chli viel gsi. I find au sie hend uf de letschte paar lieder nöd ganz gliich viel idee wie uf de erste drü aber cha guet sii dasi s glich sege wür wenni s album andersch ume glost het. Usserst bi birdland de song isch genial, i lieb wie lang sie ufbaued. Und bi teen town fix au nöd. Beste song: Birdland Schlechtiste Song: The Juggler

Schööön, drums insane cool, bass umen!! De schluss vo birdland (riese song) tönt wie de sound vomene alte Videospiel. Teen town: bass HALLOUUU <3

eis vode hässlichste cover ever für es geniaaals album. ich ha nöd so viel zsege, birdland isch chrank geil und teen town au. ich cha verstoh wie mer de bass tone und s saxophon chan cheesy finde aber uf dem album isch weather report am zeige was fusion chan und dases chan hooks haa und nöd voll verkopft mues sii. nöch amne füfi. ich entscheid am morge.

Good funk, ça change de ce que j'écoute habituellement.

Was wondering what this would sound like since the genre is just "Fusion" on Apple Music. Birdland certainly portrays that. Towards the end I actually recognize this song from somewhere. It's quite the earworm I'm bouncing. Slows down a bit with A Remark You Made but but that solo towards the end is bomb. I'm guessing it's some kind of keyboard but whatever it is is lovely. Teen Town has that sick ass bass. Harlequin with the sax. I feel like every song has it's own featured instrument which I love. Weird that Rumba Mama goes into a live song? Kinda sounds like Santana's Soul Sacrifice. Back in the studio it seems with the bass driven Palladium. Havona has starts out with that brown noise. Almost shit myself. This was a very solid 4 for me. Almost a sneaky 5.

Magnificent groovy funky fun. Doesn’t really reach a consistently transcendent level but it is consistently great.

It’s a nice album. I like the synths and the saxophone. Some of the melodies are really great. I don’t normally listen to this type of music so I’m struggling with it a bit. But I do like it. A remark you made is great, teentown with those heavy drums is fun, rumba Mumba with those tribal aspects and crowd is nice too. The juggler is great with its synth melody and keys. It’s a strong 3 to a light 4.

Comes out hard with a fantastic take on Birdland. These cats can cook! And the pretty songs are really pretty. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole album.

First modern jazz band I discovered really like this album

Fusion jazz classic, Birdland is a banger instrumental any day

Can’t go wrong with birdland

One of the main bands of the fusion era. Teen Town is the OG Dean Town. 4.

Really enjoyed this, going to come back to them for sure

Great jazz album. Jaco is the man

extremely fun playing and sounds all around, I love this period of music outside of the bass sound sometimes. Ballads here are supremely beautiful, piano solos as well

Bit of me

This album is extremely inventive for its time, it takes the genre of jazz that was dying out and fuses it with the more upcoming electronic style to make for a great album. Low 4.

Weather report is like 50-50 for me as far as jazz fusion goes. This album is probably more like 75-25 though so pretty good.

This was super cool. Not usually my kind of music but was good for zoomies for work

Americana- 80s- Cop -Soap Jaco Pastorius virtuoses Bassspiel carriet das Album. Leger aber gute Musik

Crazy stuff, especially Jaco Pastorius on fretless bass!

The duo that it Zawinul and Pastorius really is something else entirely, so it goes without saying that the instrumental on Heavy Weather is amazing. The only thing I’m missing is longer compositions that would let the instruments explore and progress further.

Yes, it's time for sophisticated jazz fusion with legends Jaco, Shorter and Zawinul and marvellous Latin rhythm and percussion from the other two before Peter Erskine joined. This LP and the previous, Black Market, are wonderful examples of mid 70s jazz fusion from people who have been through the Miles Davis school of improv, but decided to rehearse the tunes a little longer ready to rock out on stage to the screaming college sophisti-cats. Jaco’s bass is great, Wayne’s sax is lyrical and Zawinul’s melodies and arrangements are hits even when his choice of synth sounds are poor. Great drumming and percussion as well. Mostly superb (who doesn't love Birdland?), but you really need to listen to the extended funk rock live version of Teen Town found on concert album "8.30" because it shows exactly why Weather Report were THE rockstars of jazz fusion.

