Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter

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Keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter first met when they were both briefly members of the Maynard Ferguson Big Band in 1959.

They next teamed up with Miles Davis, on a few isolated numbers in late-1968 and then on the groundbreaking albums In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew in 1969, and on part of Live/Evil release the following year.

Zawinul and Shorter co-led the influential fusion band Weather Report during 1971-86 but then rarely crossed paths despite their mutual admiration for the next 20 years.

On Aug. 2, 2007 at a festival in Hungary, they came together one last time to perform this version of “In A Silent Way.”

It was possibly Zawinul’s final performance for five days later he was admitted to a hospital and passed away on Sept. 11.

This moody, thoughtful and atmospheric soprano-keyboards duet was a fitting close to their important musical partnership.

-Scott Yanow

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