Scott Henderson

Although Zawinul tried touring alone in the immediate wake of the breakup of Weather Report, he soon returned to a group format, first with Weather Update in 1986 and a couple of years later with the raffishly named Zawinul Syndicate. The multi-national Syndicate basically expands the Weather Report format into a sextet, with a rock guitar (Scott Henderson) replacing the sax, an extra percussionist on board to join WR's Alex Acuna, and more vocal support then ever – and if a Wayne Shorter-like melody line was needed, Zawinul would play it himself on his new Korg Pepe wind synthesizer. If anything, The Immigrants burrows even further into the world-music bloodstream than WR ever did, with vocals in Spanish and wordless syllables on top of Zawinul's one-chord Third World grooves.

The term “Players” goes way back with Berlin, who recorded an ensemble album called Players (Passport Records) in 1987 with Tribal Tech guitarist Scott Henderson, Dixie Dregs keyboardist T. Lavitz and Vital Information drummer Steve Smith. The vinyl-and-cassette release is now a hard-to-find collector’s item on CD.

Nine years after the breakup of the final version of Return to Forever, Chick Corea ended a long period of freelance projects by forming his Elektrik Band. This set, the group's initial release, finds Corea meeting up for the first time with the great bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl; half of the selections also have either Carlos Rios or Scott Henderson on guitar. Due to the high musicianship, the personalities of the players, and Corea's colorful compositions, the Elektrik Band quickly became one of the top fusion groups of the late '80s. This album is a milestone in contemporary jazz.

Joe Zawinul - Vienna Nights Live (2005) {2CD Set, BHM Productions BHM 4001-2 rec 2004}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 642 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 236 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 21 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 BHM Productions GmbH | BHM 4001-2
Jazz / Fusion / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Keyboards

Considering the stunning array of jazz fusion talent that legendary composer and keyboardist Joe Zawinal has employed as leader of the pioneering Weather Report and his ever-evolving Zawinal Syndicate, our expectations should be raised when he says of his current multi-national lineup, "It's the best band I've ever had." Recorded at his Birdland Club in his hometown of Vienna over two engagements in 2003, this explosive, multi-faceted disc is a wonderful showcase for the largely African-leaning sounds of the current Syndicate.

Although Zawinul tried touring alone in the immediate wake of the breakup of Weather Report, he soon returned to a group format, first with Weather Update in 1986 and a couple of years later with the raffishly named Zawinul Syndicate. The multi-national Syndicate basically expands the Weather Report format into a sextet, with a rock guitar (Scott Henderson) replacing the sax, an extra percussionist on board to join WR's Alex Acuna, and more vocal support then ever – and if a Wayne Shorter-like melody line was needed, Zawinul would play it himself on his new Korg Pepe wind synthesizer. If anything, The Immigrants burrows even further into the world-music bloodstream than WR ever did, with vocals in Spanish and wordless syllables on top of Zawinul's one-chord Third World grooves.

Apparently Ponty was lonely for some company in the studio, for he brought in a full rhythm section (Scott Henderson, guitar; Baron Browne, bass; Rayford Griffin, drums) to accompany his impressive battery of electric violins, keyboards, drums and sequencers. The sound has opened up considerably, but again, Ponty continues to explore the high-tech, electronic, sequenced ostinato world that he opened the door to on Individual Choice. The music floats, gleams, and rocks along to sometimes rigid grooves in this mostly successful attempt to merge the sequencer-driven Ponty of the '80s with his jazz-rock incarnation of the '70s. It's a very even album, without any extreme peaks or dips, and Ponty dispenses with his sidemen entirely on the final two tracks, the last of which concludes the CD on a gently percolating electronic groove.