Editing Weather Report (section)

==Musical style==
Over their 16-year career, Weather Report explored various types of music, predominantly centered on jazz (initially the "[[free jazz|free]]" variety), but also incorporating elements of [[art music]], [[folk music|ethnic music]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[funk]], and [[rock music|rock]]. While their work was categorized as "jazz fusion", the band members generally distanced themselves from that term.

From the start, Weather Report took the unusual approach of abandoning the traditional "soloist/accompaniment" demarcation of straight-ahead jazz and featured opportunities for continuous improvisation by every member of the band. That position remained consistent throughout the life of the band. From the point where Alphonso Johnson joined the band, individual solos became more prominent in concert, but were never allowed to overwhelm the collective approach. Initially, the band's music featured an improvisational method (similar to [[Miles Davis]]'s ''[[Bitches Brew]]''-period),<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1238}}</ref> but eventually that shifted to a more groove-oriented approach and catchier compositions (as epitomized by their 1977 hit single [[Birdland (composition)|"Birdland"]]).

Joe Zawinul's playing style was often dominated by quirky melodic improvisations (simultaneously [[bebop]]-, ethnic-, and pop-sounding) combined with sparse but rhythmic big-band chords or bass lines. Having originally made his name as a pioneering [[electric piano]] player, he went on to consistently develop the role of the [[synthesizer]] in jazz during his time with Weather Report. Working with companies such as [[ARP Instruments|ARP]] and [[Oberheim Electronics|Oberheim]], Zawinul developed new ways of voicing and patching electronic tones for textures, ensemble roles (including emulations of traditional band instruments) and soloing. In Weather Report, he often employed a [[vocoder]], as well as recorded sounds played (i.e., filtered and transposed) through a synthesizer, creating a very distinctive, often beautiful, synthesis of [[jazz chord|jazz harmonics]] and "noise" (which he referred to as "using all the sounds the world generates"). On some Weather Report tunes, however, Zawinul was criticized for allowing his synthesized arrangements to dominate the sound.

{{quote box
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| quote   = In the beginning let's say Weather Report was a joint thing. Then, after the second album there's no question about it, it became more and more my group. Wayne wanted it like that, but we were always 'partners in crime'. No Wayne, no Weather Report.
| source  = —Josef Zawinul on his gradual takeover of Weather Report<ref>Nicholson, Stuart. ''Jazz-Rock: A History''. Schirmer Books. 2001, {{ISBN|978-0825671883}}</ref>
| width   = 30%
| qalign  = left
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[[Wayne Shorter]] came to the group with a reputation as a dominant role as an instrumentalist,<ref name="Larkin"/> drawn from both his solo work and his contributions to Miles Davis' "second great quintet" during the 1960s. His choice not to follow the same approach with Weather Report led to some criticism of the group. During his time with Weather Report, Shorter was noted for generally playing saxophone with an economical, "listening" style. Rather than continually taking the lead, he generally added subtle harmonic, melodic, and/or rhythmic complexity by responding to other member's improvisations (although he could and did sometimes exercise a more frenetic style akin to that of [[John Coltrane]] or [[Michael Brecker]]). As a composer, he chose a more abstract, sometimes atonal and "free jazz" style of music, opposed to the sometimes flamboyant melodicism of the tunes written by Zawinul or Pastorius. Playing both tenor and soprano saxophones, Shorter continued to develop the role of the latter instrument in jazz, taking his cue from previous work by [[John Coltrane|Coltrane]], [[Sidney Bechet]], [[Lucky Thompson]], and [[Steve Lacy (saxophonist)|Steve Lacy]].

Weather Report maintained a consistent interest in a textured sound and developments in music technology and processing. Both Zawinul and original bassist Miroslav Vitouš experimented with electronic effects pedals (as generally used by rock guitarists) with Zawinul using them on electric piano and synthesizers and Vitouš on his [[upright bass]] (which he frequently bowed through distortion to create a second horn-like voice). The band's third bass player, [[Jaco Pastorius]], popularized the use of fretless bass guitar, melodic bass soloing and extensive use of string harmonics, as well as consolidating the driving R&B pulse in the band's music (which had been brought in by his predecessor [[Alphonso Johnson]]).

With the exception of a brief quartet period between 1978 and 1979 (wherein other members could double on various percussion instruments), Weather Report's instrumentation always included both a drummer and a percussionist. For its first eight years of existence, the group had difficulty finding a permanent drummer, moving through about one drummer per year until Jaco Pastorius helped to recruit [[Peter Erskine]] in 1978. Erskine and [[Omar Hakim]] were the only drummers who played with Weather Report for more than two years.