Brown Street
Recorded in Vienna, the city of Joe Zawinul's birth, this 2005 concert adapts many of his most celebrated compositions for the expanded presence of the WDR Big Band. After the triumphant opening of the propulsive eleven-minute title track, the gentle "In a Silent Way" revisits the evocative memories of Zawinul's childhood that inspired him to write the piece over forty years ago. While this hour and a half of music draws from Zawinul's past, it is never dependent upon nostalgia. Rather, the bold new settings show how vibrant the writing remains. Zawinul's core quartet (with percussionist Alex Acuna, bassist Victor Bailey, and drummer Nathaniel Townsley) can be as ferocious and supple as any of Weather Report's line-ups. Everything from the atmospheric quietude of a piece like "A Remark You Made" to the world funk of "Black Market" is given its full due by this sprawling yet controlled 19-piece ensemble.--David Greenberger