One of my all time favorite recordings of Birdland

Album #26 Having back-to-back jazz albums was great, especially since I had to catch up on a few days where I couldn't listen. This album reminded me of driving with my father when I was a kid. He often played the old NYC smooth jazz station CD101.9. I know that I've heard both Birdland and Havona on that station, so having those booked this album made it feel special to me. Honestly, I'm not good at critiquing jazz, but I can say that I enjoyed this album and would consider listening again while doing housework or work-work. 3.5* rounded to 4* for my Dad.

exceptional. probably as close as an album can get to 5 stars without reaching it

Mit gutem Fusion kriegt man mich eigentlich immer und das hier ist welcher, aber ein- zwei Tracks hatten zu viel Saxophon. Schwache 4

Found this very pleasant, full of peaceful energy.

Birdland is forever a classic, and depending on your mood the rest of the album totally holds up. Some of the best jazz playing and inter-instrumental dialogue that you’ll hear between Pastorius and Zawinul. This is already a go to for records to play while milling about the house on the weekend, and will continue to do so. Fave track without a doubt is Birdland

I'm not a jazz boy, but I would put this on at a garden party. It's pretty great. I particularly like the electric elements, which I think includes the bass. I've never heard synth on a jazz record before, but it gives this a new dimension, making it feel modern and vibrant. The last two albums provide proof, if needed, that the jazz world does supergroups a lot more successfully than the rock world. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Birdland Date listened: 16/08/23

Not in love with this album as much as it is a classic, but the star studded lineup can’t be denied. Also, the music is just palatable, at worst you’re going to have a pleasant time.

Nog en blassiker

Dominated by jaco, just bass playing like no one else can.

That's what was lacking on that list. Instrumental music. Great experience this album.

70s jazz, was a nice, pleasant listen overall; killer bass guitar all throughout. I think "Palladium" was my favorite. 8/10.

What a pleasant surprise! A largely instrumental jazz album? Great listen, I liked it.

Great album. Birdland is iconic. Will listen to again.

Yah I like jazz fusion

There are two types of music I detest, Modern Country and Smooth Jazz. I always thought that Weather Report was smooth jazz, so imagine my surprise at finally sitting down and listening to a WR album for the first time and hearing Jaco Pastorius' fingers flow over his fretless base. I'm still not sold on WR, but will give more of their discs a listen. I stand corrected on WR being smooth jazz, I don't look forward to discovering something pleasant about Modern Country though… 4/5

Good fusion album. The bands energy doesn't stray and makes this album an entertaining listen. The group really gives Jaco a chance to shine and he does using the bass to lead a few of the tracks. If this album wasn't so popular it definitely wouldn't be on this list and there are a lot of other fusion records more deserving of it's spot from artists like Mahavishnu Orchestra, John Coltrane, Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock and many more. 7/10

Nice to hear an instrumental album

Terrific musicianship from this quintet. Not all the songs slay but enough do to earn a high ranking. Jaco Pastorius and Wayne Shorter shine in particular. Shame what happened to Jaco. He was an all time talent.

My favorite version of Birdland.

Not sure if it was because I just had three 1s in a row, but this was such a breath of fresh air. Really enjoyed the smooth jazz. Great listen. Gonna roll a 4 for this one. TBz 1. A Remark You Made 2. Rumba Mama 3. Birdland 4. Palladium

Cloudy with a chance of Jazz!

fun listen. liked instrumental steely dan.

Jacoooo! Beetje cheesy bij vlagen door de synths, maar soms ook dystopisch. Veel verschillende instrumenten.

Как будто 40 минут слушал аудиальный фейерверк. И то, и сё, и хлопает и гремит, и на фоне булюлюкает и ещё басочек, и труба, юффффь! Почти всю неделю исправило Есть доеб до румбы мамбы, в остальном кайф, 4+

Not a jazz person normally, but this was very enjoyable and had some really cool moments.

What a fun album. Love the whole thing!

The first song was interesting, then the following songs went down in quality a little bit, but the album ends with three amazing songs, mixing jazz with many other styles, giving me a very good vibe. I'm not sure this is something I'll listen to again in a row, but I enjoyed it very much.

Fun and funky

I'm not the biggest jazz guy, but I liked this album, especially "Teen Town" is awesome.

Can hear its influence on modern jazz.

Groovy jazz. Love it

Acid jazz, funk and synth fusion confection!

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.

I think I listened to this years ago but forgot all about it. Thought it was great this time around, very groovy bass!

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.

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

"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

Hey, ég á þessa plötu á disk í kassa útí bílskúr! Long time no listen. Mætti alveg hlusta oftar, þetta er ljómandi skemmtilegt

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.

