Weather Report
Tale Spinnin'

LA RECENSIONE

After the devastating Viaggiatore Misterioso and just before the arrival of the tsunami constituted by the triad Black Market-Heavy Weather-Mr. Gone, comes in 1975 a little gem of positivity and serene interaction among the musicians of a group already quite established in their roles and therefore free from schemes, prejudices, or contractual oppressions.

The music found in this niche called "Tale spinnin'" (which would mean more or less 'Telling Stories') is full of joy and serenity. Only six pieces, but each more dazzling than the other. The greatness of Leon Ndugu Chancler is evident, a young lad who commands the drums like a modern Art Blakey. Joe and Wayne will try in vain to keep him (Santana calls) to take him on tour, but once again the drums remain one of the great unresolved problems for the two.

1)'Man in the Green Shirt' is by Zawinul and gives you the feeling of an open-air market, with people outside and the sun overhead.
2) 'Lusitanos' which veers into more harmonically and melodically intriguing tones. Here Shorter's sax, as composer, paints captivating theories culminating in a pianissimo where the music barely moves. Probably even in the studio, not a fly was buzzing. Zawinul makes an effort and pulls out magic in the second part. Incredible the wah bass by Alphonso Johnson.
3) 'Between the Thighs' by Zawinul is very energetic and is one of the most intense pieces, yet very articulated in development. Excellent use of dynamics and pauses
4)'Badia', by Zawinul, is born from the improvised elaboration of a simple melody that once heard will not leave you anymore. Try to believe it. It begins with an acoustic panorama of Middle Eastern flavor, two notes from a twelve-string guitar, and a few scattered synth notes, ending with a medium crescendo and a return to the initial peace. The live performance on 8:30 is spectacular
5)'Freezing Fire' is a Shorter track that is very rhythmic and incessant, serving as a backdrop for very high-level solo evolutions.
6) 'Five Short Stories' by Zawinul is an intimate confession of two great protagonists of contemporary music and is performed only with sax and keyboards, in perfect osmosis. When Zawinul was interviewed about Wayne Shorter, he was asked what he thought, and he replied, "Wayne is absolutely THE BEST MUSICIAN I've ever had the pleasure of playing with." Hearing this piece, one can understand—at least homeopathically—why.

What else? Uh, young lads reading Debaser: if after listening to it you find yourself thinking "how fresh is this stuff," remember we're talking about 1975 here, that is, over thirty years ago! I swear, I'm not "Telling Stories"!!!!!