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{{Short description|American jazz fusion band}}
{{About|the band|other uses|Weather report (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| image           = Weather_Report_19810611_shinjuku_fn23.jpg
| caption         = Weather Report live June 11, 1981
| background      = group_or_band
| landscape       = yes
| origin          = New York City, New York, U.S.
| genre           = {{hlist|[[Jazz fusion]]|[[jazz-funk]]}}
| years_active    = 1970–1986
| label           = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[American Record Corporation|ARC]]
| associated_acts = [[Miles Davis]], [[Cannonball Adderley]], [[Joni Mitchell]], [[The Zawinul Syndicate]], Weather Update

| past_members    = [[Joe Zawinul]]<br />[[Wayne Shorter]]<br />[[Jaco Pastorius]]<br />[[Miroslav Vitouš]]<br />[[Alphonse Mouzon]]<br />[[Don Alias]]<br />[[Airto Moreira]]<br />[[Muruga Booker]]<br />[[Dom Um Romão]]<br />[[Eric Gravatt]]<br />[[Greg Errico]]<br />[[Alphonso Johnson]]<br />[[Leon "Ndugu" Chancler]]<br />[[Narada Michael Walden]]<br />[[Chester Thompson]]<br />[[Alex Acuña]]<br />[[Manolo Badrena]]<br />[[Peter Erskine]]<br />[[Robert Thomas Jr.]]<br />[[Omar Hakim]]<br />[[Victor Bailey (musician)|Victor Bailey]]<br />[[Mino Cinélu]]<br />[[Steve Gadd]]
<br/>[[Tony Williams (drummer)|Tony Williams]]<br/>[[Andrew White (saxophonist)|Andrew White]] }} 

'''Weather Report''' was an American [[jazz fusion]] band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist [[Joe Zawinul]], American saxophonist [[Wayne Shorter]], Czech bassist [[Miroslav Vitouš]], American drummer [[Alphonse Mouzon]] as well as American percussionists [[Don Alias]] and Barbara Burton. The band was initially co-led by Zawinul and Shorter but as the 1970s progressed, Zawinul became the primary composer and creative director of the group. Other prominent members throughout the band’s history included bassists [[Jaco Pastorius]], [[Alphonso Johnson]] and [[Victor Bailey (musician)|Victor Bailey]], drummers [[Chester Thompson]] and [[Peter Erskine]], and percussionists [[Airto Moreira]] and [[Alex Acuña]]. A quintet of Zawinul and Shorter plus a bassist, a drummer and a percussionist was the standard formation for Weather Report.

The band started as a free improvising group with avant-garde and experimental electronic leanings (pioneered by Zawinul); when Vitouš left Weather Report (due mostly to creative disagreements), Zawinul increasingly steered the band towards a funky, edgy sound incorporating elements of [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] and native musics from around the world. Zawinul used the latest developments in synthesizer technology, and he took advantage of a large variety of sounds and tone colors to make the band stand out. During the first half of their career, Weather Report were seen as one of the defining acts in modern jazz, winning the [[DownBeat]] "best album award" five times in a row.

Alongside bands such as [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]], [[Return to Forever]], and [[Herbie Hancock]]'s [[The Headhunters|Headhunters]] (all with members inspired by and partially responsible for the fusion-era work of [[Miles Davis]]), Weather Report is widely considered one of the defining bands of the [[jazz fusion]] genre.

==Musical style==
Over their 16-year career, Weather Report explored various types of music, predominantly centered on jazz (initially the "[[free jazz|free]]" variety), but also incorporating elements of [[art music]], [[folk music|ethnic music]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[funk]], and [[rock music|rock]]. While their work was categorized as "jazz fusion", the band members generally distanced themselves from that term.

From the start, Weather Report took the unusual approach of abandoning the traditional "soloist/accompaniment" demarcation of straight-ahead jazz and featured opportunities for continuous improvisation by every member of the band. That position remained consistent throughout the life of the band. From the point where Alphonso Johnson joined the band, individual solos became more prominent in concert, but were never allowed to overwhelm the collective approach. Initially, the band's music featured an improvisational method (similar to [[Miles Davis]]'s ''[[Bitches Brew]]''-period),<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1238}}</ref> but eventually that shifted to a more groove-oriented approach and catchier compositions (as epitomized by their 1977 hit single [[Birdland (composition)|"Birdland"]]).

Joe Zawinul's playing style was often dominated by quirky melodic improvisations (simultaneously [[bebop]]-, ethnic-, and pop-sounding) combined with sparse but rhythmic big-band chords or bass lines. Having originally made his name as a pioneering [[electric piano]] player, he went on to consistently develop the role of the [[synthesizer]] in jazz during his time with Weather Report. Working with companies such as [[ARP Instruments|ARP]] and [[Oberheim Electronics|Oberheim]], Zawinul developed new ways of voicing and patching electronic tones for textures, ensemble roles (including emulations of traditional band instruments) and soloing. In Weather Report, he often employed a [[vocoder]], as well as recorded sounds played (i.e., filtered and transposed) through a synthesizer, creating a very distinctive, often beautiful, synthesis of [[jazz chord|jazz harmonics]] and "noise" (which he referred to as "using all the sounds the world generates"). On some Weather Report tunes, however, Zawinul was criticized for allowing his synthesized arrangements to dominate the sound.

{{quote box
| bgcolor = #EEEEEE
| quote   = In the beginning let's say Weather Report was a joint thing. Then, after the second album there's no question about it, it became more and more my group. Wayne wanted it like that, but we were always 'partners in crime'. No Wayne, no Weather Report.
| source  = —Josef Zawinul on his gradual takeover of Weather Report<ref>Nicholson, Stuart. ''Jazz-Rock: A History''. Schirmer Books. 2001, {{ISBN|978-0825671883}}</ref>
| width   = 30%
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[[Wayne Shorter]] came to the group with a reputation as a dominant role as an instrumentalist,<ref name="Larkin"/> drawn from both his solo work and his contributions to Miles Davis' "second great quintet" during the 1960s. His choice not to follow the same approach with Weather Report led to some criticism of the group. During his time with Weather Report, Shorter was noted for generally playing saxophone with an economical, "listening" style. Rather than continually taking the lead, he generally added subtle harmonic, melodic, and/or rhythmic complexity by responding to other member's improvisations (although he could and did sometimes exercise a more frenetic style akin to that of [[John Coltrane]] or [[Michael Brecker]]). As a composer, he chose a more abstract, sometimes atonal and "free jazz" style of music, opposed to the sometimes flamboyant melodicism of the tunes written by Zawinul or Pastorius. Playing both tenor and soprano saxophones, Shorter continued to develop the role of the latter instrument in jazz, taking his cue from previous work by [[John Coltrane|Coltrane]], [[Sidney Bechet]], [[Lucky Thompson]], and [[Steve Lacy (saxophonist)|Steve Lacy]].

Weather Report maintained a consistent interest in a textured sound and developments in music technology and processing. Both Zawinul and original bassist Miroslav Vitouš experimented with electronic effects pedals (as generally used by rock guitarists) with Zawinul using them on electric piano and synthesizers and Vitouš on his [[upright bass]] (which he frequently bowed through distortion to create a second horn-like voice). The band's third bass player, [[Jaco Pastorius]], popularized the use of fretless bass guitar, melodic bass soloing and extensive use of string harmonics, as well as consolidating the driving R&B pulse in the band's music (which had been brought in by his predecessor [[Alphonso Johnson]]).

