Orient Express – 2007
Joe Zawinul
The keyboardist plays a spirited number with his Zawinul Syndicate
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Keyboardist Joe Zawinul (1932-2007), who originally came to fame as an important member of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet, was the co-leader of Weather Report with Wayne Shorter from 1970 until the mid-1980s.
In 1988 he formed the Zawinul Syndicate which lasted until his death on Sept. 11, 2007.
In July 2007, two months before his passing and one month before he was hospitalized, Zawinul was on a European tour when he performed “Orient Express” with his group.
The spirited piece, which begins as a ballad before taking off, featuring Zawinul with singer Sabine Kabongo, guitarist Alegre Correa, electric bassist Linley Marthe, drummer Paco Cery, and percussionists Jorge Bezerra and Aziz Sahmaoui.
Zawinul was a leader in blending together fusion with World Music and rhythms and influences from Africa as he shows during this stirring performance.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald