Joe Zawinul: 1932-2007

Joezawinul_photo2_byholgerkeifel_7 Very sad. This year is shaping up to be a rough one for titans of the arts. I'm almost afraid to wake up every morning.

Head over to The New York Times for its obit. Meanwhile, that color image above is a highlight from the cover of Forecast: Tomorrow (Columbia/Legacy), last year's boxed set chronicling the history of the keyboardist's groundbreaking band, Weather Report. For the blurb I wrote in "Season's 60: A Gift Gallery of CD Box Sets," click here (then scroll down to "Season's 60," click Jazz & Classical, and see Image 55).

Less than 7 months ago, Zawinul released his (now) final album, Brown Street (Heads Up/Telarc). For details on that live two-CD set, click here. And those other releases shown below? They're the boxed-set versions of a couple of Miles Davis albums that Zawinul, um, had something to do with: The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions and The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (both Columbia/Legacy). (Zawinul photo by Holger Keifel, courtesy Heads Up.) -Ken Richardson

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