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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Weather Reports greatest album, May 19, 2003
Following their previous breakthrough album ( "SWEETNIGHTER"), which established the "Weather Report sound", "MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER" (1974) contains a number of interesting compositions that give the recording the feeling (if not the formal unity) of a "suite", an extended journey through varying musical landscapes. Even more than in prior albums, individual improvisation is eschewed in favor of an "orchestral" and textural approach, an aspect of style distinguishing Weather Report from the Mahavishnu Orchestra ( the other great fusion band of the era ). The adoption and elaboration of funky rhythm & blues "grooves" (a la Curtis Mayfield, et al ) was a vitally important ingredient that lent the music a propulsion and flow analogous to the bop swing feel that had for decades characterized jazz rhythm. To be sure, Weather Report was not the first band to do this; what set them apart was the absolutely seamless manner in which they integrated R&B grooves, achieving an authentic fluency that allowed them to break free from the reigning "rhythmic paradigm" while simultaneously retaining a connection to the older swing feel by virtue of shared (African) roots. Joe Zawinul used this dynamic rhythmic feel as an ideal foundation on which to construct elaborate electronic textures: in his hands, synthesizers were more than the self-indulgent and often hideous sounding toys that have given "fusion" music a bad name. The opener ( "Nubian Sundance" ) is an extended ( 10 min ) piece reflecting the increasing importance of "world music". Multiple layers of synthesizers add density, with the female vocal backgrounds lending a deft touch to this particularly exuberant tune. "American Tango" displays a lot of variety within a short amount of time; its intense, quasi-Baroque melody (played with a reedy, bagpipe-like synthesizer timbre) is a decided contrast to the laidback opening while the middle section briefly reverts to the easy-going opening before segueing into an equally short funky feel. The funky "Cucumber Slumber" lays down a supremely hip groove courtesy of bassist and co-composer Alphonso Johnson (tasteful keyboard work throughout and fine darting soprano sax). An aura of the mysterious and ethereal was always one of the prominent aspects of Wayne Shorter's compositional style. "Mysterious Traveller" (opening & closing with science-fantasy eeriness), features a menacing piano vamp blended with Shorter's aphoristic saxophone lines and is the "dark groove" equivalent to "Cucumber Slumber". "Blackthorn Rose" is a concentrated duet featuring Shorter and Zawinul, the latter playing acoustic piano w/ some synthesized background harmony. "Scarlet Woman": Another mysterious tune, undulating and understated background offset by lighting synthesizer "flashes". As the album opened so it closes: "Jungle Book" (Zawinul) is even more indebted to "world music". A number of different "exotic" instruments ( kalimba, tamboura, cabassa, clay drum, finger cymbals ) are caressingly employed in a gentle number that gradually builds in intensity toward a life-affirming conclusion. Addendum: The 24-bit remastered sound is superb. WR fans should strongly consider replacing the older versions with the new editions, which are definite improvements.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fascinating . . ., January 12, 2004
. . . to hear Weather Report struggling to find their ultimate mode of expression. Which, interestingly, I don't believe they ever achieved. Why not? They never found the right guy for the drums chair. With Jaco, they (finally) got the bassist they needed. But during their most creative phase--1974-1977, which included their finest albums, Mysterious Traveller, Black Market, and Heavy Weather--they never had the right drummer. What they needed was a Gene Jackson, a Stanton Moore, or a David King--someone who could bring the funk with a thoroughly modern sensibility, someone with enough personal presence, enough res, to offset the monster moves Zawinul and Shorter (and soon, Jaco) were bringing to the table. Unfortunately, none of these was available at the time. Consequently, they had to settle for a series of competent but not brilliant drummers--Ishmael Wilburn, Skip Hadden, Narada Michael Walden, Chester Thompson, and Alex Acuna (the best of the lot).And that, I believe, led to their ultimate demise. If they had had strong enough musical personalities in the bass and drums chairs, perhaps they could've developed sufficiently as a band to match the growth exhibited by the two founders and most prominent musical personalities, Zawinul & Shorter. As it was, just as the latter two were composing some of their finest music and leading the entire musical world in experimentation and utilization of advanced electronic techniques, they were struggling to find the rhythmic ground to complement these developments. Intriguingly, that lack perhaps pushed them in directions they might never have gone had they had the rhythmic personnel they needed. And Mysterious Traveller, the first of their three greatest releases, perhaps benefitted most from this lack. It strikes me that traditional rhythm plays a minor part on this disc. What we get instead is a kind of arcane inscrutibility that wraps this recording in a veil of mystery, most fully exemplified and made manifest in the title cut, which, significantly, is also the album title. This hiddenness is what gives Mysterious Traveller its uniqueness. I'm sure they found they could never repeat, nor even build on, this vibe. Hence, on Black Market and Heavy Weather they ditched the gnostic approach and rather tethered themselves to terra firma via rich rhythmic soundscapes courtesy of Manolo Badrena, Aljendro Acuna, and Don Alias. Yet Mysterious Traveller is inimitable among Weather Report recordings. It sings with a magesty and mystery never before or again achieved by this remarkable band. And although we were never again to hear sounds of such transcendence from them, we can be thankful that a quirk in personnel resulted in such magnificent music. One of the most glorious music documents ever recorded.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
20 reviews, 21 now for the 21st century?, July 9, 2004
When this many words written, I suppose a different type of "information" should be dispensed, no? First thought, as I am getting "up in the years", I owned this recording when first issues, and decided to purchase the CD as the nice "discount price" enticed me to put out the $$ and I grabbed it ! Possibly, the most interesting(?)perspective I can give upon revisiting a recording, one that I somehow neglected for years, this is the "trunk of the tree" (one species specific) the "Weather Report Sound" seemed to fianlly congeal. Weather Report soon became "W.R .featuring the legend Jaco Pastorius", I do not think I need elaborate. this recording introduced the new fase, "before jaco" it might be said. Jaco's legend no doubt will inspire into "eternity" (I hope his sounds are heard on those angelic clouds promised by that great "sky-god" religion),
and a nice listen to this recording will surely display that Jaco's own compositional growth later on in his career was surely "officially stamped" by one Josef Zawinul, whose harmonic and ritmic concept Jaco certainly devoured voraciosly. I enjoy this recording even more than I remember , as it is still steeped in the Wayne Shorter "post-Miles" tradition,(there is still Shorter on tenor, where I LOVE Wayne's playing the best. Soprano sax STILL does not stick with me the way WS's muscular tenor does), along with the inventiveness of Mr Zawinul previously described,
and for my taste, the addition of the (still alive and kicking)legend from Brasil, Dom Um Romão on percussions. Alfonso Johnson's bassistic approach remains relative "underappreciated" since he , like Miroslav Vitous , PRECEEDED a legend in Jaco. AJ keeps the groove percolating, his solo style sofisticated, but very understated and tasteful. So forget Jaco only for the moment, (he is not present her on this recording, of course), only the rich interaction of the bandmates , and a soulful stew of European, and US jazz/soul jazz , electronically enhanced instrumentation meet the tradition that makes for the Weather Report legend. Delicious musics, inspired by further elaboration on the Charles Mingus "improvisation as PART of the composition" approach. Pura magia! 1000 stars !
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