American jazz rock group Weather Report was formed during Miles Davis's legendary Bitches Brew sessions in the late 1960s. Main members Wayne Shorter (saxophone) and Joe Zawinul (keyboards) elaborated on the brooding and dark freefunk of Bitches Brew on first Weather Report albums. With the arrival of the young bassist Jaco Pastorius, not only the sound of Weather Report changed to more melodic
… fusion, but also the use of the electric jazz bass in general. Albums like Black Market (1976) and Heavy Weather (1977) set the standard for more accessible jazz funk and fusion. These records were only a measure of the live performances of this quartet. You can clearly hear that on these four CDs full of steaming and steaming fusion. A worthy legacy of this influential band and Pastorius, who passed away in 1987. (MR)more