With the exception of a brief quartet period between 1978 and 1979 (wherein other members could double on various percussion instruments), Weather Report's instrumentation always included both a drummer and a percussionist. For its first eight years of existence, the group had difficulty finding a permanent drummer, moving through about one drummer per year until Jaco Pastorius helped to recruit [[Peter Erskine]] in 1978. Erskine and [[Omar Hakim]] were the only drummers who played with Weather Report for more than two years.

==History==
===1970: Inception and formation===
Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter had first met and become friends in 1959 while they were playing in [[Maynard Ferguson]]'s [[Big Band]]. Zawinul went on to play with [[Cannonball Adderley]]'s group in the 1960s, while Shorter joined [[Art Blakey]]'s Jazz Messengers and then, in 1964, Miles Davis' second great quintet. During this decade, both men made names for themselves as being among the best composers in jazz.

Zawinul later joined Shorter in contributing to the initial [[jazz fusion|fusion]] music recordings of Miles Davis, and both men were part of the studio groups that recorded the key Davis albums ''[[In a Silent Way]]'' (1969) and ''[[Bitches Brew]]'' (1970).<ref name="Larkin"/> Weather Report was initially formed to explore a more impressionistic and individualistic music (or, as Zawinul put it, "away from all that eight bars shit and then you go to the bridge...").<ref>Silvert, Conrad. "Joe Zawinul: Wayfaring Genius – Part II". ''[[DownBeat]]''. June 15, 1978.</ref>

There's some dispute over how Weather Report initially formed. According to Zawinul, it began when he and Shorter recruited another Miles Davis associate, the classically trained Czech-born bass player Miroslav Vitouš, who had previously played with each of them separately (as well as with [[Herbie Mann]], [[Bob Brookmeyer]], [[Stan Getz]], and [[Chick Corea]]).  According to Vitouš himself, it was he and Shorter who actually founded Weather Report, with Shorter bringing in Zawinul afterwards.<ref>Jung, Fred. [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=619&pg=3 "A Fireside Chat with Miroslav Vitous"] (page 3). All About Jazz (allaboutjazz.com). October 10, 2003.</ref> Whichever story is true, it was those three musicians – all composers – who formed the initial core of the project.

To complete the band, Zawinul, Shorter and Vitouš brought in [[McCoy Tyner]]'s former drummer [[Alphonse Mouzon]] and began recording their [[Weather Report (1971 album)|debut album]] while looking for a full-time auxiliary percussionist.<ref name="Larkin"/> The initial recruits were session percussion player [[Don Alias]] and symphony orchestra percussionist Barbara Burton. During recording, Alias quarreled with Zawinul (allegedly due to Zawinul being too dictatorial over the percussion approach) and the innovative Brazilian percussionist [[Airto Moreira]] (yet another Davis alumnus) was brought in to complete the record. Guitarist [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]] was also invited to join the group, but decided to pursue his solo career, instead.

===1971–1972: Avant-garde collective===
Weather Report's debut album ''[[Weather Report (1971 album)|Weather Report]]'' featured a softer sound than would be the case in later years, predominantly using acoustic bass, with Shorter exclusively playing soprano saxophone. It built on the avant-garde experiments which Zawinul and Shorter had pioneered with Miles Davis on ''Bitches Brew'', including an avoidance of head-and-chorus composition in favor of continuous rhythm and movement. ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine described the album as "music beyond category".<ref>(Dan Morgenstern, ''[[DownBeat]]'', May 13, 1971).
</ref>

In 1972, Weather Report released its second album, ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> The first side featured new studio recordings, while the second side was taken from live recordings of a concert in [[Tokyo]], featuring the full-band lineup of Zawinul, Shorter, Vitouš, [[Eric Gravatt]], and [[Dom Um Romão]] (and later available in full as the 1972 Japan-only double album ''[[Live in Tokyo (Weather Report album)|Live in Tokyo]]'').<ref name=ALLMUSIC>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/weather-report-mn0000243527/biography|title=Weather Report &#124; Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> The studio side used extended versions of the band including various guest performers, suggesting that Weather Report was not necessarily an integral jazz band, but might possibly work as an expandable project set up to realise the music of its three composers.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} The album also featured Zawinul's first use of a [[synthesizer]] (an instrument with which he would become synonymous within jazz) and of sound effects.

''I Sing the Body Electric'' also showed the first signs of a shift in the balance of control within the band, away from the more collective approach of the debut album. During the following year, this tendency would develop further.

===1973: Move towards groove===
On 1973's ''[[Sweetnighter]]'', Weather Report began to abandon the primarily acoustic group improvisation format, and the band started to take a new direction. Primarily at Zawinul's instigation, Weather Report became more [[jazz funk]]- and groove-oriented, drawing more heavily on [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] influences and dense electric keyboard work while adding more structure to both the prewritten and the improvisational sections.

{{quote box
| bgcolor = #EEEEEE
| quoted  = true
| quote   = [Miroslav] loved funk, and he tried to play it, but he wasn't a funk player. It wasn't where he came from. He didn't connect up with how to go there. He could listen to it, talk about it, and he admired it, but that's not what came out of him, so that was something that held back where Joe wanted to go at the time I was with them. Melodically and rhythmically, Miroslav was great; what he did do, in terms of where I was coming from, was very unique. Miroslav was still playing acoustic, and it was an odd kind of a funk. It was very... interesting!
| source  = —Weather Report touring drummer Greg Errico on [[Miroslav Vitouš]]<ref name=inasilentway>Glasser, Brian. "In a Silent Way". Sanctuary Publishing Limited. 2001.</ref>
| width   = 30%
| qalign  = left
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Gravatt took his replacement in the studio sessions badly and quit the band at the end of recording, moving to [[Minneapolis]] to join the band Natural Life. Many years later, Zawinul paid tribute to Gravatt's skills and stated that he had been the finest of the band's "pure jazz" drummers<ref>Armbruster, Greg. "Joe Zawinul Interview". Keyboard Magazine. March 1984.</ref> as well as being "from the jazz side... my favorite of them all".<ref>Woodard, Josef. "Weather Report: Storm Surge". ''[[DownBeat]]''. January 2001. pp. 22–28.</ref> With Gravatt gone and former drummer Herschel Dwellingham unavailable for touring, former [[Sly & the Family Stone]] drummer [[Greg Errico]] played on the ''Sweetnighter'' tour, but did not stay with the band afterwards.

At this point, Vitouš and Zawinul found themselves at creative loggerheads, since the former preferred Weather Report's original approach and the latter wished to continue further along the road to funk. Retrospectively, Zawinul accused Vitouš of being unable to play funk convincingly (something which Greg Errico corroborated) and claimed that he had not provided enough music for the band. Vitouš countered that he had in fact brought in compositions, but that Zawinul had been unable to play them. Vitouš has also accused Zawinul of having been "a first-class manipulator" primarily interested in commercial success.<ref name="conversationvitous">{{cite journal |last1=Kot |first1=Jake |title=Conversation with Miroslav Vitous |journal=Bass Musician |date=August 1, 2009 |url=https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2009/08/conversation-with-miroslav-vitous/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610082135/https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2009/08/conversation-with-miroslav-vitous/ |archive-date= Jun 10, 2023 }}</ref><ref name=innerviewsvitous>Prasad, Anil. [http://www.innerviews.org/inner/vitous.html "Miroslav Vitous: Freeing the muse"]. Innerviews. 2004.</ref> For his part, Zawinul would later recall Vitouš planning to concentrate on more bowed solos and getting the group to hire a second bassist to play the standard basslines, to which Zawinul's response was "why don't we get one bassist who can do all of that?" Zawinul claimed that "there was nothing disrespectful about it... we had to make this move. And history has proved us to have been right."<ref name="jazztimessportinlife">{{cite web |url=https://jazztimes.com/archives/joe-zawinul-sportin-life/ |title=Joe Zawinul: Sportin' Life |first1=George |last1=Varga |website=Jazz Times |date=29 June 2020 |orig-date=April 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510065944/https://jazztimes.com/archives/joe-zawinul-sportin-life/ |archive-date= May 10, 2023}}</ref>

