by Magic Mike Young 

Joe Zawinul passed away at the age of 75 September 11, 2007. To many of you reading this may not recognize his name. But, If you love electronic music as much as I do you can not denied the impact this man has had on Electronic Music. The man’s work speaks for itself. Having influenced 2 generations of Keyboard players and having a career that spanned almost 50 years.

Zawinul was born in Vienna on July 7 1932. He was named Jazz Keyboard Player of the Year by Down Beat (Jazz Magazine) 30 times.

His band Weather Report was named Jazz Fusion band of the year 10 straight years in a row. If that were not enough His Band "The Zawinul Syndicate" performed for over 20 years. He also played a major roll in aiding in the design of the Oberhim and Prophet electronic keyboards. He was one of the first musicians to record a album using electronic keyboards (non classical). And he was one of  the first to use a sequencer, and a sampler on a recording.

In his 50 year career Zawinul has played for and with such music legends as Miles Davis, CannonBall  Aderly, Dinah Washington and started Weather Report with Wayne Shorter in 1970. The last time he played in Detroit was at the “Detroit Jazz Festival” in 2004 with the Zawinul Syndicate. In my opinion Joe Zawinul’s most important contribution was introducing America to a group of world class musicians who came from Africa, South America, and Europe. His influence on Jazz, Pop, and World music will stand the test of time and endure.
 

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