Joe Zawinul Dies
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Joe Zawinul, one of the towering figures in jazz, a pioneer of jazz rock with Weather Report and later world jazz has died of cancer aged 75 in Vienna in his native Austria. An enormously respected keyboardist and composer Zawinul worked with Miles Davis at a key turning point in the trumpeter's career and wrote the title track of the album In A Silent Way and played on Bitches Brew before going on to co-found the hugely influential Weather Report. Zawinul later went on to lead the Zawinul Syndicate which introduced a range of African sounds to his broader musical approach and developed the careers of many of its members including bassist Richard Bona.
Although born in Austria Zawinul emigrated to the USA in 1959 and early on played with Maynard Ferguson and Dinah Washington before joining Cannonball Adderley's group. During his time with Cannonball, Zawinul penned tunes which would become standards, including 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' and 'Country Preacher'. Zawinul's writing will also be remembered for 'Birdland' on Weather Report's Heavy Weather album from 1977, again a tune of his that has become a much played standard. In more recent years a night club bearing his name, Joe Zawinul's Birdland, opened in his native Vienna and Zawinul released an album of big band arrangements. He was due to play at the upcoming London Jazz Festival until his health deteriorated and he was hospitalised in August.