When Shorter sided with Zawinul, the original three-man partnership broke down acrimoniously and Vitouš left Weather Report, moving on to a solo career as composer and band leader. His final contribution to Weather Report was to play bass on a single track, which appeared on the band's 1974 album ''[[Mysterious Traveller]]'' ("American Tango", which he had co-written with Zawinul). Vitouš' departure marked the end of the first phase of Weather Report and the shift of overall creative dominance of the band to Josef Zawinul, although Shorter remained an integral, influential, and vital part of the project. Vitouš has subsequently accused both Zawinul and Shorter of having used foul play to edge him out of the band, to deny the scale of his contribution to Weather Report's history and creative approach, and to cheat him out of remuneration.<ref name=conversationvitous/><ref name=innerviewsvitous/>

===1974–1975: Further into groove===
Vitouš' replacement was the Philadelphian electric bass guitarist [[Alphonso Johnson]] (formerly a sideman for the pop-fusion player [[Chuck Mangione]]). Recruited by Shorter, Johnson was a supple player more than capable of providing the funk element which Zawinul desired. He was also an early advocate of the [[Chapman Stick]], which he can be heard playing on some of the live Weather Report recordings of the period.

According to Zawinul, new drummer Ishmael Wilburn apparently "lost heart" on tour (despite performing well in the studio). To shore up the music, the band hired another drummer, Darryl Brown, to play alongside him. At the end of the tour, both Wilburn and Brown left the band (as did Dom Um Romão) and Weather Report was, once again, drummerless.

For the next set of studio sessions, Weather Report added a new Brazilian percussionist (Alyrio Lima) and a new drummer, [[Leon "Ndugu" Chancler]].

The new album, ''[[Tale Spinnin']]'', was released in 1975. It was the first Weather Report album to feature a consistent rhythm section (rather than a varied set of drummers, percussionists, and bass players) since their debut. The album also made further strides in using technological improvements in synthesizers, even making use of the gigantic studio-based [[TONTO]] array.

During the same year, Shorter also recorded ''[[Native Dancer (album)|Native Dancer]]'' under his own name (with the Brazilian composer and vocalist [[Milton Nascimento]]). ''Tale Spinnin{{'}}'' won the ''[[DownBeat]]'' best album award for 1975 (the third Weather Report album to do so) and ''Native Dancer'' was the runner-up.

===1976: In transition===
[[File:Weatherreport.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Weather Report in Argentina. L to R: Shorter, Erskine, Zawinul, and Pastorius]]
1976's ''[[Black Market (Weather Report album)|Black Market]]'' album was perhaps the most rock-oriented work which the group had produced to date.<ref name="Larkin"/> Weather Report's music had evolved further from open-ended funk jams into more melody-oriented, concise forms, which also offered a greater mass-market appeal. Zawinul further consolidated his use of keyboard synthesizers, while Shorter experimented with an early form of wind synthesizer, the [[Lyricon]].

However, the album was recorded during yet another period of change for the group, with multiple personnel shuffles. Although Alyrio Lima played percussion on one track, he was replaced during the sessions by [[Don Alias]] (his first appearance with the group since the debut album) and by [[Alex Acuña]] (a Peruvian drummer and conga player based in Las Vegas, who had played with [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Ike Turner]], among others).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zawinulonline.org/galleries/1977_wr_program|title=1977 Weather Report Tour Program|website=Zawinulonline.org|access-date=September 30, 2019}}</ref> Alphonso Johnson was also worn out from the strain put on the rhythm by the band's frequent changes of drummer. During a break in activity halfway through the recording of ''Black Market'', Johnson opted to leave Weather Report to play with the [[Billy Cobham]]/[[George Duke]] Band (which featured a young [[John Scofield]] on guitar).

Prior to his departure, Johnson played on all but two of the new album's tracks. His replacement was [[Jaco Pastorius]], a [[virtuoso]] fretless bass guitarist from Florida, who had been in touch with Zawinul for several years and who came in to play on "Cannonball" and his own composition "Barbary Coast". Zawinul and Shorter had assumed that new drummer [[Chester Thompson]] would be departing alongside his friend Johnson, and for the second set of sessions, they replaced him (on Pastorius' recommendation) with the former [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]] drummer [[Narada Michael Walden]]. Although Walden played on several album tracks, he ultimately proved unsuitable. Thompson returned for the final ''Black Market'' sessions, but left again after failing to gel as a rhythm section with Pastorius (whose style was much busier than that of Johnson). Thompson subsequently joined [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] as their touring drummer.

''Black Market'' continued Weather Report's ongoing run of success,<ref name="Larkin"/> selling well and being the fourth of the band's albums to win the album of the year award from ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine. For the subsequent tour, [[Alex Acuña]] moved from percussion to the drum kit, and Don Alias was replaced by the young Puerto Rican percussionist [[Manolo Badrena]], who had previously played with various Latin rock bands and with [[Art Blakey]]. The band made a very well-received appearance in July at the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]] 1976, which was filmed for future release.

===1977–1979: Jazz-rock stars===
{{Original research section|date=March 2023}}
[[File:Portrait_of_Tracy_1980.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Pastorius, reaching to accentuate his bass guitar sound with harmonics]]
The recruitment of Jaco Pastorius helped to push Weather Report to the height of its popularity. Already a rising star in his own right, Pastorius brought a very musical, melodic quality to the bass. He could play muscular, lightning-fast groove lines influenced by R&B or funk, as well as demonstrating an extraordinary solo control of tone and string harmonics, often sounding more like a horn player. Pastorius was also a [[multi-instrumentalist]] (contributing drums, [[steel pan]], and [[mandocello]] to the latest recording sessions), a gifted composer (eventually responsible for some signature Weather Report pieces such as "[[Teen Town]]" and "Three Views of a Secret"), and a useful production foil for Zawinul due to his knowledge of recording studios and techniques. Finally, Pastorius' stagecraft and aggressive showmanship helped the band to bring in a new audience.

[[File:Weather Report1.jpg|thumb|230px|left|L-R: Zawinul, Pastorius, Shorter]]

The band's next album was 1977's acclaimed ''[[Heavy Weather (album)|Heavy Weather]]'', which proved to be the band's most successful recording in terms of sales, while still retaining wide critical acclaim. It included the band's biggest hit, the propulsive and danceable "[[Birdland (composition)|Birdland]]" (highlighting Pastorius' singing bass lines and Zawinul's synthesized ensemble brass), which became a pop hit and later became a [[jazz standard]]. Weather Report appeared on the [[Burt Sugarman]]-produced series ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]'', performing both "Birdland" and "[[Teen Town]]". ''Heavy Weather'' continued Weather Report's record of awards, including their last ''[[DownBeat]]'' Album of the Year award.

During this period, Pastorius' strong professional connection with [[Joni Mitchell]] (for whom he played bass throughout the latter half of the 1970s) led to another musical connection. Over the next few years, Mitchell hired the Weather Report line-up ''en masse'' (although without Zawinul in each case) to play on her studio albums ''[[Don Juan's Reckless Daughter]]'' (1977) and ''[[Mingus (Joni Mitchell album)|Mingus]]'' (1979).

