Born in Vienna, Josef Erich Zawinul is credited with bringing the electric piano, as well as African and Middle Eastern rhythms, to mainstream jazz. As a young man he demonstrated the breadth of his talent, playing in various broadcasting and studio bands before emigrating to the United States in 1959.

There was no piano at home, but the young Joe studied piano, violin and clarinet at the Vienna Conservatory, where he was given a free place at the age of seven. He discovered jazz at 12, and in the postwar years found he could easily work out the harmonies on the American jazz records that came his way. Passionate about music, he was playing electric piano long before most people and was the first to really do anything with it.

WATCH young Zawinul (click on the image)

"Jessica's Birthday" from July 7, 1963 with Cannonball Adderley (as), Nat Adderley (cnt), Yusef Lateef (ts), Sam Jones (bass), Joe Zawinul (piano) , Louis Hayes (drums)

After playing with the Cannonball Adderley group and the revolutionary Miles Davis group of the late sixties, he formed Weather Report with Wayne Shorter in 1971. Bandmembers came and went, including Miroslav Vitous, Alphonso Johnson, Jaco Pastorius, Victor Bailey, Peter Erskine and Omar Hakim, but the band spirit prevailed over the course of 17 albums, including the ground-breaking album Black Market and the massively popular Heavy Weather, with Zawinul's infectious song “Birdland”.

WATCH Weather Report (click on the image)

Joe Zawinul (keyboards), Wayne Shorter (saxophones), Jaco Pastorius (bass), Alex Acuna (drums) and Manolo Badrena (percussion)

After Zawinul and Shorter split in 1985, he led his own fusion band, the Zawinul Syndicate, in which his powerful keyboard playing had a prominent role. Over the past 15 years there were several projects alongside the band. He toured in a duo with Indian drummer/percussionist Trilok Gurtu, and there were further collaborations with Gulda. Stories of the Danube was a full-length symphonic work. 

BONUS tribute part 1 of 3 (click on the image) 

Visit the site here . A extensive Interview is  here... Find more Credit infos here.

Buy the DVD Live in Montreux 1976 or the Joe Zawinul"Musical Portrait"here or here.

Watch Tribute part2 here and Tribute part3 here!