Fire Weather

Recorded in early 1975, Tale Spinnin', Weather Report's fifth studio album is filled with sunny textures of Latin and African flavors. During the '60s and early '70s Weather Report began to move towards a more cosmopolitan groove, and a melding of song with jazz in new and refreshing ways. The recording stands with anything recorded during the so-called "jazz-rock fusion" era, if only on the basis of the range of fresh, intriguing originals by the band's co-founders and principle composers, the keyboardist Joe Zawinul and the saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Zawinul's pioneering interest in what we now call world music is more in evidence with the exotic percussion, wordless vocals, and sandy sound effects of "Badia," and his synthesizer sophistication is growing along with the available technology. Wayne Shorter's work on soprano sax is more animated than on their previous albums and Alphonso Johnson puts his melodic bass more to the fore.

Tale Spinnin' is the fifth studio album by Weather Report, recorded and released in 1975, featuring the addition of Leon "Ndugu" Chancler on the drums. Ndugu was recruited after Josef Zawinul heard him play with Carlos Santana. Weather Report was recording next door to Ndugu in the studio, and Chancler was asked to join them for a recording session. That session ended up lasting a week and produced Tale Spinnin'. After the record, Ndugu was asked to join the band as a permanent member, but declined in favor of continuing to work with Carlos Santana.

First published on a phonogram: the sensational Berlin live concert of the jazz fusion legend around Joe Zawinul appears as a double CD on GAD. In cooperation with NDR and Joe Zawinul Estate, with liner notes by Wolf Kampmann. Weather Report are a jazz rock and fusion icon. Led by keyboardist Joe Zawinul, the band has left lasting marks in music history with their revolutionary sound and exuberant creativity of their musicians. They combined jazzy finesse, the power of rock and Latin energy, with "Birdland" from the album "Heavy Weather" (1977) they have played into listeners' memory worldwide. But before they climbed the charts, they broke conventions and boundaries at the beginning of their careers. "Live in Berlin 1971" was created shortly after the release of the debut album "Weather Report". Elaborated free forms serve as the perfect vehicle for soloistic and collective improvisations, emphasizing melodic, harmonic and sonic inventiveness. The concert program includes compositions from the group's debut album as well as "Directions" that Zawinul played alongside Miles Davis as well as "Moto Grosso Feio" from Wayne Shorter's solo album of the same name. Saxophonist Alan Skidmore, trombonist Eje Thelin and John Surman (saxophone, clarinet) complemented the band at this concert recorded by the NDR at the Haus des Rundfunks in West Berlin. An absolute must-have for any genre enthusiast!

Four CD box set showcasing the entire Columbia Records catalogue of 80s disco/soul duo The Weather Girls plus Martha Wash's glorious solo RCA debut. 58 tracks, this first-of-it's-kind box set spans all three of the duo's Columbia albums plus Martha's hugely successful solo debut, plus a massive 22 bonus tracks including rare single edits, extended versions, club mixes and more - many appearing for the first time on CD. Featuring five US Top 30 dance hits, including the duo's 1982 global smash debut 'It's Raining Men' and Martha's solo #1 club monsters 'Carry On' and 'Give It To You'. Compiled and produced for SoulMusic Records by Adam Mattera, the set includes career-spanning liner notes by music historian Tim Dillinger including interviews with Martha Wash, Dynelle Rhodes (Izora Armstead's daughter), Paul Anthony and Bow-Legged Lou of Full Force, Brian Alexander Morgan and more.