[[File:Weather Report2 (Jaco Pastorius).jpg|thumb|200px|right|Jaco Pastorius, with bass guitar in Toronto, November 1977]]
During August 1978 the band joined [[Maurice White]]'s vanity label [[American Record Corporation|ARC]] at Columbia.<ref>{{cite work|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ViQEAAAAMBAJ&q=Maurice+White+1978+ARC&pg=PT18|title=New ARC Columbia Label on debut|page=19|volume=90|date=August 5, 1978|publisher=Billboard Magazine}}</ref> At the time they were once again without either a full-time drummer and percussionist, with Alex Acuña having returned to Las Vegas for a career as a studio musician and [[Manolo Badrena]] having been fired for "non-musical reasons". Shorter had been focusing most of his attention and compositional ideas into his solo work, while Zawinul was sketching out ideas for a solo album of his own, which involved moving away from a raw group sound in favor of constructing a far more orchestrated and experimental studio-based recording with multiple overdubs. However, Weather Report's contract and work schedule required another album, so Zawinul's solo work was absorbed into what became Weather Report's eighth album, ''[[Mr. Gone (album)|Mr. Gone]]'' (1978).

The studio sessions made use of a variety of drummers – Pastorius played the kit on two tracks and further contributions came from [[Tony Williams (drummer)|Tony Williams]], [[Steve Gadd]], and [[Peter Erskine]] (the latter an ex-[[Stan Kenton]]/[[Maynard Ferguson]] drummer recruited to the project by Pastorius). Erskine became a full member of the band for the next tour and remained with Weather Report until 1982. The album also featured guest appearances from [[Deniece Williams]] and [[Earth Wind and Fire]] leader [[Maurice White]].  The album rose to No. 1 on the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] [[Jazz Albums]] chart.<ref>{{cite work|title=Billboard Jazz Albums|page=56|volume=90|date=December 2, 1978|publisher=Billboard Magazine}}</ref>

Notoriously, ''Mr. Gone'' (1978) received only a one-star review rating from ''[[DownBeat]]'' after a string of group releases which had all pulled a five-star rating. The group arranged for a rebuttal interview with the magazine to defend their efforts. Zawinul and Pastorius were uncompromising in their contributions to the interview, Shorter more philosophical, and Erskine the most reticent of the four.

[[File:Weather Report2 1980.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Weather Report performing in Amsterdam in 1980]]
By the late '70s, Weather Report was a quartet of Zawinul, Shorter, Pastorius, and Erskine, and (for the first time) had dispensed with the auxiliary percussionist role, which had been integral since the band's inception. Instead, all four members doubled on percussion at various points in live performances. Zawinul commented that this sleeker, less crowded sound provided more listening range and made the music less chaotic now that the band were focusing more on melody and harmony.<ref>Silvert, Conrad. "Joe Zawinul: Wayfaring Genius—Part II". ''[[DownBeat]]''. June 15, 1978.</ref><ref>Hunt, Dennis. "Weather Report's Cloudy Image". Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1978.</ref>

The larger scale and multimedia staging of the band's tours (complete with stagehands, laser and film projections) began to take on the kind of rock-star proportions mostly unknown in jazz circles. The 1979 double live album ''[[8:30]]'' (which won that year's [[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance|Best Jazz Fusion Performance]]) was recorded on the ''Mr. Gone'' tour and captured the direct power and energy of this lineup of Weather Report. Zawinul later described this lineup as "one of the greatest bands of all time! That band was a ''hummer''!"<ref>Jackson, Blair. "Fusion Giants Weather Report". BAM #157. June 3, 1983.</ref>

Between March 2 and 4, 1979, Weather Report traveled to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], to participate in the historic [[Havana Jam]] festival, a break in mutual Cuban/American political hostilities, which had American artists such as [[Stephen Stills]], the CBS Jazz All-Stars, [[Bonnie Bramlett]], [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Rita Coolidge]], and [[Billy Joel]] play alongside Cuban artists such as [[Irakere]], [[Pacho Alonso]], [[Tata Güines]], and [[Orquesta Aragón]]. Another featured performance was by the [[Trio of Doom]] (a short-lived teaming of Pastorius with [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]] and [[Tony Williams (drummer)|Tony Williams]]). Weather Report's performance featured in Havana Jam '79, Ernesto Juan Castellanos' documentary celebrating the event.

===1980–1982: A tighter arrangement===
[[File:Bobby Thomas jr. and Wayne Shorter.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Drummer Thomas, left, and Shorter, performing in Amsterdam, in 1980]]
At the beginning of 1980, Pastorius recruited hand-drummer [[Robert Thomas Jr.]] (a fellow Floridan, with whom he had jammed previously) into the band. Thomas featured on the 1980 album ''[[Night Passage (album)|Night Passage]]''. A tighter and more traditional recording than previous releases, the record featured a more prominent role for Shorter, a strong element of [[bebop]], and a nod to jazz's golden age via a high-speed cover of [[Duke Ellington]]'s "[[Rockin' in Rhythm]]" (showing off Zawinul's pioneering and ever-increasing ability to create synthetic big-band sounds on his synthesizers).

By now, Pastorius was displaying signs of the mental instability and substance abuse problems that ultimately wrecked his career; the close relationship he'd previously shared with Zawinul was becoming strained as Zawinul lost patience with Pastorius' showmanship onstage (beginning to feel that it detracted from the music). Towards the end of the year, Pastorius began working on his long-delayed second solo album (''[[Word of Mouth (Jaco Pastorius album)|Word of Mouth]]'') (1981) in New York, while Zawinul worked on new Weather Report material in California.

Weather Report's next album ''[[Weather Report (1982 album)|Weather Report]]'' (1982) (their second eponymous release, following their 1971 debut) was recorded in 1981, although it was not released for another year. Zawinul's dominance as instrumentalist and composer (as well as group director) was even more pronounced on this album. Increasingly, the band's music was written out rather than improvised. At the same time, Pastorius was spending more of his creative attention on his ''Word of Mouth'' project: his only writing for the Weather Report album was his contribution to a single group-composed piece. Shorter (who only contributed one composition to the 1982 album, beyond group-written work) was already taking a less active approach. He later commented, philosophically, "For a long time in Weather Report, I abstained. I elected not to do things."

Erskine's own commitment to ''Word of Mouth'' (and his summer commitment to ''[[Steps Ahead]]'') meant that his part also needed to be replaced; at the same time, Robert Thomas Jr. left the band. Reduced to a duo, and with tour commitments looming, Zawinul and Shorter were obliged to quickly assemble a new band.

===1982–1985: A new band===
On the recommendation of [[Michał Urbaniak]],<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://musicaficionado.blog/2016/05/05/where-the-moon-goes-by-weather-report/|title=The Story Behind the : Where the Moon Goes, by Weather Report|website=Musicaficionado.blog|date=5 May 2016}}</ref> Zawinul and Shorter recruited 23-year-old drummer [[Omar Hakim]], a talented session player and multi-instrumentalist, who had played with a variety of musicians including [[Mike Mainieri]], [[David Bowie]], and [[Carly Simon]]. Hakim was immediately entrusted with recruiting the rest of the new lineup. Having failed to secure [[Marcus Miller]] as bass guitarist,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jacopastorius.com/features/perspectives-on-jaco/marcus-miller-on-jaco/|title = Marcus Miller on Jaco &#124; Jaco Pastorius|website=Jacopastorius.com}}</ref> he selected [[Victor Bailey (musician)|Victor Bailey]] (a recent graduate from the [[Berklee College of Music]], with whom Hakim had played while backing [[Miriam Makeba]]). Hakim also recruited percussion/concertina player José Rossy, with whom he had worked in [[Labelle]].

