Birdland (song)
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- For other uses of the term 'Birdland', see Birdland.
"Birdland" is an instrumental composition by keyboardist Joe Zawinul which debuted on the Weather Report album Heavy Weather in 1977. A jazz-fusion piece, it achieved unusual commercial success and became a jazz standard, entering the repertoire of many groups and bands, including the University of Michigan marching band, Maynard Ferguson's big band, and The Manhattan Transfer, who recorded a vocalese take on the tune with lyrics by Jon Hendricks.
Birdland was named after the eponymous New York jazz club on 52nd Street, which is named after jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. The song is a tribute to Parker and the club which Zawinul frequented as a young musician (he would meet his future wife there too). There is another relatively new jazz club in Vienna, that Zawinul is involved in that is also named after the song.
Among fusion artists the only other song that received "hit" status in the same class as "Birdland" was Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon". It is believed that the first use of a polyphonic synthesizer in a jazz recording occurred here, and the fretless electric bass playing of Jaco Pastorius would help launch his fame as well.
One of the reasons "Birdland" is so successful was it pitted a very simple, major sounding melody with sophisticated underlying jazz harmonies in the main hook. The non-hook elements of the piece comprised of through composed material that builds suspense leading up to the major sounding melody.
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