By Brian Glasser
Sanctuary Publishing
www.sanctuarypublishing.com

In this extensively researched 335-page book, veteran music journalist Brian Glasser tells you pretty much everything you might want to know about Joe Zawinul and more. It traces the seminal keyboardist's life from his precocious childhood in World War II-era Vienna, through his pilgrimage to Harlem and the New York City jazz scene, to his founding role in Weather Report, and eventually to his current work with the Zawinul Syndicate. Zawinul's nine-year stint with Cannonball Adderley and his contributions to Miles Davis's recordings — as well as his interactions with Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, and the other members of Weather Report — are covered in detail.

Glasser gathers facts and anecdotal stories from lots of sources and intersperses them with Zawinul's own notoriously elastic recollections. Sections also deal with specific recordings, and a detailed companion discography helps you find them should you wish to listen as you read. The book is thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, and if you are a Zawinul fan or simply interested in the history of jazz, you probably will appreciate it too.