Customer Reviews

In a Silent Way: A Portrait of Joe Zawinul

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One of the things that makes this such an interesting book is that it is about the music as much as it is about the personality of Joe. It has details such as how two Drummers were used on one of the Black Market Tracks. I so enjoyed listening to the songs after reading about them.

Half the book is about the Weather Report years, the other half is pre and post Weather Report.

This book is a "must have" for any fans of Fusion or Modern jazz music. It details the extraordinary life and career of JOE ZAWINUL, probably best known as co-leader of the influential Jazz/Fusion band WEATHER REPORT. There is extensive input and recollection from many famous names past and present from the jazz world and the author has left no stone unturned in tracking down these superstars for their oppinions about a personality who always left a mark on their playing and careers. Mr Zawinul himself also has a lot to say about some of his associated musicians and there is some revealing and forthright words about his times with MILES DAVIS. WEATHER REPORT were very much a "musicians" band and to this end the book is written in a way that musicians will be very at home with...there is detail of recording sessions, song structures and even technical information on synthesizer set-ups. This may not be appealing to the general public but their interest is easily engaged with all the other stories of the love/hate relationships that the feisty Joe Zawinul formed with his contemporarys. A sure sign of a genius at work.

Joseph Zawinul is arguably one of the more interesting cultural figures of the 20th century, perhaps the only non-American to have a profound effect on the music that we call jazz. Author Brian Glasser argues that this book is a "portrait" rather than a biography, aiming for emotional truth over factual specificity. Whatever the intent, the book views Zawinul very much through the prism of his music with the emphasis on the subject's musical career and very little on his life beyond music making. It is not an authorized biography in the sense of after giving Glasser several interviews, Zawinul apparently withdrew his cooperation, forcing Glasser to cobble together much of the book from previously published interviews and accounts. The result is a certain unevenness to the story - aspects of Zawinul's childhood are covered in a fair amount of detail, but in contrast it is only mentioned in passing that at a certain point Zawinul was married and had a family; later, we again learn in passing that his wife is named Maxine, that she is African-American, similarly the names of their children crop up sort of randomly etc.

In some respects this is not a major drawback - the emphasis is rightly on Zawinul's music, and many (most?) readers will already be acquainted with the basic facts of his life. Yet, it would appear to be an extraordinary life, and it is a pity that it is not the subject of a more polished biography.

This is a great read especially for those, who like me, love Jazz-Fusion and grew up listening to bands like Weather Report.

Exceptional piece of work: the life of one of the most respected musicians on the entire globe. It's well conceived, well told and the life of the man is amazing "per se".

We find the very early remembrances, since the second world war period, the approach to the piano, the first experiencies with other jazz musicians; then the strong determination that led Joe to cross the ocean and start his magical trip with Dinah Washington, then Cannonball Adderley, his friendship with Coleman Hawkins. Dug the chapter reporting when he said "...not yet" to an astonished Miles Davis (!) and perhaps the most intriguing part: the collaboration with Wayne Shorter and his own considerations about Jaco Pastorius and his contribution to Weather Report; then about his perfect mixing with black people, the marriage with a black woman, his "beige" children (as Davis said!) and his deep and intelligent take on the musical world and keyboard technology. Keith Jarrett says that "the only intelligent thing one can do with a synthesizer is just throwing it out from the window". Joe Zawinul is 180 degrees away from this: when he plays he is basically playing his old accordion, only technically more complex. To better understand this book and the important contribution of the man to the development of the contemporary music, one must buy and listen deeply at least the following CDs: Joe Zawinul, (Weather Report's) Mysterious Traveller, Sweetnighter, Heavy Weather, 8:30, Night Passage, Black Market, (M. Davis') In a silent way. Then you can buy more!!!

Joe, we love you, we love the music you did, we thank you for what you gave to our hearts and to our musical growth! God bless you!

:-) V.