snobb
Last Joe Zawinul album recorded before he passed away in 2007. Musically all release is based in Zawinul's post-Weather Report music,played with Absolute Ensemble, conducted by Estonian director Kristjan Järvi.It's interesting, that two members of one of most current Zawinul band's (Zawinul Syndicate) are participated on recordings as well (Congolese vocalist Sabine Kabongo and the Mauritius-born bassist Linley Marthe).
One familiar with Joe Zawinul post Weather Report music knows for many years he concentrated on world music (particularly with his Weather Update and Zawinul Syndicate). From other hand, Absolute Ensemble is known by his orchestrated reworks on many known classic composers and modern jazz and rock musicians. Combination of two gives us easy accessible but very well played and arranged orchestrated versions of Zawinul compositions with Joe himself playing keyboards (and vocoder) and big ensemble, supporting him with strings, African/Asian percussion some oriental vocals and plenty of strings and brass.
Zawinul's composed material is really melodic and quite catchy, and even under orchestral arrangements it sounds still jazzy (thanks to tasteful and not over-arranged orchestral musicianship). As main target for critics could be mentioned that Afro-Asian rhythms and tunes are used as just exotic component for quite traditional Central European orchestral music without saving their authentic potential, what really is a lost.
In all - pleasant and accessible listening with light jazzy flavor and some world scent in it.