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| Joe Zawinul Hospitalized Austrian jazz musician Joe Zawinul, the founder of the 1970s jazz-rock group Weather Report, has been taken to hospital in Vienna, a hospital spokesperson said Wednesday. “Mr Zawinul asked to be hospitalised Sunday at the end of his tour,” said the Wilhelminenspital spokesperson, citing a statement from the musician. The pianist, who was born in Vienna on July 7, 1932, also said he wanted “his right to protect his privacy to be respected,” added the spokeswoman, who would not comment on Zawinul's condition. The Austrian press reported he was being treated in the hospital's oncology department. Zawinul's BirdJAM record label said meanwhile that it was “impossible to say at this time whether the concert dates planned for September will be kept.” Click here! The pianist and singer with Hungarian, Czech and gypsy origins was supposed to take part in the “Jazz a la Villette” festival in Paris on September 6, as well as a series of concerts in Vienna in the same month. Zawinul recorded several albums with jazz legend Miles Davis in the United States in the 1960s, before founding Weather Report with saxophonist Wayne Shorter, guitarist Miroslav Vitus and bass player Jaco Pastorius. With “Birdland,” one of their best-known songs, they reached the top of the hits, going on to win several awards in the 1970s, including a Grammy award. Since 2004, Zawinul has been the owner of a jazz club in Vienna, the Birdland, and he continues to perform abroad with his new group Zawinul Syndicate. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |