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Victor Bailey

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For several years Victor has suffered from a form of muscular dystrophy that has affected his legs. If you’ve seen him perform in recent years, you saw him sit on a stool on stage and use a cane (and later a motorized scooter) to move about. Recently, his condition took a significant turn for the worse, which he announced on his Facebook page on October 30:

To everyone who has been wondering why you haven’t seen or heard from me, it’s time for me to let you know what’s going on. Quite simply, I am just not in the best of health. I have been dealing with a form of muscular dystrophy called Charcot Marie Tooth disease for the last 25 years. You’ve all seen me using a cane as my legs are getting weaker. Now it is affecting my upper body. My arms and hands are very weak and at this point in time too weak to perform. I need help with all daily living activities, so for the past three months I have been living at an assisted living facility in Newton, Massachusetts. I have taken a leave of absence from teaching at Berklee College of music and from touring. Right now, I could use your prayers and positive vibes. I will be keeping you guys updated on my condition. It is possible that I can get stronger again, so please send me positive energy. I’ll keep you posted.

Victor later indicated that he had suffered a “mini stroke” that affected his breathing. On November 10 he wrote, “I’m finally out of the hospital. Can’t say I’m ‘better.’ My breathing is better but I still have a long way to go. I’m now in a rehab facility and will be working on my strength and stamina for as long as it takes.”

A fundraising campaign has been set up at YouCaring to help Victor with his medical expenses. I encourage you to give what you can. I wish Victor the best and hope for a recovery that allows him to resume performing and teaching.

The Jaco Documentary is here!

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Jaco: The Film

My guess is that most Jaco Pastorius fans are aware of the Jaco Pastorius documentary that has long been in the works. I think there were some aborted efforts at this years ago, but when Metallica bass player and Jaco fan Robert Trujillo got involved that this project really picked up steam. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s here. The documentary has been screening in select theaters, and later this month the DVD and Blue-ray will be released. All the reports I’ve seen indicate that the filmmakers have done a great job. A friend of mine saw it in Seattle earlier this week and said, “I loved this movie. I also wish I could go back in time and save Jaco.” I’m sure that’s a sentiment that we all share.

You can pre-order the DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon, or pre-order it direct from the filmmakers here. There is also a companion soundtrack album scheduled for release at the same time. The release date is November 27, which is also Record Store Day (and “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving.) That means, hopefully, that you’ll be able to find the documentary in your favorite record store if you prefer the old-fashioned experience of actually going to a record store, like I do. 🙂

The Legendary Live Tapes: 1978-1981

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Hey, we have something new from Sony Legacy! I know that Peter Erskine has long had an interest in seeing some of this material get released. Thanks to Tony Zawinul’s efforts, representing the Zawinul Estate, to get Sony on board, there’s a treasure trove of previously unreleased live music in store for us Weather Report fans. The Legendary Live Tapes: 1978-1981 is a four-CD set of live recordings of the Jaco-Erskine band, primarily culled from soundboard recordings by Weather Report’s live sound engineer, Brian Risner. It’s due for release on November 20, but you can pre-order it on Amazon here.

Here’s the official blurb:

Weather Report’s The Legendary Live Tapes features four discs of sensational unreleased performances all “completely, totally, unapologetically and insanely live” recorded by the legendary jazz group from 1978 to 1981.

Formed by one-time Miles Davis sidemen Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter in 1970, Weather Report defied categorization in the 15 years they recorded together. Inspired by their “electric” collaborations with Davis, Zawinul and Shorter would lead Weather Report into unpredictable territory, from free-jazz to structured but sprawling multicultural jazz-rock. Though Zawinul would reject the “fusion” genre the band are so often associated with “We don’t fuse nuthin’, we just play from the heart,” he once said their music would serve as a landmark for jazz revolution and evolution in the 1970s and 1980s.

