The Music of Weather Report with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra

In the golden age of jazz fusion, a storm of creativity gathered on the musical horizon. That storm had a name: Weather Report. From the moment they emerged in 1970, they changed the forecast of modern music—electrifying, unpredictable, and utterly transformative. Their sound wasn’t just shaped by the moment; it shaped the climate of a generation.

Weather Report was the most vital and innovative band in jazz, fusing instantly memorable melodies, infectious grooves, and brilliant improvisation with the drive of rock and the rich textures of world music.  Weather Report was more than just a band – they were a complete weather system. Led by Joe Zawinul on keyboards whose notes painted vast atmospheric landscapes and with Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine and Jaco Pastorius , they created music that moved like a front across continents, merging jazz, rock, funk, and global currents into a single, surging force.

Weather Report played their final notes in 1986 but their legacy lives on – echoing across time, like thunder that rumbles long after the flash. Scotland’s National Jazz Orchestra forecasts a rekindling of that electrifying spirit with their concert, not of retrospection but of renewal and reimagining of Weather Report’s favourite tunes – including Birdland, the Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz, and Teen Town – given life through collaboration between contemporary jazz arrangers and the SNJO.

You are warmly invited to step into the realms of jazz fusion – to feel the gusts of genius, the warmth of nostalgia, and the refreshing clarity of innovation. Whether a long-time traveller on Weather Report’s musical jet stream or just discovering them, prepare for a concert that is as dynamic as the forces of nature themselves. 

Presented by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra