{"id":1305,"date":"2012-12-22T17:46:20","date_gmt":"2012-12-22T17:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/?p=1305"},"modified":"2012-12-27T20:50:11","modified_gmt":"2012-12-27T20:50:11","slug":"the-magic-book-of-weather-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kevernacular.com\/?p=1305","title":{"rendered":"The “Magic Book” of Weather Report and Zawinul interview"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I think this image beautifully captures the particular genius of the late Joe Zawinul of Weather Report, playing his two ARP 2600 synthesizers.<\/p>\n

In a recent blog,\u00a0I\u00a0alluded to how advances in the ARP 2600\u00a0opened new creative vistas for the innovative jazz group. Then I happened to be perusing\u00a0some old Down Beat<\/em> magazines and came across this striking image from an advertisement for ARP Instruments Inc. from the June 1976 issue, shortly after the album Black Market<\/em>\u00a0had been released\u00a0and at the dawn of of\u00a0their biggest hit “Birdland” from Heavy Weather<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In the ad, Zawinul comments,\u00a0“I have my own ‘magic book’ of sounds I’ve created on the 2600. Melody lines from Black Market<\/em>, “Scarlet Woman ” lots of music and sound effects from other albums I’ve done. I tape some nice stuff just playing around. With the 2600, you never have to listen to the same sound twice, if you don’t want to.”<\/p>\n

Musical technology has advanced exponentially since then, of course, but this is a wonderful portrait\u00a0of\u00a0a creative music\u00a0pioneer frozen in time’s amber.<\/p>\n

Down Beat<\/em>\u00a0magazine courtesy of Bill Schaefgen.<\/p>\n

As a bonus, here’s an excellent interview with Zawinul at age 65 with Howard Mandel:<\/p>\n

Joe Zawinul at 65, The Wire<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n