The dramatic addition of electric bass virtuoso Jaco Pastorius to the lineup in 1976 led to an even more energetic and daring Weather Report, who would even score a crossover hit in 1977 with “Birdland.” A year later, drummer Peter Erskine joined the fold, creating one of the band’s most notable lineups; that lineup would expand to a quintet with the addition of percussionist Bobby Thomas, Jr. in 1980.

These two lineups, responsible for some of Weather Report’s most important moments, are chronicled in this four-disc set, sourced from never-before-heard soundboard tapes recorded by longtime live mixing engineer Brian Risner. Produced by Erskine and executive produced by Joe Zawinul’s son Anthony, this package uniquely showcases Weather Report’s extensive prowess as a band, opting not to replicate the ebb and flow of a standard Weather Report set at the time, instead offering a uniquely curated experience that captures the dazzling directions the group took at the arguable height of their powers.

Here’s the track listing:

CD 1
1. 8:30
2. Sightseeing
3. Brown Street
4. The Orphan
5. Forlon
6. Three Views Of A Secret
7. Badia / Boogie Waltz
8. Wayne Solo
9. Jaco Solo (Osaka 1980)

CD 2
1. Joe And Wayne Duet (Tokyo 1978)
2. Birdland
3. Peter’s Solo
4. A Remark You Made
5. Continuum / River People
6. Gibraltar

CD 3
1. Fast City
2. Madagascar
3. Night Passage
4. Dream Clock
5. Rockin’ In Rhythm
6. Port Of Entry

CD 4
1. Elegant People
2. Scarlet Women
3. Black Market
4. Jaco Solo (Osaka 1978)
5. Teen Town
6. Peter’s Solo (Osaka 1978)
7. Directions

Bruce Lundvall / Bob Belden

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Last week, Bruce Lundvall and Bob Belden died on back-to-back days, May 19 and 20. Lundvall was 79 years old; his death was due to complications of Parkinson’s disease. Belden was just 58. He suffered a massive heart attack earlier in the week and was on life support systems until his death three days later.

Lundvall’s career in the record business spanned more than fifty years. In his youth he was a frustrated saxophonist, and after serving in the Army he wanted nothing other than to work in the music business, specifically jazz music. He managed to obtain an entry level position at Columbia Records in 1960, and by the mid-seventies he ascended to the presidency of the label, overseeing its operations during Weather Report’s heyday. His love of jazz lead him to sign Natalie Cole, Wynton Marsalis and saxophonist Dexter Gordon, resulting in Gordon’s late-career renaissance. He also signed Herbie Hancock, whose second Columbia album, 1973’s Head Hunters, became the biggest selling jazz album up to that time.

In 1979, Lundvall spearheaded the Havana Jam, a three-day series of concerts in Havana, Cuba featuring American and Cuban musicians. Weather Report led off the first night’s concert. Lundvall later started the Elektra Musician label and then moved to Blue Note, where he presided for 25 years and revitalized the historic but then-dormant label. By all accounts, Lundvall was beloved by musicians of all genres.

Bob Belden was a saxophonist, producer and historian. With respect to Weather Report, he is probably best known for producing the Forecast: Tomorrow boxed set, as well as remastering and reissuing several Weather Report titles for Sony Legacy. Belden also produced the Miles Davis The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions and The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions boxed sets. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Miles’ recording sessions, as well as a deep appreciation for Cannonball Adderley, Joe and Wayne. (He also produced the Cannonball Adderely compilation Cannonball Plays Zawinul for Capital.) Those of us who are fans of Weather Report, Cannonball and late-sixties/early-seventies Miles Davis have lost a true champion and scholar of their work.

Belden also composed and recorded his own music, notably the ambitious Black Dahlia–probably his signature work–and his collaborations with trumpeter Tim Hagans and keyboardist Scott Kinsey. Most recently, he performed in Iran with his group, Animation, playing tunes by Miles, Herbie Hancock, and Belden himself. It was the first time an American had played in Iran since 1979.

RIP, Bruce Lundvall and Bob Belden.