Joe Zawinul biography

 

Josef Erich Zawinul (born July 7, 1932 in Vienna, Austria) is a jazz keyboardist and composer. He is one of the front runners in the development of jazz fusion along with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin and Miles Davis. Best known as the founder of the band Weather Report, with Wayne Shorter, he currently heads the ensemble called the Zawinul Syndicate.

Joe Zawinul, along with Corea and Hancock, was one of the first to integrate electric pianos and early synthesizers like the ARP 2600 in 73's Sweetnighter. Unlike Hancock, he didn't care much for the Minimoog though. He was one of the first to use a Fender-Rhodes with a Phasing effect too and a Wah-Wah pedal. Joe Zawinul was a perfectionist and as a result achieved a very contemporary and modern sound. He is still a prominent artist and composer in the jazz community.

During a nine-year stint on keyboard with the Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Joe Zawinul wrote the hit "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." Joe Zawinul also composed "Walk Tall" and "Country Preacher," the latter a tribute to U.S. Civil Rights Movement leader Rev. Jesse Jackson. In this title cut to the quintet's popular 1969 album release, Austrian-born Zawinul demonstrated a sophisticated and intimate understanding of the African/African-American concept of cool, of motion and interval. When "Country Preacher" debuted at a live recording session in Chicago at Jackson's Operation Breadbasket, it elicited enthusiastic cheers of immediate recognition from the mostly African-American audience.

In the late 60s Joe Zawinul joined Miles Davis's band and helped create the sound of the new Jazz fusion. Among others he played on the album In a Silent Way, the title track of which he composed, and the landmark album Bitches Brew.

Joe Zawinul's biggest commercial success came from his composition Birdland, a 6-minute opus featured on Weather Report's 1977 album Heavy Weather. Birdland is one of the most recognizable jazz pieces of the '70s, covered by many prominent artists from The Manhattan Transfer to Maynard Ferguson. Even Weather Report's version received significant mainstream radio airplay — unusual for them — and served to convert many new fans to music which they may never have heard otherwise.

Joe Zawinul grew up in Landstraße, Vienna, where he went to school with the late former Austrian Federal President Thomas Klestil. Zawinul emigrated to the United States in the late 1950s.

Brian Eno's instrumental "Zawinul/Lava" is named in his honour.

Joe Zawinul Official Web Site
Official site offers discography, personnel, photos, news and tour dates. webmaster Marco Della Rocca.


Joe Zawinul: Man of the people
A long 1998 interview with Joe Zawinul from Dirty Linen. Oakland, California, jazz legend Joe Zawinul advocates the latter answer while .


Zawinul Online
.the musician Joe Zawinul, and his bands Weather Report and the Zawinul Syndicate. a feature article on Joe by Geoge Varga, in which Zawinul looks back at the.


zawinulfans : Joe Zawinul Fans
A mailing list dedicated to Joe Zawinul. Also includes links, files, events, and chat sessions. We are planning chat sessions between Joe Zawinul supporters.


E.J.N. - JOE ZAWINUL
Europe Jazz Network. MUSICIANS. JOSEF (JOE) ZAWINUL. keyboards, synth . matched the creative intensity of Joe Zawinul, who started out on accordion in.


Joe Zawinul Unofficial Italian Fans Website - The Joe Zawinul's Web Portal
Everything about Joe Zawinul, the mythical jazz-rock group Weather Report, Jaco. The new Joe Zawinul 'Brown Street' dobule-CD is being released.


Rolling Stone : Joe Zawinul
Rolling Stone gives you total Joe Zawinul coverage including free music, videos, photos, music news and exclusive Rolling Stone articles.


M-AUDIO - Joe Zawinul
M-Audio (formerly Midiman) is a leading provider of digital audio and MIDI