Black Market - With its infectious melodic "hook", radiates a positive, life-affirming warmth (nice solos and firm, funky rhythmic support) while the closing moments provide a sobering contrast: synthesized imitations of gun and artillery fire reflecting the tragedy of strife endemic (then and now) in many parts of the war-torn "third world".

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 jazz's 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 band's 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.

Joe Zawinul

Wayne Shorter

Jaco Pastorius

 Peter Erskine

above: Joey Defrancesco 

above: John McLaughlin on Guitar, click on his name to see and listen to him.... he is an amazing artist!

You really have to admire musicians like these guys whom have the ability to play off 'the top of their heads'. They have a chord progression to follow along with in the song they all know and maybe a motif like at the beginning of this song and just make it up as they go along. It comes with experience, because there is very little rehearsal these guys need to do when they get together to do a show. That's why in the Jazz/Blues genre of music you see alot of the players are much older than the 'POP Stars' of today's commercial music industry. John McLaughlin (Guitar) is in his 60's and INCREDIBLE ! Joey is still young in his 30's I believe. Joey is just so gifted. He makes it look so easy to do. It's funny I run into people from my youth years and they ask what I am doing now and I tell them I still play in a band and  do session recordings and teach piano and the reaction I get back towards the 'Band' thing is somewhat like this : "Still doing that huh?" and I'd be thinking to myself that they really don't understand what a musician is. I think they think of Rock Stars or POP Stars that are young and are in the industry for the glory of it and not because they truly love their craft. Seems to me that my peers from highschool just do NOT get it! Maybe it's  because they haven't seen me in a ROCKSTAR magazine or on one of the late night TV shows. Who knows ....I know that I do it because I LOVE it

Well,... since sometimes as a musician I have absolutely NO musical ideas running through my mind and btw , that can be a frightful thing. Sometimes its just a bunch of everyday sounds that flow through my mind as well as people I have talked to recently. It feels like a waiting room at times. The calm before the storm. This piece that is playing kind of describes what is running through my mind during those periods of times when things are not quite balanced emotionally. It is a feeling of being in LIMBO so to speak I guess.

If you notice though, about 2/3rd's of the way through the piece that the musical idea seems to return. As 'Muse' had commented in an earlier blog "I wish I knew" she said 'This too shall pass'.... just like in this piece of music. The confusion starts to go away and musical structure seems to start and carry us forward.

Please take note : This was recorded from the actual vinyl recording and changed to a digital mp3 file. It's kinda cool to hear the crackles of the needle on a record player coming through the speakers. Brings back memories of a time when things weren't so perfect. I remember learning this song by ear at the piano and those crackle sounds bring it all back. The hand over hand playing of Tony Banks at the beginning of the song in the key of E minor was such a thrill for me back when I was 19 to figure out even if I did learn it on an upright piano in a church lounge that was out of tune :)

And the lamb lies down on Broadway.

Early morning Manhattan,
Ocean winds blow on the land.
Movie-Palaces now undone,
The all-night watchmen have had their fun.
Sleeping cheaply on the midnight show,
Its the same old ending-time to go.
Get out!
It seems they cannot leave their dream.
There's something moving in the sidewalk steam,
And the lamb lies down on Broadway.

Night-time's flyers feel their pairs.
Drugstore take down the chains.
Metal motion comes in bursts,
But the gas station can quench that thirst.
Suspension 'racked on unmade road
The truckers eyes read "Overload"
And out of the subway.
Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid
Exits into daylight, spraygun hid,
And the lamb lies down on Broadway.

The lamb seems right out of place,
Yet the Broadway street scene finds a focus in its face.
Somehow its lying there,
Brings a stillness to the air.
Though man-made light, at night is very bright,
There's no whitewash victim,
As the neon, dim, to the coat of white.
Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid
Wipes his gun - he's forgotten what he did,
And the lamb lies down on Broadway.

Suzanne tired, her work all done,
Thinks money-honey - be on neon
Cabman's velvet glove sounds the horn
And the sawdust king spits out his scorn.
Wonder women you can draw your blind!
Don't look at me! I'm not your kind.
I'm Rael!
Something inside me has just begun,
Lord knows what I have done,
And the lamb lies down on Broadway.
On Broadway
They say the lights are always bright on Broadway.
They say there's always magic in the air.
They say the lights are always bright on Broadway.

It's one o'clock and time for lunch,
When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench
I can always hear them talk.

There's always been Ethel:
quot; Jacob, wake up! You've got to tidy your room now. quot;
And then Mister Lewis:
quot; Isn't it time that he was out on his own? quot;
Over the garden wall, two little lovebirds - cuckoo to you!
Keep them mowing blades sharp...

I know what I like, and I like what I know;
getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show.

 Sunday night, Mr Farmer called, said:
quot; Listen son, you're wasting your time; there's a future for you
in the fire escape trade. Come up to town! quot;
But I remebered a voice from the past;
quot; Gambling only pays when you're winning quot;
- I had to thank old Miss Mort for schooling a failure.
Keep them mowing blades sharp...

I know what I like, and I like what I know;
getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show.

When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench,
I can always hear them talk.
Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk. 

Home from work our juliet
Clears her morning meal.
She dabs her skin with pretty smells
Concealing to appeal.

