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Title: Groove Machine
Review: While certainly very listenable, this collection is most interesting for the way it reflects Zawinul's feelings about his old band. He's obviously recast Weather Report in the role of groove machine and chooses tracks that reflect this bias. The early Weather Report that emphasized free improvisation is totally MIA. That said, these tracks groove REALLY hard. The rhythm sections, particularly that of Alphonso Johnson, Chester Thompson and Alex Acuna, are a revelation. The featured soloists get a chance to stretch out, too, which is nice. I'm subtracting one star because sometimes the tempos can be a bit rushed and lyricism, normally one of the strong suits of Weather Report, is notably lacking. One thing for sure: Live & Unreleased blows the timid and tepid "greatest hits" package 8:30 out of the water. If you would like to read more reviews like this, check out JazzboNotes.com.
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