Miroslav Vitous Purple

There are many reasons why albums slip through the cracks. This one was only ever released in Japan and never made it to CD. Why? The story goes that when Vitous was nudged out of Weather Report in 1974, he allegedly sold these recordings to Sony Japan for big bucks, none of which reached the rest of the musicians involved. If true, it's a shame. Recorded in 1970, just prior to the formation of Weather Report, the session abounds in funky looseness and a diaphanous sense of space, providing a bridge between In a Silent Way and Weather Report's early sound. Mostly a trio date, McLaughlin contributes laid back guitar to just one track, and doesn't appear at the same time as Zawinul, so we're denied the opportunity to hear what Mahavishnu-Report might have sounded like. Vitous burns, though, overdubbing deep basslines with sonorous, cello-like arco. Call it a missed opportunity.

There are many reasons why albums slip through the cracks. This one was only ever released in Japan and never made it to CD. Why? The story goes that when Vitous was nudged out of Weather Report in 1974, he allegedly sold these recordings to Sony Japan for big bucks, none of which reached the rest of the musicians involved. If true, it's a shame. Recorded in 1970, just prior to the formation of Weather Report, the session abounds in funky looseness and a diaphanous sense of space, providing a bridge between In a Silent Way and Weather Report's early sound. Mostly a trio date, McLaughlin contributes laid back guitar to just one track, and doesn't appear at the same time as Zawinul, so we're denied the opportunity to hear what Mahavishnu-Report might have sounded like. Vitous burns, though, overdubbing deep basslines with sonorous, cello-like arco. Call it a missed opportunity.