The new Weather Report went straight onto tour. The music developed on tour was later recorded for the 1983 album ''[[Procession (album)|Procession]]'', which showed the band beginning to make something of a return to the "world music" approach which it had pioneered in the mid-1970s, and featured a cameo appearance from [[The Manhattan Transfer]].<ref name="auto"/>

Continuing with the same lineup, Weather Report recorded the ''[[Domino Theory (album)|Domino Theory]]'' album in 1984, with Hakim stepping into Jaco Pastorius' old role as Zawinul's co-producer. The album was Weather Report's first album to employ drum machines and samplers (the Emulator), deepening the band's involvement with cutting-edge music technology, and also featured a guest vocal from [[Carl Anderson (singer)|Carl Anderson]].

Percussionist and singer [[Mino Cinélu]] replaced Rossy in the spring of 1984 and appeared on the band's video release ''Live in Japan'' (reissued on DVD in 2007). The same lineup played on 1985's ''[[Sportin' Life (Weather Report album)|Sportin' Life]]'' album, which included a cover of [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "[[What's Going On (song)|What's Going On]]" and appearances by singers [[Bobby McFerrin]] and Carl Anderson. In keeping with Zawinul's technological curiosity, the album heralded the arrival of [[MIDI]], which allowed him to rapidly and inexpensively write, demonstrate, and record music via a set of synthesizers.

===1986: Final split===
Both Zawinul and Shorter were beginning to realise that the refreshing nature of other projects was more satisfying than Weather Report work, and both generally felt that the band had run its course.<ref name="Larkin"/>

In February 1986, the ''[[San Diego Union-Tribune]]'' announced that Shorter had left the band to concentrate on solo work.<ref>Varga, George. "Shorter Departs Weather Report". San Diego Union-Tribune. February 28, 1986.</ref> Having reluctantly agreed with Shorter that he would no longer use the band name, Zawinul then ended Weather Report. The final album under the Weather Report name, ''[[This is This!]]'', was released in June 1986 and fulfilled the band's contract with Columbia Records. Two of its tracks featured guitar work from [[Carlos Santana]], and it also marked the return of Peter Erskine on drums, with Hakim only appearing on one track.

===1986–present: After Weather Report===
Having split the band, Zawinul promptly attempted to reform it – after a fashion – as Weather Update.<ref name="Larkin"/> For this project, he reunited with recent Weather Report alumni Victor Bailey, Mino Cinélu, and Peter Erskine, but replaced Shorter with guitarist [[John Scofield]]. This lineup was short-lived, with Los Angeles session guitarist [[Steve Khan]] and former Weather Report percussionist [[Robert Thomas Jr.]] replacing Scofield and Cinélu prior to live appearances.<ref>Bianchi, Curt. [http://www.zawinulonline.org/articles/weather_update/ "Weather Update: Zawinul in Transition"]. Zawinul Online.</ref> Weather Update toured in 1986 and 1987 before Zawinul dissolved the band. From 1988 onwards, Zawinul went on to enjoy a successful nineteen-year career leading the world music/jazz ensemble [[The Zawinul Syndicate]] (which has continued, following Zawinul's death, as The Syndicate).

Rather than form another collective band, Wayne Shorter concentrated on his solo career and on work as a bandleader, which continued until his death on March 2, 2023.

In spite of the band's enduring popularity, a Weather Report reunion never occurred. The nearest that the band ever came to reuniting was when Zawinul and Shorter both played live with Miles Davis on July 10, 1991, in Paris (the only time when Zawinul is known to have shared a live stage with Davis).<ref name="ALLMUSIC" />  A projected mid-1990s reunion CD for Verve never materialized; according to Zawinul, disappointing sales for Shorter's 1995 CD ''[[High Life (Wayne Shorter album)|High Life]]'' may have played a part in ending the idea.<ref name=innerviewszawinul>Prasad, Anil. [http://www.innerviews.org/inner/zawinul.html "Joe Zawinul: Man of the people"]. Innerviews. 1997.</ref>

Six of the band's members have since died. Zawinul himself died on September 11, 2007, in Vienna from [[skin cancer]] ([[Merkel cell cancer|Merkel cell carcinoma]]).<ref>{{cite news|first=Ray|last=McDonald|title=Keyboardist Joe Zawinul Dies|date=September 12, 2007|publisher=Voice of America|url=http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-09/2007-09-12-voa18.cfm|work=VOA News|access-date=January 2, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116115422/http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-09/2007-09-12-voa18.cfm|archive-date=January 16, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/11/AR2007091102289.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Joe Zawinul, 75; Keyboardist Was a Pioneer of Jazz Fusion|first=Matt|last=Schudelm|date=September 12, 2007|access-date=May 6, 2010}}</ref> He was predeceased by mid-period bass player Jaco Pastorius, who died on September 21, 1987, following a fatal beating in his hometown of [[Fort Lauderdale]], Florida. Pastorius' successor on bass guitar, Victor Bailey, died on November 11, 2016 (apparently from complications from [[Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease]] and [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherreportdiscography.org/victor-bailey-rip/|website=VictorBailey.com|access-date=12 November 2016|title=Victor Bailey, RIP}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/victor.bailey.7165/posts/862799117184719 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/100003639155415/862799117184719 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Health Update, Sept. 27th 2016|website=Facebook.com| access-date=12 November 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Alphonse Mouzon, the first drummer, died on December 25, 2016, from cardiac arrest after neuroendocrine cancer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/arts/music/alphonse-mouzon-jazz-and-fusion-drummer-dies-at-68.html|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=28 December 2016|title=Alphonse Mouzon, Jazz and Fusion Drummer, Dies at 68}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://downbeat.com/news/detail/remembering-alphonse-mouzon|title=Remembering Alphonse Mouzon|website=Downbeat.com|date=February 6, 2017| access-date=6 February 2017}}</ref> Dom Um Romão, the group's percussionist from 1971 to 1974, died in 2005 aged 79.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldmusiccentral.org/2005/07/31/brazilian-percussionist-dom-um-romao-dies-at-79/|title = Brazilian Percussionist Dom um Romão Dies at 79 |website=Worldmusiccentral.org|date = 31 July 2005}}</ref> Wayne Shorter died on March 2, 2023, at the age of 89.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/03/02/wayne-shorter-jazz-saxophonist-dead/|title = Wayne Shorter, jazz musician of innovation and introspection, dies at 89|website=Washingtonpost.com|date = 2 March 2023}}</ref>

== Grammy Awards ==
{{see also|List of awards and nominations received by Weather Report}}
The [[Grammy Awards]] are awarded annually by the [[The Recording Academy|National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] of the United States. Weather Report has won one Grammy from six nominations.<ref name="Grammy">{{cite web |date=November 23, 2020 |title=Weather Report |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/weather-report |website=Grammy.com}}</ref>

{{awards table}}
|-
!1972
|"[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing The Body Electric]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album|Best Jazz Performance by a Group]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!1979
|"[[8:30]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance|Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental]]
| {{won}}
|-
!1981
|"[[Night Passage (album)|Night Passage]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance|Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!1982
|"[[Weather Report (1982 album)|Weather Report]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance|Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!1983
|"[[Procession (album)|Procession]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance|Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!1985
||"[[Sportin' Life (Weather Report album)|Sportin' Life]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance|Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental]]
| {{nom}}
{{end}}

