Weather Report

小簡介
Weather Report樂團的音樂打破了爵士樂嚴謹?shù)暮拖遗c旋律結(jié)構(gòu)，把搖滾樂、拉丁音樂、瘋克音樂以及非洲音樂的元素滲透到自己的音樂中。而他們對于電子合成器豐富音色的運用更使得樂團的音樂豐富多彩。整個樂團，尤其是Josef Zawinul和Wayne Shorter依靠自己的音樂修為運用新的音樂邏輯連接以上一些獨具特色的音樂，使得它們相互滋潤、包容。最后，用音樂作品本身的精神力量來感動每一位聆聽者，從而達到創(chuàng)作音樂的最終目的－－影響靈魂。音樂是一種對外在世界的洞悉，一種敘述現(xiàn)實的特殊方式。同時，它也是一種生命的哲學指南。而融合音樂的首要思想就是不同樂派、不同國籍樂手之間毫無隔閡、敞開心扉地進行音樂上的調(diào)和，并且在調(diào)和中許多不同的元素相互靠攏、相互探觸，進而互為一體，生長，發(fā)芽，開出五光十色的美麗花朵。這種共享互惠的方式成為融合派樂手創(chuàng)作音樂的主要源泉。這也就是為什么象Weather Report樂團和Shakti樂團這類相同重量級的樂隊在一起巡演時能夠安靜地坐在臺下互相仔細認真地聆聽和學習的原因。?
　　前Miles Davis樂團的成員，來自奧地利的Josef Zawinul和黑人薩克斯手Wayne Shorter一手創(chuàng)立了Weather Report樂團。記得Josef Zawinul曾經(jīng)說過：“貝司是所有音樂之母，而鼓則是所有音樂之父。”顯然，他對于整個樂團中的貝司手和鼓手有著不一般的要求。正因為這個才導致了Weather Report樂團中貝司手和鼓手的頻繁更迭。象貝司手就經(jīng)歷了Miroslav Vitous、Alphonso Johnson、Jaco Pastorius以及Victor Bailey。而鼓手的變換更是讓人眼花繚亂。從巴西鼓王Airto Moirera、Dom Um Romao到Chester Thompson（前Frank Zappa樂隊的鼓手）、Narada Michael Walden（此君在放下鼓棒后因為成為流行天后Whitney Houston的音樂制作人而名噪一時）、Alejandro Alex Acu?a（秘魯裔鼓手，曾與貓王以及Tina Turner合作）、Manolo Badrena（波多黎各裔）再到Peter Erskine以及Omar Hakim。Zawinul一直希望自己樂團的鼓手擁有一種力量，一種能夠突然爆發(fā)出來的驚人力量。這對于Zawinul來說比節(jié)奏感更重要。1971年，一張名為《Weather Report》的同名專輯誕生。這就預示著這個重量級樂隊輝煌的開始。他們的音樂就象70年代這個音樂的黃金年代那樣散發(fā)著絢爛的光芒。?
　　在Weather Report樂團的音樂中電子合成器扮演了十分重要的作用。在1972年的《I Sing the Body Electric》專輯的《Unknown Soldier》中，Zawinul第一次運用了ARP 2600電子合成器。這些合成器的運用使得Zawinul的演奏得到了解放。他可以隨心所欲地使用自己想要的音色，自如地指揮一個并不存在的弦樂團。到《Mysterious Traveller》專輯中，他更是運用了兩臺ARP合成器。這使得他的即興彈奏變得游刃有余。那首有22頁曲譜的《Nubian Sundance》就體現(xiàn)了這種效果。后來，Zawinul更是喜歡上了復音合成器（Polyphonic Synthesizer）。尤其是在最富爭議的專輯《Mr.Gone》中使用的Prophet-5復音電子合成器。它那準確的音色完全俘獲了Zawinul的心。即使現(xiàn)在回想起來，Zawinul也是贊不絕口。當然，整個樂團不僅僅是Josef Zawinul使用合成器。Wayne Shorter也在《Three Clowns》中嘗試了一下Computone Lyricon（一種風鳴合成器）的電薩克斯的味道。?
