Best of Weather Report

1	Birdland 5:58
2	Mysterious Traveller 7:21
3	Boogie Woogie Waltz 13:04
4	The Elders 4:20
5	Night Passage 6:32
6	Freezing Fire 7:28
7	A Remark You Made 6:52
8	Elegant People 5:05
9	Man in the Green Shirt 6:28
10	Blackthorn Rose 4:59
11	Black Market 6:29

Barnes & Noble

A “best of” recording can only touch on the riches of Weather Report’s momentous career, but there’s plenty of memorable music to be found here nonetheless. For much of their 15-year tenure the brainchild of keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter went through myriad changes in personnel; this collection concentrates on the fully electric editions of the ensemble. (There are no selections from either the eponymously titled first album or the second, I Sing the Body Electric). With the addition of the innovative electric bassist Jaco Pastorious, Weather Report became one of the most popular fusion acts of the time; such tracks as “Birdland,” “A Remark You Made,” and “Night Passage” reflect their unbeatable combination of virtuosity and compositional flair. Earlier versions of Weather Report also receive attention: “Boogie Woogie Waltz,” “Mysterious Traveler,” “Blackthorne Rose," and “Black Market” rank high among their finest moments. Although Weather Report continued after Jaco Pastorious left, there are no selections from the band’s three post-Jaco albums. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

This Bob Belden-produced compilation includes nothing earlier than Sweetnighter and nothing later than Night Passage. A previous Weather Report compilation, This Is Jazz, Vol. 10, reaches back farther, giving listeners "The Moors" and "Orange Lady." While this one is a bit narrower historically, it still serves as a good introduction to an incredible band. (That said, a volume of post-1980 material may not be a bad idea.) Alongside obligatory classics like "Birdland," "Black Market," and "A Remark You Made" are more obscure goodies like "The Elders" from the unfairly maligned Mr. Gone album and "Blackthorn Rose," the marvelous piano/soprano sax duet from Mysterious Traveller. Another thing that recommends this and Columbia's Weather Report reissues in general: meticulous, track-by-track personnel listings, which weren't always made available on the original releases. David R. Adler