The Search
All about Simon
Tower of Silence
The Spirit Of Julian "C" Adderley
Familiar to Me
Caf Andalusia
Good Day
Barefoot Beauty
Rooftops Of Vienna
Borges Buenos Aires Part 1 & 2
East 12th Street Band

Joe Zawinul - keyboards, acoustic piano, spoken word, vocoder, chicken neck and keyboard bass / Paco Sery - drums, percussion, kalimba, guitar / Etienne Mbappe - bass, vocals / Amit Chatterjee - guitar, vocals / Bobby Malach - woodwinds, tenor sax / Alex Acuna - shakers / Dean Brown - guitar / Richard Bona - bass, vocals / Victor Bailey - bass / Zakir Hussain - tablas / Nathaniel Townsley, Manolo Badrena - percussion / Rudy Regalado - percussion / Lester Benedict - trombone / Harry Kim - trumpet, flugelhorn / Maria Joao - vocals / Sabine Kabongo - vocals / Richard Page - vocals / Perry Sisters - vocals / Kitty Winter - vocals.

Zawinul's choral sing-song arrangements of keyboard patches and backing singers, tied in with upbeat, hi-hat-driven back-beats and that ever so impressive flair for thunderous, free-flying, bubbly bass-lines is such a trade mark sound and one used pervasively on this album of world-oriented music. The vocal dominated, largely synthesized sound here may not please every Weather Report, or even Zawinul fan, but you can't knock the bullish strength of character and persistent high calibre of this great, nay legendary musician.

He has consistently displayed more than just a passing interest in ethnic peoples; Miles Davis wasn't only impressed with Zawinul's bass-lines, he also thought it cool that he had a black wife. Zawinul has also consistently performed with a large number of international artists and specifically, black musicians: Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis of course and Wayne Shorter to name a few. His home is bedecked with African statuettes and art from other ethnicities, many presents given in appreciation of his humanity. However, here is also a devoutly Eastern European, classically-trained, hard drinking, hard talking Caucasian, with a lot to say about Nazi persecution, supposedly something that his part Sinti (Romani gypsies, c.f. Django Reinhardt) Austrian family would have experienced first-hand. A common basis of discrimination, perhaps.

But his uncanny ability to write positively and joyously, and in doing so focus on only one of his musical centres is what lends integrity to his recordings. Here, his gaze is firmly set towards the Southern Hemisphere - echoes of familiar and well-loved Weather Report motifs, sometimes nothing more than a couple of notes on a keyboard, bounce off jerky thumb-piano phrases punctuated by breathy vocal patches; Spanish-American rhumbas and congas trade places with Afrocentric rhythms, Gospel ballads, Qawwali and tribal chants, combine, twirl around and re-emerge in a wondrous fusion. In fact nothing actually adds up to a whole tune by it's self. Much of Zawinul's mastery is in bringing together so many disparate parts to create a whole new whole. He shows a genuine understanding and compassion for this music and the excellent, superstar supporting cast are clearly excited to be adding to the eclectic mix. Vocalists perform somersaults before your very ears because it's party time and the festival has begun. A festival of music from Joe Zawinul's world, and you're also invited to be a part of it. Go ahead, join the happy throng.