Jazz it up

Musician Rahul Ram on why the song Birdland never fails to give him a high
The song called Birdland by a band called Weather Report—a 1980’s jazz band that had touches of R&B,funk and rock—is one of the finest songs that I have ever heard. The song is from the album called Heavy Weather and begins with an excellent bass line or the harmonic intro played by virtuoso bassist Jaco Pastorius. He has played around with the harmonics of the guitar making it sound very different from the regular guitar sound. Another great thing about the song is the saxophone played by famous Wayne Shorter.

I heard the song for the first time when I was 16 and sleeping in a barn somewhere in Garhwal in the Himalyas. There were cows,a small fire nearby and the song playing on a recorder in the silent barn. I was ecstatic when I heard the song ,though back then I didn’t understand music too well. But this instrumental track had me hooked from the first note.

This piece was composed by keyboardist Joe Zawinul. The composition is like a free-wheeling improvisation that shifts ably to percussion after a batch of guitar riffs and a touch of the soulful saxophone. The shift to other instruments and the mergers in the song are extremely smooth. Also,the album was released when the jazz-rock movement in the world was just running out of steam. And this song was a breath of fresh air for the whole category.
I still listen to the song regularly and it gives me a high. It tells me that there is so much one can do with music. Though I may never be able to achieve this kind of precision in my work,Birdland tells me that it is possible.