Today we remember the Austrian-American composer and pianist Joe Zavinul, born on this day in 1932.
This Vienna born artist participated in a real jazz revolution alongside Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. Only a few keyboardists in the history of jazz had such creative power like Joe Zawinul who represented a true authority on the music scene during more than half a century.
He was one of the first musicians who introduced pianos and synthesizers, a combination of rock and jazz, and experimented with electronic jazz. He earned himself world fame when he formed the group Weather Report together with Wayne Shorter, they were one of the most important jazz ensembles of all times.
The band members constantly changed, among them were: Miroslav Vitous, Alphonso Johnson, Jaco Pastorius, Victor Bailey, Peter Erskine and Omar Hakim.
Zawinul’s original Birdland earned Grammy’s for their performance as well as performances by Manhattan Transfer and Quincy Jones. They won the Grammy for the best album 8:30 as well.
After he split with Shorter, Zawinul founded the Joe Zawinul Syndicate, he also released solo albums. His project called Mauthausen, recorded in remembrance of Holocaust victims premiered at the camp it was named by.
Joe Zawinul Syndicate performed twice in front of Sarajevo’s audience at the Jazz Fest Sarajevo. Zawinul’s first performance in Sarajevo was in 1999, in 2002 he opened the 6th edition of Jazz Fest Sarajevo. That night he played two sold out concerts.
Among awards and acknowledgements are Zawinul’s 21 awards for best keyboardist. When he died, Austria lost one of it’s biggest musicians, and the world lost one it’s biggest jazz legends.
Joe Zawinul’s heritage is hard to measure, it puts him among musicians with whose name one can easily pare all creative epithets like – genius innovator, excellent instrumentalist, great composer, exceptional arranger, bandleader and educator.
Zawinul died of a rare skin cancer in 2007, at the Vienna hospital he was born at in 1932.