Weather Report at the very beginning of their rich, colorful career. Recorded in Berlin on September 3, 1971, the performance brings unbridled fusion born from the experiences of playing with Miles Davis and elevated to an entirely new level. A sensational must-have for every enthusiast of the genre.
Weather Report is a jazz-rock icon. Led by keyboardist Joe Zawinul, the group left a lasting mark on music history with their revolutionary sound and the creativity of the musicians who formed it. In their work, they combined jazz finesse, rock power, and Latin energy, etching their memory in the minds of listeners worldwide with the rhythmic “Birdland” from the album Heavy Weather (1977). However, before ascending the charts, they broke conventions and fusion boundaries at the outset of their career. “Live in Berlin 1971” is a captivating snapshot of that period. Elaborate, free-flowing forms filled with solo and collective improvisations – including “Directions,” performed by Zawinul alongside Miles Davis, and “Moto Grosso Feio” from Wayne Shorter’s solo album of the same name. The concert features three special guests: Alan Skidmore, Eje Thelin, and John Surman, whose energetic solos complement the cascades of Zawinul’s Fender Rhodes and Shorter’s powerful saxophone cadences. The sound and energy of that evening are hard to find elsewhere.
Live in Berlin 1971 will be released on October 27, 2023, both as a 2CD album (with the full concert recording) and in a limited 2LP edition. The vinyl edition will be available in three variants: as a black LP and two colored versions – one available through GAD Records and the other in the official Weather Report store. The recording was produced as part of a series of jazz workshops organized by the NDR radio in Hamburg. The album is accompanied by liner noted written by the acclaimed German journalist Wolf Kampmann, an author and expert in European jazz. The album is released as part of a collaborative partnership between GAD Records and Weather Report.