I will make my bed,
She said, but turned to go.
Can she be late for her cinema show?

Romeo locks his basement flat,
And scurries up the stairs.
With head held high and floral tie,
A weekend millionaire

.

Take a little trip back with father tiresias,
Listen to the old one speak of all he has lived through.
I have crossed between the poles, for me there’s no mystery.

After purchasing my first record album on my own in my lifetime so far back in the summer of '78 I found myself hooked and extremely curious. A friend of mine (later to introduce me to 'Genesis' and 'YES' music) had this record that happened to be left out in the sun a little too long and had slightly warped. It had a painting of an old man from the biblical years it seemed to me at the time on the cover. Album art was and still is so appealing to me. For instance if I were to see an album cover with a picture of just some guy on it, I would never even give it a listen especially if it were a guy like David Cassidy or even a Barry Manilow . There is a certain kind of curiosity factor for me when I see a really cool picture on an album cover that would make me want to check it out more closely back then. Bands like 'YES' 'Genesis', 'Kansas', 'ELP', 'Queen', 'Journey', 'Rush' etc. all had really cool album art.

I have realized over the years that my best compositions came to me while I was alone.There are the pieces that took years to develope and then there were those that just suddenly came to me. I would get a motif or theme in my head and play through it several times and add different parts to it as time went on. One of my pieces was conceived 15 years before I ever finally came up with an ending and recorded it. 

Besides having christmas presents of records given to me (K-Tel) in the past or just old vinyl recordings lying around the house I really hadn't had much say in what I really wanted to listen to on the record player. I could play a series of 45 rpm records of the 'Jackson Five' and 'The Osmond Brothers' over and over till it made me dizzy. Remember 'ABC' and 'Mama's Pearl' by the 'Jackson Five'? I loved those songs ....Anyways..It was August 1978, Boston had just released it's 2nd album and the song that was being played on my little transister Am radio was in fact the title track 'Don't look Back'. Loved the sound of the guitars and harmony's of both the vocals and guitar. There isn't a Boston song that I know of that doesn't make me feel like a million bucks. Boston is noted for using the Hammond organ sound in quite a few a their songs. Probably the most famous song of theirs to have the hammond in it would be 'Four Play, Long Time' definately a classic Rock song!So I asked my mom if I was allowed to buy a record....for me that was really sticking my neck out because I was not allowed to do much outside the home besides My schooling, hockey, baseball, soccor, and piano lessons and ofcourse yard work. I was amazed she agreed! so off I went to the record store.

When I was 13 years old I was becoming more interested in 'POP' music. I was really tired of playing 100 to 200 year old pieces of music out of a book. For some reason an Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) song 'Can't get it out of my head' interested me and later the 'Out of the Blue' album. It made me feel good when I listened to it. Very simple song, but it touched me, unlike some of the classical music I was exposed to so far. Jeff Lynne the main writer of ELO music was heavily influenced by the Beatles whom I couldn't stand because their music was WAY OVER played on radio stations and in shopping malls (muzak). I really wanted to know how to play by reading Chord symbols on the sheet music. I hadnt seen this before. One day I said to my mom "I want to change piano teachers". So I found this teacher who taught out of this music store I had always gone to, to look and drool over the newest synthesizers that were out there at the time. I remember my first lesson with him. He sat there and played all sorts of songs that I was hearing on the radio for years with ease. I was in heaven! fascinated. He began teaching me 12 bar blues and the concepts of improvisation (which later became my best friend ) and Modern Harmonic Technique. My whole way of looking at the keys of a piano changed from that day forward. Mind you it has taken me years to get to where I am now in my writing. It's maturing. I used to try and fit in as many notes as possible in my first attempts at writing, especially in solo sections. I was to learn later that writing my own music had to come from my heart and through forms of inspiration or as I like to believe 'God'. I did however come back to classic music such as Bach (My favourite Baroque writer) after realizing that all music is related in some way and not to mention many other GREAT composers. I am totally greatful to my classical teachers for their constant emphasis on playing technique and musical theory. Without it I wouldn't be able to get what was going through my head musically out for anyone to hear it.

I think I really started my true musical journey sometime in 1977-78 when I was about 13 or 14 years old. Up till then I had been taking piano lessons weekly during the school year since I was approx. 5yrs old and really was starting to get bored of it partly due to the fact I was only exposed to royal conservatory music and also because of my parents choice of music, you know, the contemporary radio stations (middle of the road) and to boot, my father who'd play polkas out by the pool full blast on the weekends would in fact drive the nieghbours nuts and embarrass the shit out of me as a child. One night I was laying in bed with the headphones on listening to FM radio  Chum Fm (Toronto) to be exact and I happened to tune in to this amazing sounding music. It blew my mind! It seemed to go on forever, I had never heard anything like it ever. This growling percussive (Hammond) organ sound and the synthetic sounds of horns and modulating tones (Mini-Moogs) not to mention this incredible drummer (Carl Palmer) keeping up to this maniac on the keyboards (Keith Emerson). It turns out I had been listening to a live version of 'Karnevil 9' by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. I remember the words "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, we're so glad you attend, come inside, come inside. There behind the glass stands a real blade of grass, be careful as you pass move along, move along. Come inside the shows about to start, gauranteed to blow your head apart' and so on ...