Search - Weather Report :: Tale Spinnin'

Released in 1975, and here offered in a straight reissue, with no added material, Tale Spinnin' was either a transitional midperiod album for Weather Report or a time out, depending on your perspective. It's a breezy and attractive album, but without the substance or staying power of their best efforts. The band's ever-changing lineup now included drummer Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, who deepened the funk lines provided by bassist Alphonso Johnson, while Joe Zawinul delved further into African rhythms and otherwise widened his global concerns, and coleader Wayne Shorter pared down his sound on soprano saxophone. There are melodic hints of the heavy weather to follow, but the Zawinul-Shorter duet on "Five Short Stories" (featuring the former on keyboards and the latter on tenor) falls short of their lyrical achievement on "Blackthorn Rose," one of the highlights of 1974's Mysterious Traveller. --Lloyd Sachs