Miroslav Vitous: double bass, keyboards; Gary Campbell: soprano and
tenor saxophone; Roberto Bonisolo: soprano and tenor saxophone; Aydin
Esen: keyboards
Gerald Cleaver: drums; Nasheet Waits: drums
The
great Czech bassist returns once more to the music of Weather Report,
the group he co-founded with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter in 1970.
Its
the improvisational freedom of the early Weather Report that most
interests Vitous, and he abides by their old rallying call everyone
solos and no one solos.
Well-known Report repertoire re-explored
includes Birdland, Seventh Arrow, Scarlet Woman, Pinocchio and Morning
Lake and Miroslavs group also plays Jugglers Issue a piece which the
first Weather Report line-up played but didnt record.
Interspersed
along the way are three new blues tunes from Vitouss pen. The band,
driven by the astounding double drumming of Gerald Cleaver and Nasheet
Waits, is energetic and daring, juxtaposing fast tempos and rhythmically
free pulses, with Miroslavs arco bass playing sometimes sounding like a
third horn in between the two saxophones.