Mysterious Traveler: The Music of Weather Report

An Offical Pre-Festival Event for Capital Jazz Fest at Merriweather Post Pavillion

Scott Ambush, bass (Spyro Gyra, Deanna Bogart, Mary Ann Redmond Band)

Chris Fischer, keyboards (Spyro Gyra, Jennifer Hudson, Sunflare, In Gratitude)

Al Williams, saxes (Stanley Clarke, Mongo Santamaria)

Deren Blessman, drums (Gregg Karukas, Mary Ann Redmond, Sunflare, Jonathan Sloane)

Eddie Montalvo, percussion (Brencore All Stars, Myles Jaye, Bobby Lyle, Stephanie Mills)

Weather Report was the gold standard. Critically acclaimed and with a dedicated and growing fan base that a rock supergroup would envy, the jazz fusion quintet, started by former members of Miles Davis’ groundbreaking bands, was regarded as perhaps the most innovative and exciting group in music for much of its 15- year career, spanning 1970-1985.

The group, which focused on the superb compositions of founding members Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, also featured a constant merry- go- round of brilliant instrumentalists, including bass guitar genius Jaco Pastorius, who also wrote for the band. Weather Report served as a launching pad for numerous fresh and exciting drummers, percussionists, and bassists, with each configuration of the group finding new ground and appearing as intrepid as the others.

Anticipating the growing North American interest in world music, from the beginning Weather Report' s imaginative songs incorporated rhythms and harmonies from around the world, while also possessing actual hummable melodic hooks that laced the shifting pieces together. Their music includes elements of jazz, rock, funk, Latin, space- age synthesizers, and all manner of world beat. The 1977 masterpiece "Heavy Weather" featured the endlessly catchy "Birdland," and in 2011, that album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. During the mid- 1970 s, after Pastorius joined the group, the band' s live performances became events, as their music attracted both serious listeners and non- jazz fans alike.

Newmyer Flyer is the second production company from BandHouse Gigs co- founder Ron Newmyer. Previous sold- out shows include: Laurel Canyon: Golden Songs of Los Angeles 1967-73, The Last Waltz Tribute, the Dream Discs album tribute series, The Songs of Burt Bacharach & Hal David, The Best of Janis Joplin & Jimi Hendrix, and Time Loves A Hero: A Tribute to Little Feat & The Simon & Garfunkel Songbook, among many others.

Also check out other Music events in Columbia, Entertainment events in Columbia, Festivals in Columbia.