Conceptually, sonically, this is really the first
Weather Report album in all but name, confirming that
Joe Zawinul was the primary creative engine behind the group from the beginning. It is also the link between
WR and
Miles Davis' keyboard-laden experiments on
In a Silent Way; indeed, the tune "In a Silent Way" is redone in the more complex form in which
Zawinul envisioned it, and
Miles even contributes a brief, generous tribute to
Zawinul on the liner. Two keyboardists --
Zawinul and the formidable
Herbie Hancock -- form the underpinning of this stately, probing album, garnishing their work with the galactic sound effects of the Echoplex and ring modulator.
Earl Turbinton provides the
Wayne Shorter-like beams of light on the soprano sax, spelled by
Wayne himself on "Double Image." The third founder of
WR,
Miroslav Vitous, checks in on bass, and hard-bopping trumpeter
Woody Shaw proves to be perfectly adept at the jazz-rock game. Two short-lived standards of the jazz-rock era, the aforementioned "Double Image" and "Doctor Honoris Causa," are introduced here, yet it is mood pieces like "His Last Journey" and "Arrival in New York" that with the help of tape-speed manipulation, establish the lasting, murky, reflective ambience of this CD. ~ Richard S. Ginell