Weather Report

Weather Report originated as the jazz counterpart to the rock era's notion of a supergroup around 1970. Yet this ensemble diverged from most rock counterparts by sustaining activity across roughly fifteen years while exceeding expectations and shaping jazz-rock's core direction for nearly its entire duration. It also foreshadowed and advanced North American fascination with global music rhythms and forms, spurred by keyboardist and co-founder Joe Zawinul. Like numerous enduring jazz collectives, WR functioned as a training ground for emerging bandleaders who rotated through its lineup amid constant personnel flux. Founding members included Zawinul alongside Wayne Shorter on saxophones, Miroslav Vitous on electric bass, Airto Moreira on percussion, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums; only Zawinul and Shorter, the latter until 1985, maintained unbroken tenure across the group's existence. Zawinul, Shorter, and Moreira had previously contributed to Miles Davis's electric studio and concert projects, so early WR directly extended the approach heard on In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew through open-ended collective improvisation that merged jazz, rock, funk, Latin, and additional ethnic influences.

By the 1972 album Sweetnighter, Zawinul's steering role intensified, elevating the importance of groove while introducing more defined structures even as live performances retained spontaneous interplay. The 1976 arrival of innovative bassist Jaco Pastorius, succeeding Alphonso Johnson, ushered in WR's commercial peak, with Pastorius emerging as a flashy third solo voice, Shorter's saxophone adopting concise phrasing, and Zawinul refining his pop sensibility alongside greater electronic refinement. The platinum-certified Heavy Weather release of 1977 yielded the enduring jazz standard "Birdland," and Peter Erskine's arrival on drums in 1978 stabilized the rhythm section for an extended period.

Far from signaling decline, the 1982 exits of Pastorius, who succumbed in 1987 to injuries from an assault, and Erskine instead revitalized the band's creative energy. Successors Victor Bailey on bass, Omar Hakim on drums, and percussionists Jose Rossy followed later by Mino Cinelu proved more receptive to Zawinul's growing emphasis on Third World rhythms, timbres, and textures. This configuration produced three further albums, among them the notable Procession. Shorter, who had progressively relinquished artistic oversight to Zawinul, grew dissatisfied, taking a leave in 1985 before departing permanently that year. This Is This, featuring Erskine's return and Shorter's reduced participation, marked WR's final recording. Zawinul toured in 1986 under the name Weather Update, a precursor to his Zawinul Syndicate project, and speculation in 1996 about a studio reunion with Shorter ultimately came to nothing.

Although no Weather Report reunion occurred, several key alumni maintained active careers. Zawinul performed and recorded until his 2011 death at age 75 from a rare skin cancer. Shorter stayed engaged, assembling a widely praised acoustic group with pianist Danilo Perez during the 2000s and earning a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. In 2015 Erskine played a central role in assembling the four-disc Weather Report retrospective The Legendary Live Tapes 1978-81, which compiled previously unheard concert material.