Weather Report-Night Passage (1980)

While Weather Report's eighth album, "Mr. Gone", was primarily driven by Joe Zawinul's layers of synthesizers and keyboards, resulting in a light and accessible jazz fusion sound, their next release, "Night Passages", saw them return to their more organic style, sounding like the tight, solid band of earlier years. Peter Erskine's drumming on this album is exceptional, as is the percussion of Weather Report's newest member, Robert Thomas Jr., which adds an exotic flavor to the group's music. One of the most outstanding features of this ninth album, besides the excellent musicianship, is the high quality of all the compositions. Special mention must be made of Jaco Pastorius's superb bass work, particularly on tracks like "Night Passage" and "Port of Entry". Likewise, Wayne Shorter's prominent saxophone is much more prominent here, shifting the group's sound towards a more jazz-oriented approach. The interplay of Zawinul's keyboards, Pastorius' bass, and Shorter's saxophone propels tracks like "Rockin' In Rhythm" in what could be described as a big band/swing jazz style. Other standout tracks include the jazz fusion "Three Views of a Secret", the dynamic "Fast City", and the avant-garde "Madagascar". Later, Weather Report's "Night Passage" would be nominated for a Grammy in the Best Jazz Performance category.