　　Weather Report樂團最成功的單曲非1977年專輯《Heavy Weather》中的《Birdland》莫屬。Birdland是紐約一家著名的爵士俱樂部。它對于Josef Zawinul來說具有不一般的意義?？梢哉f，在這個俱樂部所發(fā)生的事情濃縮了他的一生。在那里，他遇到了 Miles Davis、Duke Ellington和Louis Armstrong，還有他那漂亮的妻子Maxine。在這首流行味道極濃的歌曲中Zawinul巧妙地運用Oberheim Polyphonic合成器的4音，從而取得了非常棒的效果。可以說，就是因為這首歌曲才使得整張專輯成為樂團銷量最好的專輯。當然，Weather Report樂團也能夠做出非常柔情的作品?！禔 Remark You Made》就是一首柔情萬千的歌曲。Shorter以往高亢尖銳的薩克斯在這首歌曲中被植入一種細膩的情感紋理，簡短的音樂語句中充滿了讓人落淚的情緒。優(yōu)秀的音樂作品依靠其強大的情感沖擊打動了一個個被愛情、友情以及親情滋潤過的心靈。
by Richard S. Ginell
Weather Report started out as a jazz equivalent of what the rock world in 1970 was calling a supergroup. But unlike most of the rock supergroups, this one not only kept going for a good 15 years, it more than lived up to its billing, practically defining the state of the jazz-rock art throughout almost all of its run. Weather Report also anticipated and contributed to the North American interest in world music rhythms and structures, prodded by keyboardist/co-founder Joe Zawinul. And WR, like many of jazzs great long-lived groups, proved to be an incubator for several future leaders who passed in and out of the band in a never-ending series of revolving-door personnel changes. The original members of the band were Zawinul, Wayne Shorter (saxophones), Miroslav Vitous (electric bass), Airto Moreira (percussion) and Alphonse Mouzon (drums), with only Zawinul and (until 1985) Shorter remaining in place throughout the bands lifespan. Zawinul, Shorter and Moreira all had experience playing in and influencing the studio and live electric bands of Miles Davis — and at first, WR was a direct extension of Miles In a Silent Way/Bitches Brew period, with free-floating collective improvisation and interplay, combining elements of jazz, rock, funk, Latin and other ethnic musics. With the release of Sweetnighter in 1972, Zawinuls influence upon the bands direction began to deepen; the groove became more important, structures were imposed upon the material (though the group continued its freewheeling interplay in live gigs). When the innovative bassist Jaco Pastorius replaced Alphonso Johnson in 1976, WR entered its most popular phase, with Pastorius becoming a flamboyant third lead voice, Shorters sax receding into more epigrammatic form, and Zawinul rediscovering his commercial touch and sharpening his electronic sophistication. The best-selling Heavy Weather album (1977) actually served up a hit song that became a jazz standard (Birdland), and with the entry of Peter Erskine on drums (1978), the group finally had a stable lineup for awhile. Contrary to accepted wisdom, the departures of Pastorius and Erskine in 1982 led to a recharging of WRs batteries; their replacements Victor Bailey (bass), Omar Hakim (drums), Jose Rossy and later, Mino Cinelu (percussion) were more amenable to Zawinuls deepening inclinations for Third World rhythms, sounds and textures. This edition of WR rattled off three more albums, including the outstanding Procession. But Shorter, who had gradually ceded nearly total artistic control to Zawinul, was getting restless; he took a leave of absence in 1985 and later that year, left WR for good. This Is This (1985), in which Erskine returns and Shorter plays only a limited role, was WRs swan song. Zawinul would tour in 1986 with a revamped version called Weather Update (a prelude to the keyboardists own Zawinul Syndicate), and there was talk in 1996 about Zawinul and Shorter reuniting in the studio for a new edition of WR, but Zawinul later deflated the speculation.