''Sportin' Life'' is the thirteenth studio album by American

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

band

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer Alphonse Mouzon a ...

which was released in June 1985 through

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Although featuring many more vocal performances than any of their previous studio albums, words are rare and most vocals are chants from guest musicians such as

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and conductor (music), conductor. His Vocal pedagogy, vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in Pitch (music), pitch—fo ...

or Carl Anderson. The album is named after a character from ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...

''. ''Sportin' Life'' was to be the last Weather Report studio album, but due to contractual obligations with Columbia the band had to release a follow-up, ''

This Is This! ''This Is This!'' is the fourteenth and final studio album by Weather Report, released in August 1986. The band thought that it had fulfilled its contract with Columbia Records through the release of the previous album, '' Sportin' Life''. This ...

'', in 1986.

Track listing

''All tracks composed by Joe Zawinul; except where indicated.'' # "Corner Pocket" – 5:46 # "Indiscretions" – 4:05 # "Hot Cargo" – 4:41 # "Confians" (Mino Cinélu) – 5:07 # "Pearl On the Half Shell" (Wayne Shorter) – 4:06 # " What's Going On" (

Renaldo Benson Renaldo "Obie" Benson (June 14, 1936 – July 1, 2005) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member and the bass singer of Motown group the Four Tops, which he joined in 1953 and continued to perfo ...

, Alfred Cleveland,

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

) – 6:29 # "Face on the Barroom Floor" (Wayne Shorter) – 3:59 # "Ice-Pick Willy" – 5:00

Personnel

Weather Report *

Joe 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 (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...

– saxophones *

Omar Hakim Omar Hakim (born February 12, 1959) is an American drummer, producer, arranger and composer. His session work covers jazz, jazz fusion, and pop music. He has worked with Weather Report, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Chic, Sting, Madonna, Dire S ...

– drums, background vocals (track 4) * Victor Bailey – bass, background vocals (track 4) *

Mino Cinélu Mino Cinélu (born 10 March 1957) is a French musician. He plays multiple instruments. He is a composer, programmer and producer; and is primarily associated with his work as a jazz percussionist. Biography Cinelu was born in Saint-Cloud, Hauts- ...

– percussion, lead vocals and acoustic guitar on (track 4) Additional musicians *

– vocalist (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8) * Carl Anderson – vocalist (tracks 1, 3, 8) * Dee Dee Bellson – vocalist (tracks 1, 3, 8) *

Alfie Silas Alfie Silas is an American singer who has had a long career as a session singer. She has also had success as a solo artist and has had five hits on the r&b charts during the 1980s. Background Alfie Silas has been described by ''Cash Box'' as havin ...

– voice (tracks 1, 3, 8) Production * Howard Siegel – engineer * Tony Lane, Nancy Donald – art direction * Jerry McDonald – album artwork

References

External links

Weather Report Annotated Discography: Sportin' Life
{{Authority control 1985 albums Columbia Records albums Weather Report albums