Endings posted by O.W.

As some of you probably know, Joe Zawinul passed away yesterday and given my recent posting about electric piano, it seemed apt to pay a small tribute to one of the masters. Here's two songs that, for both personal and historical reasons, always stand out when I think about Zawinul and his contribution to the music world. R.I.P.

Cannonball Adderley: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
From Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (Blue Note, 1966)

In that NPR piece I linked to, Herbie Hancock pays Joe a remarkable tribute by noting that, as a White European, Zawinul managed to compose a song that spoke to an African American spiritual and musical tradition as rich as anything Hancock had heard from a Black artist. For years, I always assumed Cannonball had come up with this one and was genuinely blown away to learn that it was actually Zawinul's tune.

Weather Report: American Tango
From Mysterious Traveller (Columbia, 1974)

Jazz purists hate Weather Report and their popularization of jazz fusion. Hip-hoppers (for a time at least) loved its mix of dissonance, rhythm and more moody loops than you could shake a stick at. Just listen to the song and try to count the number of different folks who've stolen snippets off it. Blows the mind.

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Also, one of my favorite record stores in the country, Village Music in Mill Valley, CA, is closing after some 60 years in business. *sniff*

Respect!