Mysterious Traveller cover

Mysterious Traveller

Released

Weather Report was no more a band than Steely Dan was. The group’s creative nexus was keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and rhythm sections came and went. On 1974’s Mysterious Traveller, the funk was deep thanks to fretless bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummers Ishmael Wilburn and Skip Hadden (with percussionists Dom Um Romão and Ray Barretto popping in here and there), but Zawinul’s newfound love of the ARP 2600 synth let things get thrillingly weird at times, particularly on the opening “Nubian Sundance,” which is world music from another world entirely.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Good Hope cover

Good Hope

Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Zakir Hussain
City Swamp cover

City Swamp

Jake Long
Kwanza cover

Kwanza

Archie Shepp
No Material cover

No Material

Sonny Sharrock, Nicky Skopelitis, Peter Brötzmann, Jan Kazda, Ginger Baker
Bags & Trane cover

Bags & Trane

John Coltrane, Milt Jackson
Sunny Side Up cover

Sunny Side Up

Various Artists
Trust cover

Trust

Robert Mitchell's Panacea
Havana Jam 2 cover

Havana Jam 2

Various Artists
Universal Beings cover

Universal Beings

Makaya McCraven