HEAVY WEATHER

Beginning with an irresistible invitation to the dance ("Birdland"), Heavy Weather is a brilliant balancing act that shows off every facet of this remarkably talented band. After the opening "Birdland," a truly celestial celebration of sound, Heavy Weather delves into the gentle, peaceful "A Remark You Made," only to shake off that dewy sleep with Pastorius' patented percussive magic on the invigorating "Teen Town." It's this alternating between different styles and composers that likens hearing Heavy Weather to looking at a finely cut gem in the light. The musical ground covered on this outing, and the unerring quality of the compositions themselves, are a powerful combination. Individually, these songs rank with the band's best: "Harlequin" melting like a timepiece in the sun, Zawinul's magical portrait of "The Juggler," "Palladium" dancing like a bug in dappled sunlight, each arrangement a near reinvention of the band that played on the preceding track. Invariably, my favorite track on Heavy Weather is the track playing at the moment; even the live percussion solo "Rumba Mama" shines when the time comes. Note that the Columbia/Legacy remaster from 1992 sounds terrific on disc and features nice liner notes from Peter Keepnews, so I'd start there first. And I'd start here if you're approaching Weather Report for the first time. This is arguably their greatest album, and thus one of the great fusion albums of all time. Best of all, nuances in the music continually come to light, so even on a rainy day (like today) an old standby like Heavy Weather can make staying indoors a pleasure.