Been listening to this one a lot lately, so here comes another spotlight on the ever-shifting landscape of 1970s Weather Report. Percussion-heavy, with plenty of groove to spare, the album kicks off with the bright melodic title track, bass handled by Alphonso Johnson as is the case for most of the album. Not so for the track that follows, though - here comes the first entry of one of the group's most auspicious arrivals, with the slippery basslines of a 24-year old Floridian who had introduced himself to Zawinul as "the greatest bass player in the world".
There's only one other Pastorious performance on this transitional (even by their standards) Weather Report album, the strutting Barbary Coast from his own pen. Otherwise, Zawinul and Shorter turn in an increasingly slick set of funky numbers influenced by Latin and African rhythms, some more atmospheric pieces and generally set the stage for Weather Report's commercial superstardom that would follow within a year.
pw: sgtg
