Sweetnighter

All Fusion, Funk and Fury! I have a ticket stub from one of their shows at the Bottom Line in NYC, back in '73. They blew that tiny spot up with their huge outdoor sound. Fabulous night.

Best fusion jazz album ever. The personeel on this album are so tight and together...WOW. I have had this album for almost 40 years and still play it at least 3-4 times a year. I was lucky enough to see Weather Report several times in the 70's and saw them right after this album was released.

It's was 1973 and I was a freshman in high school when I first heard this album. One of my friends older brother was jamming this on his stereo. I sat there and listened to the whole album several times. It is one of my favorite classics. I play it now and people ask me who is that new group, I tell them that this album is from 1973. I have it on album, tape, reel to reel, DAT, CD, and MP3. The use of the roller toy on the song Adios is pure genius coupled with the sax and electric piano. I love this album and group.

This is Weather Report's most put together album. There is a complete 'sentence' here musically, as each recording complements the overall vision and school of thought of the album. The first track 'Bookie Woogie Waltz' builds into a frenzy in a Ravel-esq motif oriented groove that soars musically. The musician's all complement each other here better than any of the other lineups and rhythm sections Weather Report. This was to be Miroslav Vitous's last album as a core member of the group (having been replaced later by Alphonso Johnson) and his upright bass playing is brilliant and improvisational. All the instrumentation is presented with a general respect to the vision of the album rather than personal 'bar-raising' as far as soloing is concerned. There are several times when Wayne Shorter uses space and timing here that make the hairs stand on end, ever tasteful and humble. Oh, and Eric Gravatt. . . . forget about it, nobody ever heard drumming like this before, and will steal from it ever after. This is their best pre-Jaco album (and in my opinion, their best album as a whole. . .period).

As stunning today as it was when I first heard it.

weather report amazing