The Legendary Joe Zawinul Interviewed at AAJ

"The music seemed fresh. If any of those bands stayed fresh, it was Weather Report, the band of the '70s and early '80s," says legendary keyboardist Joe Zawinul, co-founder, with Wayne Shorter, of the seminal fusion band that leaped to the forefront of the music during that time and hurled it around the globe, winning legions of fans as well as accolades from the critics and media.

Weather Report hasn't played since 1985 when Shorter and Zawinul decided to go their separate ways after sixteen albums and a Grammy [8:30 (Columbia /1979)]. But the music, seldom heard except for the ever-popular and multi-covered “Birdland," has jumped back alive with the release of Zawinul's new album, Brown Street (Heads Up, 2007), a live session recorded at his own Joe Zawinul's Birdland nightclub in Vienna, Austria. It was recorded in 2005 with the WDR Big Band, augmented by former Weather report mates Alex Acuna (percussion), Victor Bailey (bass), and extraordinary drummer Nathaniel Townsley from The Zawinul Syndicate, the excellent band the keyboardist has toured with since those days with Shorter.

AAJ contributor R.J. DeLuke caught up with Zawinul recently to discuss the story behind Brown Street, and how it proves the timelessness of the Weather Report repertoire.

Check out Joe Zawinul: Still Stirring Up the Weather at AAJ today!