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Review

Joe Zawinul

Money In The Pocket

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by Ian Mann

June 15, 2010

/ ALBUM

A very worthwhile re-issue. Swinging, unpretentious and well played by some of the leading jazz figures of the time.

Joe Zawinul

“Money In The Pocket”

(Atlantic Masters 8122-79822-0)

Keyboard player Joe Zawinul (1932-2007) is one of the great jazz figures of recent times. His history is one of the best known in jazz so I won’t dwell on it too much here. Born in Vienna he moved to the USA in 1959 to study at the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston. Zawinul ended up staying in America, coming to prominence as the pianist in Cannonball Adderley’s group. He also proved to be a talented composer writing several jazz classics for the Adderley band including the enduring “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”. He also worked with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and singer Dinah Washington.

Zawinul’s talents brought to him the attention of Miles Davis and he enjoyed a successful tenure with the Davis band, switching to electric keyboards and penning the title track of the highly influential album “In A Silent Way”. On leaving Davis Zawinul formed the hugely successful Weather Report with saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Their brand of intelligent fusion hit the right artistic and commercial buttons and has worn remarkably well. Zawinul continued to develop as a composer reaching a high point with “Birdland” from the 1977 album “Heavy Weather” and extended his sound palette with the pioneering use of synthesisers.

Weather Report was never a stable entity and went through several changes of personnel especially in the rhythm chairs. When the group came to an inevitable end Zawinul formed his own Zawinul Syndicate in which he further developed the world music elements he had introduced to Weather Report. He was one of the music’s true originals and was never content to rest on his laurels. Zawinul continued to develop and experiment right until the end, making forays into classical music as well continuing to refine his own unique brand of jazz. 

Re-issued as part of the Atlantic Masters series “Money In The Pocket” was originally released in 1966 prior to Zawinul’s stint with Miles Davis and during his tenure with Adderley. It’s an album that sometimes recalls the pianist’s work with Adderley and it also sounds very similar to the classic Blue Note sessions of the 50’s and 60’s. Three different line ups are deployed here and the presence of Blue Note stalwarts such as trumpeter Blue Mitchell and saxophonists Joe Henderson and Clifford Jordan may account for this similarity. “Money In The Pocket” may be a period piece but it’s a fascinating one and an album that contains a good deal of highly enjoyable music.

The opening title track features Zawinul, Mitchell and Jordan together with bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Roy McCurdy. It’s a funky slice of gospel flavoured soul jazz, typical of the music of the time. Solos come from Jordan on slightly sour sending tenor, Mitchell on punchy, brassy trumpet plus Zawinul on inventive but unerringly funky piano.

At this stage in his career Zawinul was still playing pieces by other composers.  “If” is by tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and features a sextet line up of Zawinul, Henderson and Mitchell plus baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and a rhythm section of bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes. It’s pretty straight ahead and “old school” with pithy solos from Zawinul and the exuberant Mitchell. Henderson and Adams exchange licks and Jones and Hayes ensure that things keep swinging hard.

The music so far is a long way removed from the Zawinul of Davis, Weather Report or the Syndicate but an audacious solo piano reading of the standard “My One And Only Love” offers a glimpse of his adventurousness and harmonic sophistication.

There are signs of Zawinul’s increasing compositional maturity on his own “Midnight Mood” which features the sextet line up heard on Henderson’s “If”. It’s still in the Adderley/Blue Note bag but boasts a strong theme that frames solos from Henderson, Mitchell and the underrated Pepper Adams, one of the finest baritone players of his generation. Zawinul’s own solo is brief and unexpectedly lyrical.

Bassist Sam Jones is also a talented composer and contributes two pieces to the album, “Some More Of Dat” and the closing “Del Sasser” which has become something of a standard. “Some More..” sounds pretty much as the title would suggest, playful, loose limbed and funky with a strong gospel influence. Based around a simple, catchy hook it gives an opportunity for the members of the sextet to strut their stuff with Mitchell, Henderson and Zawinul featuring as soloists.

By contrast Zawinul slims the group down to a piano trio for Rudy Stephenson’s “Sharon’s Waltz”.  He is joined by Jones and Hayes, his regular partners in the Adderley quartet and the trio show their sensitive side with an engagingly lyrical treatment of Stephenson’s tune. After a couple of “Sidewinder” like funk outings this change in mood and direction is a pleasant surprise.

Zawinul’s “Riverbed” features some excellent ensemble writing and finds Joe experimenting with modal forms. Adams takes the solo honours with a marvellously agile and expressive outing on baritone.

Jones’ “Del Sasser” is a high energy outing for the trio with Zawinul’s dazzling solo underpinned by Jones’ fast, insistent bass walk and Hayes’ sizzling drumming.

It may be of its time and a little too reliant on “Sidewinder” style funkiness but “Money In The Pocket” still has much to commend it. It’s swinging, unpretentious and well played by some of the leading jazz figures of the time. The inclusion of a solo piano piece and the two trio outings add variety and on the whole this is a very worthwhile re-issue. And let’s not forget that Joe carried some of this early funkiness over into the music of Miles and Weather Report. 

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