Written Assignment #4: Jazz-Rock Fusion
Listen again to Birdland, the famous jazz-rock fusion piece by Weather Report: Wayne Shorter, soprano and tenor saxes; Joe Zawinul, keyboards, piano, vocal, melodica; Jaco Pastorius, electric bass, mando-cello, vocal; Alex Acuna, drums; and Manolo Badrena, tambourine, and address the following questions:
- The order of solos in this piece is: Zawinul, Shorter, Zawinul. Provide counter numbers for the beginnings and ends of these solos.
- Describe the keyboard and piano accompaniment during Shorter’s solo. How would you compare/contrast the solo style of Shorter in Birdland with his tenor solo in Miles Davis E.S.P.?
- How would you compare/contrast the solo style of Zawinul in Birdland with that of Herbie Hancock in E.S.P.?
- Do you detect any ties between these jazz-rock fusion soloists and hard bop or free jazz?
