Weather Report - Live In Tokyo (2LP, vinyle translucide rouge)
Wayne Shorter (ss, ts); Joe Zawinul (p, el-p); Miroslav Vitous (b, el-b); Eric Gravatt (dr); Don Um Romao (perc)
Written by Miroslav Vitous (A1), Joe Zawinul (A1, B1, C1, D2), Wayne Shorter (B1, D1, D2),
2 LPs, gatefold sleeve, insert
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : Translucent Red
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Live
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : Friday Music
Original Label : Sony Music
Recording: January 1972 at Shibuya Philharmonic Hall, Tokyo, by Susumu Satoh
Production: Kiyoshi Itoh
Originally released in 1972
Reissued in 2019
Tracks :
Side A :
- Medley: Vertical Invader / Seventh Arrow / T.H. / Doctor Honoris Causa
Side B :
- Medley: Surucucu / Lost / Early Minor / Direction
Side C :
- Orange Lady
Side D :
- Medley: Eurydice / The Moors
- Medley: Tears / Umbrellas
Reviews :
« While side two of I Sing the Body Electric gives us heavily edited glimpses of Weather Report as heard live in Tokyo, this two-disc Japanese import contains entire group ensembles from that concert -- and as such, it is a revelation. Now we can follow the wild, stream-of-consciousness evolution of early Weather Report workouts, taking the listener into all kinds of stylistic territory -- from Joe Zawinul's lone acoustic piano to dissonant free form and electronic explosions -- with lots of adjustments of tempo and texture. The pulse of jazz is more evident in their work here than on their American albums, and the example of Miles Davis circa the Fillmore concerts directs the fierce interplay. In his subsequent recordings with Weather Report, and as a leader, Wayne Shorter would rarely equal the manic intensity he displayed in Tokyo. All of the music is encapsulated in five lengthy "medleys" of WR's repertoire, three of which contain elongated versions of themes from the group's eponymously titled debut album from 1971. This would be the radical apogee of Weather Report on records, though they could retain this level of fire in concert for years to come. » AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginell
Do you remember what you did you on the evening of 13 January 1972? A multitude of Japanese jazz lovers walked or drove to the grand Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo where they enjoyed a veritable firework display of a concert, which was – without exaggeration – a milestone in the history of jazz. The technicians from the Japanese subsidiary of Columbia, Sony, had placed their microphones and tape machines with great care and captured this memorable concert live.
Two of the numbers had already been recorded in New York with the same group of musicians for the album "I Sing The Body Electric". But to experience Weather Report live with this ensemble was only granted to the enthusiastic Japanese jazz fans.
The concert programme consisted of long medleys composed by Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul, which were dissected and put together again with interplay between the rhythm group and the soloists. Wayne Shorter, who plays the tenor and soprano saxophone and the virtuoso Joe Zawinul, who loved to alternate between the acoustic and electric piano, were quite rightly awarded with frenetic applause from the audience.
The most recognizable numbers are probably "Doctor Honoris Causa", (which Cannonball Adderley also often liked to perform this in public), and "Directions" (just listen once again to the version which Wayne Shorter recorded with Miles Davis!).
Most of today’s vinyl fans will have missed out on the tour back then. That’s why it is especially pleasing that this live event is available once again as a vinyl double album. And what is more: one can enjoy an enhanced sound thanks to the superb reproduction techniques of the 21st century.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 , Discogs : Rate Your Music :