“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.

Classic funky fusion sound, love it, though it does sound a bit too dated at times for its own good.

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.

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.

This was a fun jazzy fusion album, great for background busy-music! I always appreciate some fun noodles and experimentation from talented musicians.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

Some banging fusion, Birdland is a certified tune and the rest is also v good

Really great album. My fifth listen this year and still hearing new phrases each time

Ein seltener aber wichtiger Beitrag: Ein wirklich gut hörbares Jazz-Album!

Awesome jazz fusion album. Wayne Shorter can do no wrong.

Pretty cool! These boyz can PLAY

My favorite jazz album thus far. Very cool

Musical wanking at its finest

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

Jazz fusion. Está entretenido.

Mites tätä kuvailis? Kepeää fuusiota? Tälläsessä helsingin takatalven paskamyrskyssä kyl mieluusti asettuu tän levyn tunnelmiin. Yllätyin itseasiassa että tykkään tästä! 4/5

Ah Birdland on kyllä aivan megakova, kiva kuulla vihdoin koko levy. Erinomaista "modernia" jazzia jossa jopa elektronisia saundeja. 4/5.

Very cool jazz album that I had almost forgotten about.

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

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!

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.

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.

Some really good sounds on this one

Jazz instrumental

Le jazz c'est mieux quand on joue pas des notes au hasard je trouve

A cause de Coltrane, je pensais que le jazz n'était pas trop mon style. En fait je kiffe bien !

mes colocs ont du se demander ce qu’il se passait pour que j’écoute de tels solos de saxophone un samedi midi

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.

Great jazz rock album by Weather Report with the legendary bass guitar player Jaco Pastorius. To quote Wikipedia "Teen Town", a Pastorius composition where his bass takes the lead instrument role, is often considered a highlight of the album and of Pastorius's career."

Jazz fusion. Está entretenido.

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!

Enjoyable music to listen to. Very jazzy. I just didn't vibe with all the songs.

Needed this.... Great traveling music

I can't stop humming Birdland. This album is amazing.

7/10

Jazz fusion

The synth sounds a bit dated, but this album is a fusion masterpiece featuring acrobatic musicianship and great exploratory passages.

?

Great jazz album. Very pop like feel. Absolutely love the saxophones.

Haven't felt such funk in a long time.

// Favs: A Remark You Made Score: Light to Decent 4

Really enjoyed this. Just into ****

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

Great album. Brings back a lot of memories. Not my favorite Jazz Style.

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

Fun jazz album! Will absolutely listen to again

NICE JAZZ

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

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

Good! Jazzy!

Fluid and delightfully arranged. Some very pleasant melodic phrasing. Joe Zawinul's solos are ethereal and vibrant - classy stuff.

not something i super dig, but it's good for what it is, 4

Awesome accessible start but quickly gets a bit jazzy for me. 4 stars are mostly in the strength of Birdland.

music perfect for playing in background (ambient)

Good jazz music.

1977. Seventh album. Released just as the jazz-rock movement began to run out of steam, according to AllMusic.

Nice to have some Jazz rather than endless Rap, but this this seemed so over produced. No desire to explore Weather Report any further.

Love Birdland, but the rest of the album was a bit of a mish\ mash

I was hoping I would like this a lot more than I did. Birdland is a great tune, and I will always love it. The rest of the album didn't really do anything for me. The second track was ok, and then it went places that didn't interest me at all. Still glad to listen to Birdland and good to know I'm not missing out by not listening to anything else by Weather Report.

Its kinda hard to see why this is on the list. Maybe I'm missing context within the genre.

Un album divertido, buen sonido, buen ritmo, personalmente no es de lo que mas me ha gustado pero esta bien

Sunday morning coffee music. Jojo reference.

Me pareció bastante interesante, aunque ninguna de las canciones realmente me logró gustar por completo. En algunas ocasiones me aburría, me aturdía, me parece muy extraordinario como fusionan todos los instrumentos al punto que parece sintetizadores, pero realmente es un instrumento y es increíble que este tipo de jazz se haya dado que sea de los años setentas

Rv

I had thought this would be better but Maynard Ferguson's Birdland is much more fun and I couldn't help but feel dissapointed.

Was interesting jazzy album.

Good vibes. Really enjoyed the instrumentals.

