JOE ZAWINUL — Concerto Retitled (review)

JOE ZAWINUL — Concerto Retitled album cover Boxset / Compilation · 1976 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
js
'Concerto Retitled' is a collection of music that Joe Zawinul recorded between 1965 and 1970 that was released by Atlantic in 1976 in an apparent attempt to cash in on the rising popularity of his fusion group, Weather Report. What we have on this hurriedly slapped together mess is one horn driven hard bop tune, two third stream compositions, three piano dominated numbers in a variety of older styles from swing to bop, and two 70s psychedelic fusion numbers. Most of these songs are good, but the way they are sequenced on this album makes no sense at all. If they had put the swing and hard bop on one side with the third stream and fusion numbers on another they would have had a coherent album, instead songs are thrown together with little regard for flow or coherence. This collection does give us a decent overview of the three albums that these songs are pulled from; 'Money in the Pocket', 'Rise and Fall of the Third Stream' and 'Zawinul'. 'Money in the Pocket' is a mix of swing and hard bop. Depending on the song, Zawinul's piano playing on this one can sound like Art Tatum, Bud Powell or Duke Ellington. 'Rise and Fall of the Third Stream' presents the style of music claimed in it's title with Zawinul's acoustic piano joined by a string section with compositions that fall in between Ellington styled jazz and Gershwin styled classical.

For my money though, I think the album I am going to have to get someday is 'Zawinul', the album which provides the two outstanding psychedelic fusion numbers that close this compilation. These two songs sound like the bridge between Miles' 'Big Fun' and Weather Report's first two albums, three albums on which Joe provided a lot of direction and creativity.

On the back of 'Concerto Retitled' the A&R dude at Atlantic claims he was inspired to re-release this material when he saw Zawinul play a well received acoustic piano set at a Weather Report concert. I think what really happened is that when he saw Weather Report's young fans enjoying some of Joe's older music his eyes went $$!!!
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