The Music of Weather Report: A Climate of Innovation, A Forecast of Genius

In the golden age of jazz fusion, a storm of creativity gathered on the musical horizon. That storm had a name: Weather Report. From the moment they emerged in 1970, they changed the forecast of modern music—electrifying, unpredictable, and utterly transformative. Their sound wasn’t just shaped by the moment; it shaped the climate of a generation.

Weather Report was the most vital and innovative band in jazz, fusing instantly memorable melodies, infectious grooves, and brilliant improvisation with the drive of rock and the rich textures of  world music.  Weather Report was more than just a band – they were a complete weather system. Led by Joe Zawinul on keyboards whose notes painted vast atmospheric landscapes, Wayne Shorter’s saxophone conjured narratives as shifting and profound as the wind whilst rhythmic innovator Peter Erskine and the gravitational genius of Jaco Pastorius created music that moved like a front across continents, merging jazz, rock, funk, and global currents into a single, surging force.

Weather Report’s albums became landmarks – Mysterious Traveller, Tale Spinnin’, Heavy Weather, and the Grammy-winning 8:30 – each one forecasting new sonic climates. Their compositions, like the joyous Birdland, became anthems for musical jet streams that carried jazz into new latitudes and although they played their final notes in 1986, their legacy lives on – echoing across time, like thunder that rumbles long after the flash.

Scotland’s National Jazz Orchestra forecasts a rekindling of that electrifying spirit with a concert not of retrospection, but of renewal – a reimagining of Weather Report’s musical climate, with favourite tunes – including Birdland, the Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz, and Teen Town – given life through collaboration between the SNJO and contemporary jazz arrangers.

You are warmly invited to step into the ever-changing skies of jazz fusion – to feel the gusts of genius, the warmth of nostalgia, and the refreshing clarity of innovation. Whether a long-time traveller on Weather Report’s musical jet stream or just discovering them, prepare for a concert that is as dynamic as the forces of nature themselves. Some legacies don’t fade with time – they change the atmosphere.

NB: Tickets on sale now!