== Members ==
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" border="1"
! width="75" |Image
! width="140" |Name
! width="170" |Years active
! width="210" |Instruments
!Release contributions
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Joe_zawinul_2007-03-28_live_in_freiburg.jpg|bSize=275|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=35|oLeft=70}}
|[[Joe Zawinul]]
|1970–1987 {{Small|(died 2007)}}
|{{Hlist|electric and acoustic pianos|synthesizer|organ|percussion|guitar}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Weather Report discography|all releases]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Wayne_Shorter_2012.jpg|bSize=140|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=40|oLeft=65}}
|[[Wayne Shorter]] 
|1970–1986 {{Small|(died 2023)}}
|{{Hlist|soprano and tenor saxophones|lyricon|percussion}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Miroslav_Vitouš.jpg|bSize=275|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=40|oLeft=55}}
|[[Miroslav Vitouš]] 
|1970–1973
|acoustic and electric basses 
|all releases from ''[[Weather Report (1971 album)|Weather Report]]'' (1971) to ''[[Mysterious Traveller]]'' (1974)
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Alphonse-mouzon-ffm-001.jpg|bSize=375|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=95|oLeft=140}}
|[[Alphonse Mouzon]] 
|1970–1972 {{Small|(died 2016)}}
|{{Hlist|drums|vocals}}
| rowspan="2" |''Weather Report'' (1971)
|-
|
|Barbara Burton
|1970–1971
| rowspan="4" |percussion 
|-
|
|[[Don Alias]]
|{{Hlist|1970–1971|1975–1977 {{small|(died 2006)}}}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''Weather Report'' (1971)
* ''[[Black Market (Weather Report album)|Black Market]]'' (1976)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Airto_Moreira.jpg|bSize=210|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=30|oLeft=80}}
|[[Airto Moreira]]
|1971
|''Weather Report'' (1971)
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Dom_Um_Romão.jpg|bSize=740|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=65|oLeft=230}}
|[[Dom Um Romão]] 
|1971–1974 {{Small|(died 2005)}}
|all releases from ''[[Live in Tokyo (Weather Report album)|Live in Tokyo]]'' (1972) to ''[[Mysterious Traveller]]'' (1974)
|-
|
|[[Eric Gravatt]] 
|1972–1973
|drums 
|{{flatlist|
* ''Live in Tokyo'' (1972)
* ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Sweetnighter]]'' (1973)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=AndrewWHITE1_(cropped).JPG|bSize=100|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=15|oLeft=10}}
|[[Andrew White (saxophonist)|Andrew White]] 
|1972–1973 {{Small|(died 2020)}}
|{{Hlist|English horn|electric bass}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''I Sing the Body Electric'' (1972)
* ''Sweetnighter'' (1973)}}
|-
|
|Herschel Dwellingham
| rowspan="2" |1972–1973
|drums 
| rowspan="2" |''Sweetnighter'' (1973)
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Muruga_booker.jpg|bSize=300|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=75|oLeft=135}}
|[[Muruga Booker]]
|percussion 
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Greg_Errico_(cropped).jpg|bSize=130|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=45|oLeft=27}}
|[[Greg Errico]] 
|1973
|drums 
|
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Alphonso_Johnson.jpg|bSize=460|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=36|oLeft=110}}
|[[Alphonso Johnson]]
|1973–1976
|{{Hlist|electric bass|chapman stick}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''Mysterious Traveller'' (1974)
* ''[[Tale Spinnin']]'' (1975)
* ''Black Market'' (1976)
* ''[[Live and Unreleased (album)|Live and Unreleased]]'' (2002)}}
|-
|
|Ishmael Wilburn 
| rowspan="2" |1973–1974
| rowspan="2" |drums
|''Mysterious Traveller'' (1974)
|-
|
|Darryl Brown
|
|-
|
|Alyrio Lima
|1974–1975
|percussion 
|''Tale Spinnin''' (1975)
|-
|
|Chuck Bazemore
|1974 {{Small|(died 2022)}}
| rowspan="3" |drums 
|
|-
|
|[[Leon "Ndugu" Chancler]]
|1974–1975 {{Small|(died 2018)}}
|''Tale Spinnin''' (1975)
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Chester Thompson (2923561437).jpg|bSize=675|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=120|oLeft=350}}
|[[Chester Thompson]]
|{{Hlist|1975–1976|1976}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''Black Market'' (1976)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Alex_Acuña.jpg|bSize=325|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=40|oLeft=160}}
|[[Alex Acuña]] 
|1975–1978
|{{Hlist|drums|percussion}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''Black Market'' (1976)
* ''Heavy Weather'' (1977)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Jaco_Pastorius_with_bass_1980.jpg|bSize=350|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=10|oLeft=110}}
|[[Jaco Pastorius]]
|1976–1982 {{Small|(died 1987)}}
|{{Hlist|electric bass|drums|percussion}}
|{{flatlist|
* all releases from ''Black Market'' (1976) to ''[[Weather Report (1982 album)|Weather Report]]'' (1982)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)
* ''[[The Legendary Live Tapes: 1978–1981]]'' (2015)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Jeff_Beck_2011_3.jpg|bSize=850|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=372|oLeft=417}}
|[[Narada Michael Walden]]
|1976
|drums 
|''Black Market'' (1976)
|-
|
|[[Manolo Badrena]]
|1976–1978
|{{Hlist|percussion|vocals}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''Heavy Weather'' (1977)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Peter_Erskine.jpg|bSize=700|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=90|oLeft=85}}
|[[Peter Erskine]]
|{{Hlist|1978–1982|1986–1987}}
|{{Hlist|drums|percussion}}
|{{flatlist|
* all releases from ''[[Mr. Gone (album)|Mr. Gone]]'' (1978) to ''[[This Is This]]'' (1986)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)
* ''The Legendary Live Tapes: 1978–1981'' (2015)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Bobby_Thomas_Jr.jpg|bSize=340|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=40|oLeft=135}}
|[[Robert Thomas Jr.]] 
|{{hlist|1980–1982|1986–1987}}
|percussion 
|{{flatlist|
* ''[[Night Passage (album)|Night Passage]]'' (1980)
* ''Weather Report'' (1982)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)
* ''The Legendary Live Tapes: 1978–1981'' (2015)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Victor_Bailey.jpg|bSize=215|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=50|oLeft=65}}
|[[Victor Bailey (musician)|Victor Bailey]] 
|1982–1987 {{Small|(died 2016)}}
|electric bass
| rowspan="2" |{{flatlist|
* all releases from ''[[Procession (album)|Procession]]'' (1983) to ''[[This Is This!|This Is This]]'' (1986)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Omar_Hakim.jpg|bSize=300|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=15|oLeft=142}}
|[[Omar Hakim]]
|1982–1986
|{{Hlist|drums|percussion|guitar}}
|-
|
|José Rossy
|1982–1984
|{{Hlist|percussion|concertina}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''Procession'' (1983)
* ''[[Domino Theory (album)|Domino Theory]]'' (1984)
* ''Live and Unreleased'' (2002)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Mino_Cinelu.jpg|bSize=340|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=75|oLeft=145}}
|[[Mino Cinélu]]
|1984–1986
|{{Hlist|percussion|vocals|acoustic guitar}}
|{{flatlist|
* ''[[Sportin' Life (Weather Report album)|Sportin' Life]]'' (1985)
* ''This Is This'' (1986)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=John_Scofield-8615.jpg|bSize=250|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=65|oLeft=125}}
|[[John Scofield]]
|1986
| rowspan="2" |electric guitar
| rowspan="2" |none
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Steve_Khan.jpg|bSize=285|cWidth=75|cHeight=75|oTop=100|oLeft=120}}
|[[Steve Khan]]
|1986–1987
|}

