Joe Zawinul
July 7, 1932 – September 11, 2007
Joe Zawinul was a jazz keyboardist who co-founded Weather Report, a popular jazz fusion band, in the early ’70s. During the early part of his career, Zawinul played with Maynard Ferguson, afterwhich he toured and recorded with Dinah Washington. In 1961, Zaminul went to work with Cannonball Adderley and by the end of the decade he was playing with Miles Davis with whom he helped create what would be called jazz fusion. He played on Davis’ In A Silent Way and the monumental Bitches Brew. In 1970, he helped form Weather Report with Wayne Shorter, going on to record such modern jazz records as the Zaminul penned “Birdland,” a Grammy-winning song that has been covered by the likes of Quincy Jones, Jefferson Starship and String Cheese Incident. Joe Zawinul died of a rare skin cancer on September 11, 2007, approximately two months after a successful tour. He was 75 years old.
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