Celebrating Joe Zawinul’s Music Odyssey

News, From the Magazine, Zawinul Legacy 3.0

By Bill Milkowski I Nov. 10, 2026

Zawinul Legacy 3.0, from left, Robert Thomas Jr., Gerald Veasley, Bob Franceschini, Rachel Z and Omar Hakim.
(Photo: Rene Huemer)

As part of an ongoing campaign (August 2026–April 2027) to celebrate the genius of electric keyboard pioneer and Weather Report co-founder Joe Zawinul (who passed on Sept. 11, 2007), Ropeadope Records has released Live@Grafenegg by Zawinul Legacy 3.0, an all-star ensemble consisting of drummer and Weather Report alumnus Omar Hakim, pianist and synth specialist Rachel Z and electric bassist Gerald Veasley (a member of the Zawinul Syndicate from 1988 to 1995) along with former Weather Report and Zawinul Syndicate percussionist Robert Thomas Jr. and saxophonist Bob Franceschini.

A document of their 2024 concert at the Wolkenturm open-air arena in Grafenegg, about 44 miles west of Zawinul’s childhood home in Erdberg, Austria, this recent release is the beginning of an ambitious program initiated by artistic director and documentary filmmaker Antony Zawinul, eldest son of Joe Zawinul. His production company Gang of 4 Films will later release Joe Zawinul’s Music Odyssey, a documentary depicting the gala evening at the Wolkenturm on June 1, 2024, that also featured the Zawinul All-Star Big Band, conducted by Markus Geiselhart, performing the music of the Zawinul Syndicate, and the world premiere of Joe’s long-lost 1996 composition “Mediterranean Suite,” performed by Vienna’s Radio.String.Quartet with full orchestra.

Meanwhile, Live@Grafenegg is a trip in time back to the ’70s and ’80s heyday of Weather Report. Opening with the effervescent “Man In The Green Shirt” (from 1975’s Tale Spinnin’), underscored by Veasley’s bubbling bass lines and Thomas’ churning percussion, it then jumps a decade by heading into the heavy-grooving “Corner Pocket” (from 1985’s Sportin’ Life), which Hakim had originally played on. Rachel Z acquits herself with cool aplomb on the tricky head before offering up a dazzling synth solo in the Zawinul tradition. Franceschini, a longtime member of Mike Stern’s touring band, also delivers a potent tenor solo on this funky number.

Rachel Z steps to the forefront on a beautifully nuanced interpretation of Zawinul’s delicate, waltz-time “The Juggler” (from 1977’s Heavy Weather), which also features some brilliant Wayne Shorter-esque turns on soprano saxophone by Franceschini. “Black Market,” the title track of that 1976 album, is another triumphant synth showcase for Rachel Z in which she nails Zawinul’s signature textures, tones and comping patterns. Hakim and Franceschini also turn in a turbulent drums-sax breakdown in the middle of this potent number.

The lone Wayne Shorter composition on the collection, his Latin-tinged “Elegant People” (from 1976’s Black Market), has Rachel Z emulating the appropriate Zawinul-esque attitude on synths while also delivering a killer solo. Franceschini punctuates the proceedings with a robust, cutting-edge tenor solo, in the finest Shorter tradition. Their exhilarating set in Grafenegg concludes with the ebullient “D-Flat Waltz” (from 1984’s Domino Theory), which Hakim also originally played on. Franceschini waves the Shorter flag proudly on this upbeat set-closer while Rachel Z delivers her best take on Zawinul’s big band synth approach. “I consider Joe a real mentor, and I tried to do my best to follow in his footsteps,” she said. “But I don’t think you ever can really keep up with the legend.”

Not only did she woodshed on the particulars of Zawinul’s signature keyboard approach, she also emulated his rig by incorporating the Arturia Suite, a software bundle of virtual instruments that digitally recreates classic analog synthesizers and vintage keyboards (like the Minimoog, Prophet-5, CS-80 and Jupiter-8). She also got some helpful input from Zawinul’s former tech, Jim Swanson, who recommended using GForce Software (a digital emulation of the iconic Oberheim 8-Voice synthesizer), as well as from New York University’s music technologist Dan Freeman, a preeminent global expert in integrating digital technology into live performance environments who had previously served as a professor at the Berklee College of Music within the Electronic Production and Design department.