=== Lineups ===
{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"  style="float:width:375px; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #e2e2e2; width:99%;"
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Late 1970 – Early 1971
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Early 1971
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Early 1971 – Mid 1971
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Mid 1971 – Early 1972
|-
| valign=top |
* '''[[Wayne Shorter]]''' – soprano saxophone
* '''[[Joe Zawinul]]''' – electric and acoustic pianos
* '''[[Miroslav Vitouš]]''' – acoustic and electric basses
* '''[[Alphonse Mouzon]]''' – drums, vocals
* '''[[Don Alias]]''' – percussion
* '''Barbara Burton''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano saxophone
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos
* '''Miroslav Vitouš''' – acoustic and electric basses
* '''Alphonse Mouzon''' – drums, vocals
* '''Barbara Burton''' – percussion
* '''[[Airto Moreira]]''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano saxophone
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos
* '''Miroslav Vitouš''' – acoustic and electric basses
* '''Alphonse Mouzon''' – drums, vocals
* '''Barbara Burton''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano saxophone
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos
* '''Miroslav Vitouš''' – acoustic and electric basses
* '''Alphonse Mouzon''' – drums, vocals
* '''[[Dom Um Romão]]''' – percussion
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Early 1972 – End 1972
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| End 1972 – Early 1973
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Early 1973 – End 1973
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| End 1973 – Mid 1973
|-
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer
* '''Miroslav Vitouš''' – acoustic and electric basses
* '''[[Eric Gravatt]]''' – drums
* '''Dom Um Romão''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer
* '''Miroslav Vitouš''' – acoustic and electric basses
* '''[[Andrew White (saxophonist)|Andrew White]]''' – English horn, electric bass
* '''Eric Gravatt''' – drums
* '''Herschel Dwellingham''' – drums
* '''Dom Um Romão''' – percussion
* '''[[Muruga Booker]]''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer
* '''Miroslav Vitouš''' – acoustic and electric basses
* '''[[Greg Errico]]''' – drums
* '''Dom Um Romão''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''[[Alphonso Johnson]]''' – electric bass, chapman stick
* '''Ishmael Wilburn''' – drums
* '''Dom Um Romão''' – percussion
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Mid 1973 – Mid 1974
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Mid 1974 – End 1974
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| End 1974 – Mid 1975
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Mid 1975 – End 1975
|-
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Alphonso Johnson''' – electric bass, chapman stick
* '''Ishmael Wilburn''' – drums
* '''Darryl Brown''' – drums
* '''Dom Um Romão''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Alphonso Johnson''' – electric bass, chapman stick
* '''Chuck Bazemore''' – drums
* '''Alyrio Lima''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Alphonso Johnson''' – electric bass, chapman stick
* '''[[Leon "Ndugu" Chancler]]''' – drums
* '''Alyrio Lima''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Alphonso Johnson''' – electric bass, chapman stick
* '''[[Chester Thompson]]''' – drums
* '''Alyrio Lima''' – percussion
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| End 1975 – Start 1976
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Start 1976
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Start 1976 – Early 1977
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Early 1977 – Spring 1978
|-
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Alphonso Johnson''' – electric bass, chapman stick
* '''Chester Thompson''' – drums
* '''[[Don Alias]]''' – percussion
* '''[[Alex Acuña]]''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''[[Jaco Pastorius]]''' – electric bass
* '''[[Narada Michael Walden]]''' – drums
* '''Don Alias''' – percussion
* '''Alex Acuña''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Jaco Pastorius''' – electric bass
* '''Chester Thompson''' – drums
* '''Don Alias''' – percussion
* '''Alex Acuña''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Jaco Pastorius''' – electric bass, drums, percussion
* '''Alex Acuña''' – drums, percussion
* '''[[Manolo Badrena]]''' – percussion, vocals
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Spring 1978 – Early 1980
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Early 1980 – Start 1982
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Start 1982 – Spring 1984
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Spring 1984 – Early 1986
|-
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon, percussion
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Jaco Pastorius''' – electric bass, drums, percussion
* '''[[Peter Erskine]]''' – drums, percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon, percussion
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Jaco Pastorius''' – electric bass, drums, percussion
* '''Peter Erskine''' – drums, percussion
* '''[[Robert Thomas Jr.]]''' – percussion
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon, percussion
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''[[Victor Bailey (musician)|Victor Bailey]]''' – electric bass
* '''[[Omar Hakim]]''' – drums, percussion, guitar
* '''José Rossy''' – percussion, concertina
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon, percussion
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, organ, percussion, guitar
* '''Victor Bailey''' – electric bass
* '''Omar Hakim''' – drums, percussion, guitar
* '''[[Mino Cinélu]]''' – percussion, vocals, acoustic guitar
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| Early 1986 – February 1986
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| February 1986 – 1986 (As Weather Update)
!  style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1986 – 1987 (as Weather Update)
! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" |
|-
| valign=top |
* '''Wayne Shorter''' – soprano and tenor saxophones, lyricon, percussion
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, percussion
* '''Victor Bailey''' – electric bass
* '''Omar Hakim''' – drums, percussion, guitar
* '''Peter Erskine''' – drums
* '''Mino Cinélu''' – percussion, vocals, acoustic guitar
| valign=top |
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, percussion
* '''[[John Scofield]]''' – electric guitar
* '''Victor Bailey''' – electric bass
* '''Peter Erskine''' – drums
* '''Mino Cinélu''' – percussion, vocals, acoustic guitar
| valign=top |
* '''Joe Zawinul''' – electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, percussion
* '''[[Steve Khan]]''' – electric guitar
* '''Victor Bailey''' – electric bass
* '''Peter Erskine''' – drums
* '''Robert Thomas Jr.''' – percussion

|}

===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize  = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea   = left:115 bottom:95 top:0 right:0
Alignbars  = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/01/1970 till:31/12/1987
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend     = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1970
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1970

Colors =
  id:voc    value:red           legend:Vocals
  id:ww     value:tan2          legend:Woodwinds
  id:g      value:green         legend:Guitar
  id:key    value:purple        legend:Keyboards
  id:ab     value:darkblue      legend:Acoustic_bass
  id:b      value:blue          legend:Electric_bass
  id:dr     value:orange        legend:Drums
  id:perc   value:claret        legend:Percussion
  id:alb    value:black         legend:Studio_release
  id:bars   value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors=bars:bars

LineData =
 layer:back
 color:alb
  at:12/05/1971
  at:26/05/1972
  at:27/04/1973
  at:24/03/1974
  at:01/05/1975
  at:11/03/1976
  at:01/03/1977
  at:01/09/1978
  at:01/09/1980
  at:01/01/1982
  at:01/01/1983
  at:02/02/1984
  at:19/03/1985
  at:11/06/1986

