It’s not often you’ll get an article that mentions the jazz fusion team of Weather Report in the same breath as the California rockers Spirit, but they do have some things in common. Most importantly, their classic albums have been re-mastered to perfection by Audio Fidelity, and the sound delicious. There’s more than that, as we shall see…
There is no one who disagrees that 1977’s Heavy Weather by Weather Report is the apotheosis of not only the band itself, but of jazz fusion. The team of Joe Zawinul/key, Wayne Shorter/ts-ss, Bardrena/perc, Alex Acuna/dr and world changing bassist Jaco Pastorius put together one for the ages on this one. Besides the hit “Birdland,” the album became the go-to disc for its jaw dropping work by Pastorius; his tonality and phrasing on pieces such as “Teen Town,” “Harlequin” and “Havona” were like Bob Beamon’s long jump that broke the old Olympic Record not by inches but by FEET! Shorter’s tenor on “A Remark You Made” is glorious, and Zawinul creates sonic wallpaper that will fill your ears with the new remastering. A desert island disc to delight!
Lead by Randy California (was there ever a better name for an LA bassist/vocalist?), Spirit mixed rock with jazz as well, but from the other side of the Boulevard. Along with horn arrangements by Marty Paiche, the tea of Mark Andes/b, Ed Cassidy/dr, and Jay Ferguson/key with John Locke’s piano create some jazz work on the extras “Fog” and ”Space Chile.” Ferguson’s “So Little To Say” is an incredibly strong piece, while the pop hit “I Got A Line On You” is as irresistibly infectious as it was half a century ago. Plug it in and cruise the highway!