Jazz This Month: October, 1976 @ Hollywood “Teen Town” by Weather Report

Oct. 1976 “Teen Town”
by Weather Report (Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius & Alex Acuna) at Devonshire Sound Studio, North Hollywood, CA for Columbia (Heavy Weather)

A composition by electric bass innovator Jaco Pastorius, performed by the supergroup Weather Report, led by Austrian Joe Zawinul and composed of highly skilled musicians. Despite being a short track, it is packed with thrilling developments that make me want to listen to it again and again. The slight delay in the synthesizer's touch feels like a limitation of the technology at the time, but this actually creates a unique, non-mechanical, and charming analog quality. Incidentally, while Zawinul used a Wurlitzer electric piano on the track introduced on October 20th, he plays a Fender Rhodes on this one.

A style filled with a futuristic sense of excitement. On the album, it is the second short track following the famous song “Birdland,” which is frequently played on radio and television, and it serves as a bridge of just under three minutes that dictates the flow of the album.

Jaco's bass is followed by tight drums and percussion, while Zawinul's synthesizer synchronizes and layers sounds to build a foundation, over which Wayne Shorter's wabi-sabi soprano sax floats with exquisite balance and timing, propelling the band forward.

Maintaining this level of speed with such superb rhythm is no easy feat, even for a group of virtuosos, but looking at the video from that time, they make it look effortless. The stage production, which is very 80s, is also interesting, and I enjoy this live performance with the accompanying visuals more than the formal album version, as Jaco plays more notes.

Even Shorter, who seems unbound by the tight rhythm in his performance, adds a touch of artistry by weaving through the gaps in the rhythm, adding a sense of fluctuation and human warmth to a performance that could otherwise become digitally monotonous.

If asked whether this is a jazz standard, it might not be in the general sense, but as this is the seventh and biggest hit album for Weather Report, it is well-known, and it is a perfect piece that skilled electric bassists want to roll up their sleeves and perform (challenge), so I would like to introduce it as many famous bassists have covered it.

First, Marcus Miller, a heavyweight in the current jazz electric bass world. It is no surprise that he plays the fast phrases with a thick, tight slap technique with such ease.

For the current, evolving frontier, please listen to Richard Bona's performance. It starts around the three-minute mark in the video below. I am left speechless by his technique of effortlessly handling the transcendental phrases and even playfully weaving in smiles...

Next is Michael Pipoquinha, a young Brazilian born in 1996. The fact that he pumps his fist when the intro of this song plays is a testament to his genuine attachment to this piece.

There is another video of Flea, the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing it, so please take a look. Flea is the person who was watching the Dodgers' World Series victory with Brad Pitt, but his bass skills are solid, and he has also participated in jazz albums.

The influence of Jaco and the evolution of the electric bassist are truly amazing. I recently learned that for Weather Report at the time, the arrival of the stimulating Jaco and the feeling of being overwhelmed by electronic music led Shorter to seek a new path, which became one of the catalysts for creating the masterpiece “Native Dancer” (1974), which aimed to fuse Brazilian music and jazz.

The impressive cover art for this work is by American illustrator Lou Beach. Below are some other memorable albums he has worked on.

The composition and materials of the work itself give an impression of being flashy and chaotic, but it is also characterized by the wide variety of artists featured. I have been involved in three albums with Weather Report, including this one.

Finally, please enjoy this live performance in Japan by the big band led by Jaco. It is a masterpiece, a brilliant performance, and a legendary recording.