''Procession'' is the eleventh studio album by the
jazz fusion band
Weather Report
Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and voca ...
. It was released in 1983 through
Columbia Records. Although several previous Weather Report tracks included wordless singing, and "And Then" from ''
Mr. Gone'' included brief lyrics, "Where the Moon Goes" was the band's first track including lyrics throughout, sung by members of
The Manhattan Transfer. The band would continue to feature vocals on the next three studio albums.
Critical reception
Reviewing the album in ''Record'', Steve Futterman dismissed ''Procession'' as being competently crafted but too similar to Weather Report's previous albums to be of any interest. Noting the band's change in lineup, he stated, "Integrating new members, finding what they can offer and letting them stir things up can give an established band a welcome jolt of creativity, of fresh ideas. But in Weather Report's case, the overwhelming control of co-leaders Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter has reined in the skills of bassist Victor Bailey, drummer Omar Hakim and percussionist José Rossy in service of highly crafted but essentially petrified music."
Track listing
#"Procession" (
Josef Zawinul
Josef Erich Zawinul ( '; 7 July 1932 – 11 September 2007) was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to bec ...
) – 8:42
#"Plaza Real" (
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...
) – 5:30
#"Two Lines" (Zawinul) – 7:43
#"Where the Moon Goes" (Zawinul, lyrics by Nan O'Byrne and Zawinul) – 7:50
#"The Well" (Shorter, Zawinul) – 4:00
#"Molasses Run" (
Omar Hakim
Omar Hakim (born February 12, 1959) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer, producer, arranger and composer. He has worked with Weather Report, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Sting, Madonna, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry, Journey, Kate ...
) – 5:49
Personnel
;Weather Report
*
Josef Zawinul
Josef Erich Zawinul ( '; 7 July 1932 – 11 September 2007) was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to bec ...
- keyboards
*
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...
- tenor and soprano saxophones
*
Omar Hakim
Omar Hakim (born February 12, 1959) is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer, producer, arranger and composer. He has worked with Weather Report, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Sting, Madonna, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry, Journey, Kate ...
- drums, guitar, vocals
*
Victor Bailey - bass
*José Rossy - percussion, concertina
with:
*
The Manhattan Transfer - vocals on "Where the Moon Goes"
;Technical
*
Neil Dorfsman
Neil Dorfsman (born May 31, 1952) is an American sound engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Dire Straits, Bruce Hornsby, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney and Sting. He won Grammy Awards for Best Producer for Bruce Hornsby's ...
, Tom Fouce, Mitch Gibson, Tom Miller - engineer
*John Lykes - cover artwork
*
Bruce Talamon - photography
References
External links
Weather Report Annotated Discography: Procession
{{Authority control
1983 albums
Columbia Records albums
Weather Report albums