On
Mr. Gone,
Weather Report becomes merely a cover name for a
Joe Zawinul/
Jaco Pastorius jazz/rock/funk record production, with several guest drummers (
Steve Gadd,
Tony Williams,
Peter Erskine), no resident percussionist, and
Wayne Shorter as a still-potent solo saxophone threat. This album was denounced in its time as a sellout, probably on the reputation of
Jaco's pulsating "River People," which is as close as
WR ever came to outright disco. But there is lots of diversity and adventure here, as the creative core of the band uses the latest electronics to push out the boundaries of sound while maintaining tight control over structure. "The Pursuit of the Woman with the Feathered Hat" is quintessential
Zawinul; the Third World-centered groove is everything, no chord changes to impede this rush of layered electronics, percussion, and voices.
Shorter's spare "The Elders" flirts with the electronic avant-garde and he retrofits his
Miles Davis-era "Pinocchio" in rapid-fire electro-acoustic garb. In other words, the multi-flavored
WR stew continues to cook at a fine boil. ~ Richard S. Ginell