You can’t deny the musicianship at play here, even if it’s not really my thing.

some of the drums on this had me getting STANKY. enjoyed it overall and made me want to solve crimes as a PI in the 80s?

Not my favourite grouping of instrumental tracks but it was okay and I never really thought about moving on from it. Turned into nice working music.

I mean it was a banger starting off with Birdland soooo… (pep band nostalgia sorry lol). I really enjoyed a handful of these for late evening jamming. Others were v boring 80s hold music style tracks that made me feel like I was working at the garden store again, wanting to bash my head in. 3.5 stars. ❤️

If you like music that sounds like extended 1970's TV show theme songs, JACKPOT!

324/1089 some nice jazz, not sure really what else to add, it speaks for itself faves: Havona, Rumba Mama 54/100

Birdland is amazing. The rest here is pretty meh.

🐌🌈🐌🌈

ok, but not my cup of tea.

An interesting jazz fusion record. Not something I'd listen to on the regular, but good for what it is. Highlights: "Birdland"

Whilst I enjoyed large parts of it, everything about this album was just a little too bizarre and experimental for me. The jazz elements are fantastic at times and there's no denying that the musicianship is very very good, but the fusion across genres feels a little random at times. It's an interesting listen for sure but not totally my bag.

Instrumental Jazz Explorations

Sounds goofy (in a good way)

First track sounded like the intro to a TV show hosted by Troy McClure from The Simpsons, although I did like the guitar tone. Second track sounded like something i'd imagine is playing in the background to a romantic evening on holiday. Not really my cup of tea throughout. Appreciate the musicianship and there was some great drumming/percussion later on in the album. Just not really my bag

Yeah. Ok. I’m not huge on instrumentals but for 1977, there were some decent funky jazzy fusions.

Funny ass album cover lmao

Album cover is so dumb to me I can't deal lmao but regardless of this I thought it was just alright

Enjoyable, but realized I’d be annoyed if it were hold music. Liked Birdland and Juggler best.

I know little about jazz, and next to nothing about jazz fusion, so I'm not real sure how to evaluate this. I thought it was pleasant but busy. Rumba Mamá seems out of place, and some of the other world music percussion touches like the steel drum also don't feel right to me. But what do I know? Birdland is good: I can see why it became a standard.

Rumba Mama was quite the turn

When I started my record collection, my uncle mentioned all the Weather Report LPs he had, what a badass band they were and a lot of hype that made me think these guys must have been pretty impressive. This pops up today and I do my first ever official digging, and I start to see the lineup. Holy shit. So first there's Joe Zawinul who I've never really heard of, and Wayne motherfucking Shorter as original founding members. Then we just casually mention Jaco Pastorious, legendary bassist, and by now I'm hearing Alex Acuña and Manolo Bandrena and placing them on pedestals just because of the company they keep. I'm sure I've read Acuña on some liner notes somewhere. I was so let down when I hit play. It starts off with Birdland, which the wiki claims has turned into a jazz standard, but as a jazz lover it's not something I remember hearing. I figure it's possible I haven't heard it because I'm not a fan of the '80s jazz sound, and this effort is instantly exactly that. But you know, after a couple of listens, the individual talents mesh in such a way that if I absolutely had to hear '80sish rock jazz smoothness, this is what I'd put on. Throughout the record, I highly appreciate Pastorius' quick bubbly bass fingers speaking to Zawinul's quick and interesting keys. There's just something really dated that hinders my enjoyment a bit. The only track I ended up adding to my own library was the live percussive Rumba Mamá, which feels eclectic and strong with an arrangement that feels timeless. I'd buy this record at a discount price. And after this, I'd probably buy a Weather Report record heading into it completely blind. 3.4/5

All that jazz! Nice but not mine.

It was nice I just like albums with lyrics.

75

Think if I listened more my score would increase but was a fun first-time listen

Really cool at first, but then got boring. 3

some bits were ace, some bits were less ace

141. 🙃

From the opening electronic noises, I didn't know what this was going to be. I sure didn't expect it to be a crazy jazz fusion odyssey. Opening track “Birdland” is great. It sounds a bit like a 70s TV theme-tune that gets distracted and ends up somewhere completely different to where it started. Jazz harmony, funk rhythm, electronic textures, and world-music colour, all woven into something that's somehow coherent and seriously great craic. “Teen Town” is apparently famous for Jaco Pastorius’ bass, and I can hear why. His bass playing is melodic, rubbery, and weirdly human-sounding, almost like the bass is the lead vocal of the song. The slow-tempo pieces that make up a lot of the rest of the record lose me quite a bit. “Rumba Mama” comes out of nowhere, with hand percussion and Afro-Cuban style vocals in a live setting. It's like a tune from a random other band accidentally made its way onto the track listing. It is a nice breather in the middle of all the smooth jazz pieces though. Overall it's an interesting album that can’t seem to settle on a genre. At times it's smooth, polished jazz-fusion, at times it's electronic futurism, at times it's funk and soul, and on a few tracks it's all of those mashed together.