As a veteran swinging pianist with a deep connection to the jazz tradition, going back to her 1993 Columbia Records debut, Trust The Universe (which featured her version of Miles Davis’ “Nardis” and an original composition entitled “Monk’s Other Woman”), Rachel Z later made a leap to the electric side of things on tours and recordings with Al Di Meola, Peter Gabriel and, most significantly, Wayne Shorter, who recruited her to create a virtual synth orchestra for his Grammy-winning 1995 album, High Life. She maintains her two-tiered career by playing in an acoustic piano trio setting with her husband, Hakim, and upright bassist Jonathan Toscano (documented in a YouTube concert from Ascona, Italy).

Hakim reminisced about being recruited by Zawinul and Shorter in 1982, appearing alongside bassist Victor Bailey and percussionist José Rossy in Weather Report’s new lineup. “Getting that gig was like a dream gig for a 23-year-old kid,” he said. “I was a fan before I was member, so it was a thrill to play with Joe and Wayne.” He debuted on 1983’s Procession and followed that up with solid outings on 1984’s Domino Theory, 1985’s Sportin’ Life and 1986’s This Is This! before touring and recording with the likes of Madonna, Mick Jagger, Chaka Khan and Sting while also serving as house drummer for David Sanborn’s Night Music show on NBC in 1988–’89. Hakim also played on three Miles Davis albums (1986’s Tutu, 1987’s Music From Siesta and 1989’s Amandla) that were produced by his Jamaica, Queens, high school pal, bassist Marcus Miller. He described his recent participation in the Zawinul Legacy 3.0 project as “a wonderful walk down memory lane.”

Philadelphia-born six-string electric bassist Veasley, who had come up in the early ’80s playing with Philly’s favorite son, Grover Washington Jr., later became a charter member of The Zawinul Syndicate. He joined Joe’s newly formed band in 1988, subsequently appearing on 1989’s Black Water and 1992’s Tribes. In 2002, he co-founded Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp, and since 2015 he’s been curator of the Unscripted Jazz Series at Philly’s SOUTH Jazz Parlor. Like Hakim, he found playing in the Zawinul Legacy 3.0 band to be both exhilarating and nostalgic. “Of course, I have a close affinity for The Syndicate stuff because I was in that band with Joe for almost eight years. It was an amazing time, and I still love that music to this day.

“And of course, I grew up on Weather Report,” he continued. “I remember when I was a teenager, one of the parties that cleared the room and had everybody go home was when my good friend Vance put on the first Weather Report album after everybody had been bopping to James Brown, and it cleared the room. Later on, the first album that I fell in love with was [1973’s] Sweetnighter, the one with Joe’s ‘125th Street Congress’ on it. So I have this deep-seated connection to the music of Weather Report.”

Veasley explained the Venn diagram situation of how the paths of the three principals in Zawinul Legacy 3.0 all converged around Zawinul and Shorter. “It’s interesting how our lives intersect,” he said. “I never played with Wayne but Omar did because he was a member of Weather Report. And Rachel never played with Joe but she did play with Wayne. So there’s all these connections running through this band.”

Zawinul Legacy 3.0 played a warmup show at SOUTH in Philly before flying to Austria for their gala performance in Grafenegg two summers ago. “Playing that Weather Report music so close to Joe’s hometown was something magical,” Veasley said. “We got to visit Zawinul’s apartment when he was growing up in Vienna. There’s also a park that’s named after him and the school that’s now there in his honor. I even got to see the report card of little Joe Zawinul. Of course, he did well in music but his top subject was gym class. In all the other classes, he was not doing so well.”

Veasley added that he hopes the release of Live@Grafenegg will help extend Zawinul’s legacy to a new generation of listeners. “Because I think people really need to remember what he contributed to the music and to the world.” DB