Weather Report Suite
March 26, 1973
Baltimore Civic Center
Ok, I feel compelled to write about this piece. It hinges on civic duty at this point, particularly when considering it’s devoid of comment. This seems criminal! I suspect folks are simply not aware of this jam, or see the title of WRS Prelude and simply pass it over. We’ve all been guilty of this from time to time (I know I have), but it’s the job of us heads to alert other heads of x-factor moments they might’ve missed, right? The WRS Prelude itself is nothing particularly special (although good), but it’s the six minutes to follow that’s worth the hype. This jam is not a balls-to-the-wall workout or ethereal face-melter, but it’s a unique piece of music all its own, full of inspired exploration and jazz-tinged passages that beckon the best moments from a Bird Song, Playin’ or Dark Star of the era. But it none of those of course, and its attributes cannot be pinned down to anything they did before or since. This piece gets better with each listen, and I am even tempted to place it along the ranks of the two-minute transition of Dark Star into Eyes (2/15/73), The sweet outro jam from Comes A Time (7/17/76) and the so-called “Beautiful Jam” (2/18/71). Am I sensationalizing this seemingly little praised jam from 3/26? A little perhaps, but if that’s a crime then the punishment I’ll receive will be tempered by the new disciples that will be ushered in by this alert (I hope!). Bottom Line: I am going to do all I can to campaign for this one. Please vote!