Joe Zawinul RIP

Joe Zawinul, who died yesterday, was a great musician for grown-ups. He leaves a rich legacy, not least In A Silent Way, one of Music for Grown-Ups’ favourite albums of all.

I saw him playing live in London eight years ago. He was inspirational. I was spellbound:



Joe Zawinul, London Barbican, November 1999

We spent last night at a stunning double-header at the London Jazz Festival, in the magnificent Barbican Hall.

Main attraction was Joe Zawinul, the man who actually wrote In A Silent Way, and played on it (and several other Miles discs). After branching off into Weather Report in the early 1970s, Zawinul started exploring the outer reaches of innovative music and is now deep in a very satisfying fusion-meets-worldbeat groove. He's still one of the biggest names in the world of jazz.

A deeply enjoyable gig, remarkable for: the array of instruments; the free-form structure, where players know in advance the message, and the language, but not the actual vocabulary they will use; and, perhaps most of all, the democratic style the great Joe Zawinul brings to the stage - he's in charge, but he makes sure all the musicians get plenty of time in the limelight, showing their chops, and he visibly exults in their performance.

Very engaging gig, if rather more cerebral than trumpetmeister Mark Isham's opener.


Gerry Smith