Nice bass. 3/5.

Un grupo puramente instrumental, de buena música, la mayoría de sus canciones en este album parecen como si fueran parte de series de los 80.

Some of it sounded a little bit like Kate Bush. Not bad but by the last track it sounded samey to me.

es un album de los que no me gusta porque es simplemente instrumental pero musicalmente e s muy rico

Pleasant

I am not familiar with this group at all, but jazz fusion is right up my alley so perhaps I might dig this... I wasn't aware that "Birdland" was a contemporary jazz standard before today. A pretty fun and delightfully weird opening track. The rest didn't nearly stack up to the opener, with maybe the exception of the final track. I guess this is what you get with most jazz fusion, as it can kind of jump all over the place in terms of mood and tempo. The structure and style are still fun for the most part. Makes me wish there was some Casiopea or Masayoshi Takanaka representation on this list.

Album of two halves for me. The first half makes me think of American New York TV in the late 70s which I can't shake. Second half was more interesting for me.

I think the well known tracks might have suffered from their success in their ubiquitousness really loved the live rumba track but it was so short. 3 for me too

The synth jazz is a little tooooo smooth. Low 3

Weather Report cannot contain themselves showing off a range of approaches across this record, the unifying thread being an eccentric and overbold approach to Jazz with “out there” synths, theme tune bass lines and some of the best drumming I’ve ever heard.

This Weather Report album is probably the most mixed bag record we’ve had so far for me. Some of it borders ECM style which I love, Jaco is excellent throughout, as is the drumming but i really hate some of the compositions (especially the shmaltzier smoother ones) and some of Shorter’s sax work here irritates me unfortunately Levelling out at a solid 3

Amazing musicians playing dull music.

Great listen, but pure jazz fusion isn't my go-to

3.5

Some of the funkier tracks I liked some great bass lines though out. Jazz fusion is always hit or miss for me. (7.45) ★★★½

Album No. 0209 on my list. Never heard of Weather Report or their album “Heavy Weather”. I didn’t know what to expect l, but this was actually a surprisingly good Jazz record. I have very little knowledge of the genre, but I immediately realized that this must instantly have been considered a very good record at the time it came out. And I get why this is on the 1001 album list, why it is considered to be a very influential Jazz album. This is funky, this is groovy, this is very playful Jazz. Interesting listen, even though I have to note that the first half is much better than the second one and things get somewhat less catchy, less playful, less remarkable as the album progresses. I’ll add “Birdland”, “Harlequin”, and “Rumba Mama” to my playlist. I’d give four stars to the first and two stars to the second half, so on average, I’ll rate “Heavy Weather”: 3/5 stars.

It’s not groundbreaking. But I’m ashamed to say how much I liked this.

Sounds like a movie soundtrack from the 80s

sympa en effet

Esse álbum podia ser facilmente a soundtrack de Bustin Out / The Urbz. Deu uma nostalgia. Até as músicas tensas. Deu vontade de jogar de novo kkkk. Mais um álbum de soundtrack, ouvir de fundo num bar, num rolê, pra trabalhar. Álbum bom, mas não consigo dar 4.

nice funk

Nothing notable.

Good

neat

Unusual bur pretty funky

good stuff here 3.5/5

Did not love it or hate it. OK instrumental background music for working. Nothing to write home about.

Birdland was a favorite growing up from my dad. Decent jazz album.

Eich ja min ‚neui‘ musikstil. Aber so ohni vocals und biz zu jazzy-experimentell doch nöd s herzli la pöpperle

Anybody who spent time as a band geek has some relationship with (and hopefully some appreciation for) Birdland. But other than that, this album wasn’t able to grip me.

I love Birdland, but the rest of the album really didn’t do it for me

I can imagine a lot of people really hate this but I thoroughly enjoyed it tbh. I don’t know enough about this genre to confirm/deny if it’s a ‘must’ hear, but im glad I’ve listened to it.