Tag Archives: Live In Tokyo

Fifty Years Ago Today—Weather Report’s First Tour of Japan

On January 4, 1972, Weather Report launched its first tour of Japan with a concert at Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo. It was the one of eight performances on the tour, five of which took place in Tokyo. The last of those concerts was recorded and released in Japan as the double-LP Live in Tokyo, parts of which also comprise the second side of I Sing the Body Electric, released later in the year.

Weather Report’s appearances were much anticipated by Japanese jazz fans. The group’s first album received several awards from Swing Journal (Japan’s leading jazz magazine), and CBS Sony rolled out the red carpet upon the band’s arrival at the airport, presenting each member with flowers and a limousine. At a press conference held the day of the first concert, the musicians were also given traditional Japanese umbrellas made of bamboo and oil paper—a nod to the band’s name.

Of course, one of the things the press wanted to know about was the band’s rather odd name. Wayne responded that it related to the their sound, which he said had no boundaries. Weather Report “can mean anything you want it to mean,” he said. “It’s sort of in neutral territory. It stretches and reaches into the imagination of the universe. It’s as boundless as the kind of music we play. It has a flow in the sound and it opens the doors for things to come. It’s not cramped.”

Without question the band was inspired by the first-rate music halls and large, respectful audiences for which they performed. “When we went to Japan,” Zawinul recalled, “we didn’t know what kind of a response we would get, but I couldn’t believe what happened. We thought, ‘What are we gonna do with these Japanese people, man?’ They’re so beautiful, such wonderful listeners, but laid back. That was their culture. So we said, ‘Let’s hit ’em hard, right from the first note,’ and we hit ’em hard.” Joe later told future Weather Report band members that their gig in Sapporo was the best one the band ever played.

All in all, it was a far cry from the club scene where most of Weather Report’s early U.S. appearances took place. There’s more about this tour in my book Elegant People: A History of the Band Weather Report.

As with all of Weather Report’s Japanese tours (there were seven in all), a souvenir program was produced, which you can view by clicking on the thumbnails below.

At some point I acquired some clippings from the March 1972 issue of the Japanese music magazine Ongaku Senka. They include a number of photographs from the tour, including one of the band members at their press conference, and another showing the on-stage production with “WEATHER REPORT” displayed in large letters behind the stage. Click on the thumbnails below for larger views.

Friday Music to Release Live in Tokyo on Audiophile Vinyl

Weather Report Live In Tokyo
Good news for vinyl fans. On February 17, Friday Music will release Weather Report’s Live In Tokyo on on 180 Gram translucent red audiophile vinyl, retaining its original gatefold format. It will join three previous Weather Report releases from Friday Music: the first Weather Report album, Sweetnighter, Black Market, and Heavy Weather.

Friday Music has become a major producer of vinyl products, including many entries in the progressive rock arena. You can pre-order Live In Tokyo now. Here’s a bit of the press release from Friday Music.

Friday Music is pleased to announce for the very first time on audiophile vinyl Live In Toyko by Weather Report. Mastered impeccably by Joe Reagoso at Friday Music Studios, this amazing classic truly shines in the audiophile vinyl domain. Pressed at R.T.I., this brilliant masterwork truly resonates as you remember from years ago.

To enhance your limited anniversary edition album experience, this first time audiophile vinyl release is also for a very short time being offered on translucent red audiophile vinyl in a first time gatefold cover presentation, featuring the rare original album cover design.

Welcome back and celebrate the music of Weather Report with their amazing Live In Toyko … an audiophile first time vinyl release, only from your friends at Friday Music

“Five jazz concerts I wish I had been at”

Gabriel Solis has a post on the Oxford University Press blog titled, “Five jazz concerts I wish I had been at.” Coming in at number four is Weather Report Live in Tokyo, 1972. Indeed, I bet a few us wish we could have been there.

As Solis writes, “Recordings of this music can only begin to capture its range. Even on high fidelity equipment, the silences are not as heavy as they would have been in the concert hall, not as pregnant with expectation, and the band at full volume is not as overwhelming. In some sense jazz performances are always a bit of a ritual, but this seems like an immersive experience of another level.”

A friend called this album “savage” Weather Report. And I always liked what Joe said later, “Let’s hit ’em hard, right from the first note.” Indeed, they did.

Check Solis’ article for the other live albums he chose.