It is with sadness to wake up on Sept 11th and read the news that Joe Zawinul has passed.
When I was 10 years old, I went into a record store with my friend Betsy Cotton and I randomly put on some headphones at a listening station. That was my first headphone experience. Weather Report's 'Heavy Weather' was playing. My mind was blown. It was a completely new sound and experience. I was in total awe. That was one of my top ten influential moments of my life.
From playing with Cannonball Adderley to his amazing innovations and compositions on the keyboards with Weather Report and the Zawinul Syndicate, Joe Zawinul has influenced everybody under the sun. He is a legend. And the touring road warrior will be sorely missed.