PlotData =
  width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,–4)
  bar:Wayne&nbsp;Shorter         from:start      till:14/02/1986 color:ww
  bar:Wayne&nbsp;Shorter         from:06/04/1978 till:14/02/1986 color:perc width:3
  bar:Andrew&nbsp;White          from:01/04/1972 till:02/10/1972 color:ww
  bar:Andrew&nbsp;White          from:01/04/1972 till:02/10/1972 color:b    width:3
  bar:John&nbsp;Scofield         from:15/02/1986 till:15/08/1986 color:g
  bar:Steve&nbsp;Khan            from:15/08/1986 till:end        color:g
  bar:Joe&nbsp;Zawinul           from:start      till:end        color:key
  bar:Joe&nbsp;Zawinul           from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1986 color:g    width:7
  bar:Joe&nbsp;Zawinul           from:01/01/1973 till:end        color:perc width:3
  bar:Miroslav&nbsp;Vitouš       from:start      till:16/10/1973 color:ab
  bar:Miroslav&nbsp;Vitouš       from:start      till:16/10/1973 color:b    width:3
  bar:Alphonso&nbsp;Johnson      from:17/10/1973 till:15/03/1976 color:b
  bar:Jaco&nbsp;Pastorius        from:02/01/1976 till:01/01/1982 color:b
  bar:Jaco&nbsp;Pastorius        from:25/03/1976 till:01/01/1982 color:dr   width:7
  bar:Jaco&nbsp;Pastorius        from:25/03/1976 till:01/01/1982 color:perc width:3
  bar:Victor&nbsp;Bailey         from:02/01/1982 till: end       color:b
  bar:Alphonse&nbsp;Mouzon       from:start      till:01/01/1972 color:dr
  bar:Alphonse&nbsp;Mouzon       from:start      till:01/01/1972 color:voc  width:3
  bar:Eric&nbsp;Gravatt          from:02/01/1972 till:15/05/1973 color:dr
  bar:Herschel&nbsp;Dwellingham  from:02/10/1972 till:01/01/1973 color:dr
  bar:Greg&nbsp;Errico           from:16/05/1973 till:01/09/1973 color:dr
  bar:Ishmael&nbsp;Wilburn       from:02/09/1973 till:20/06/1974 color:dr
  bar:Darryl&nbsp;Brown          from:02/09/1973 till:20/06/1974 color:dr
  bar:Chuck&nbsp;Bazemore        from:21/06/1974 till:10/10/1974 color:dr
  bar:Leon&nbsp;Chancler         from:11/10/1974 till:05/06/1975 color:dr
  bar:Chester&nbsp;Thompson      from:06/06/1975 till:25/03/1976 color:dr
  bar:Michael&nbsp;Walden        from:01/01/1976 till:25/03/1976 color:dr
  bar:Peter&nbsp;Erskine         from:06/04/1978 till:01/02/1982 color:dr
  bar:Peter&nbsp;Erskine         from:06/04/1978 till:01/02/1982 color:perc width:3
  bar:Peter&nbsp;Erskine         from:01/01/1986 till:end        color:dr
  bar:Omar&nbsp;Hakim            from:02/02/1982 till:14/02/1986 color:dr
  bar:Omar&nbsp;Hakim            from:02/02/1982 till:14/02/1986 color:perc width:7
  bar:Omar&nbsp;Hakim            from:02/02/1982 till:14/02/1986 color:g    width:3
  bar:Don&nbsp;Alias             from:start      till:25/02/1971 color:perc
  bar:Don&nbsp;Alias             from:02/09/1975 till:25/03/1976 color:perc
  bar:Barbara&nbsp;Burton        from:start      till:25/03/1971 color:perc
  bar:Airto&nbsp;Moreira         from:01/01/1971 till:25/05/1971 color:perc
  bar:Dom&nbsp;Romão             from:26/05/1971 till:20/06/1974 color:perc
  bar:Muruga&nbsp;Booker         from:20/12/1972 till:28/04/1973 color:perc
  bar:Alyrio&nbsp;Lima           from:21/06/1974 till:01/09/1975 color:perc
  bar:Alex&nbsp;Acuña            from:01/09/1975 till:25/03/1976 color:perc
  bar:Alex&nbsp;Acuña            from:25/03/1976 till:05/04/1978 color:dr
  bar:Alex&nbsp;Acuña            from:25/03/1976 till:05/04/1978 color:perc width:3
  bar:Manolo&nbsp;Badrena        from:26/03/1976 till:05/04/1978 color:perc
  bar:Manolo&nbsp;Badrena        from:26/03/1976 till:05/04/1978 color:voc  width:3
  bar:Robert&nbsp;Thomas&nbsp;Jr from:01/01/1980 till:01/02/1982 color:perc
  bar:Robert&nbsp;Thomas&nbsp;Jr from:15/08/1986 till:end        color:perc
  bar:José&nbsp;Rossy            from:02/02/1982 till:01/03/1984 color:perc
  bar:José&nbsp;Rossy            from:02/02/1982 till:01/03/1984 color:key  width:3
  bar:Mino&nbsp;Cinelu           from:02/03/1984 till:14/08/1986 color:perc
  bar:Mino&nbsp;Cinelu           from:02/03/1984 till:14/08/1986 color:g    width:7
  bar:Mino&nbsp;Cinelu           from:02/03/1984 till:14/08/1986 color:voc  width:3
}}

==Discography==
{{main|Weather Report discography}}

===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Album
|-
! 1971
| ''[[Weather Report (1971 album)|Weather Report]]''
|-
! 1972
| ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]]''
|-
! 1973
| ''[[Sweetnighter]]''
|-
! 1974
| ''[[Mysterious Traveller]]''
|-
! 1975
| ''[[Tale Spinnin']]''
|-
! 1976
| ''[[Black Market (Weather Report album)|Black Market]]''
|-
! 1977
| ''[[Heavy Weather (album)|Heavy Weather]]''
|-
! 1978
| ''[[Mr. Gone (album)|Mr. Gone]]''
|-
! 1980
| ''[[Night Passage (album)|Night Passage]]''
|-
! 1982
| ''[[Weather Report (1982 album)|Weather Report]]''
|-
! 1983
| ''[[Procession (album)|Procession]]''
|-
! 1984
| ''[[Domino Theory (album)|Domino Theory]]''
|-
! 1985
| ''[[Sportin' Life (Weather Report album)|Sportin' Life]]''
|-
! 1986
| ''[[This Is This!]]''
|}

==Releases since the band's breakup==

A "post band" Weather Report double CD called ''[[Live and Unreleased (album)|Live and Unreleased]]'' was made available in 2002, featuring vintage live recordings made during the late 1970s/early 1980s with various personnel. In September 2006, Columbia/Legacy released a Weather Report boxed set, ''[[Forecast: Tomorrow]]''. It includes three CDs of mostly previously released material (from 1970 to 1985, excluding ''This is This!'') and a DVD of the entire September 28, 1978, performance (with Erskine and Pastorius) in Offenbach, Germany, not previously available. A DVD video of the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival performance (featuring the Heavy Weather lineup of Pastorius, Acuna, and Badrena) has become available, as well. Columbia/Legacy have also re-released the 1984 ''Live in Japan'' concert on DVD.

In 2011, the Zawinul estate, in conjunction with an independent label, released a 40th-anniversary commemorative trilogy of previously unavailable Weather Report live shows: In March ''Live in Berlin 1975'' was released both on vinyl and as a CD/DVD set; in June the ''Live in Offenbach 1978'' DVD was re-released together with a previously unavailable double CD of the complete show; in October ''Live in Cologne 1983'' was released as both DVD and double CD.

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Jazz}}
{{Commons category||Weather Report}}
* [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/weather-report-mn0000243527/biography Weather Report biography by Richard S. Ginell, discography and album reviews, credits & releases] at [[AllMusic]]
* [http://www.binkie.net/wrdisc/index.html The Weather Report Annotated Discography]
* [https://www.discogs.com/artist/10082-Weather-Report?limit=500&page=1 Weather Report discography, album releases & credits] at [[Discogs]]
* [https://open.spotify.com/artist/162DCkd8aDKwvjBb74Gu8b Weather Report albums to be listened] on [[Spotify]]
* {{imdb name|0915729}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/weatherreportmusic Weather Report albums to be listened] on [[YouTube]]

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{{Weather Report}}
{{Jaco Pastorius}}
{{Peter Erskine}}
{{Joe Zawinul}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Musical groups established in 1970]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:1970 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:1986 disestablishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:American jazz fusion ensembles]]
[[Category:Jazz ensembles from New York City]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]