Film · 2010 · Music

Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate: 75th

This is Joe Zawinul's last band, playing his 75th birthday concert in Lugano, preceding his death in September 2007 by two months.

The quality of keyboardist/composer/bandleader Joe Zawinul's music remained unparalleled to the very end. This titan of the jazz world – whose innovative and genre-bending sensibilities gave rise to such visionary musical entities as Weather Report and the Zawinul Syndicate – took his final bow on September 11, 2007, at age 75 after a battle with cancer. Recorded in concert at a festival date in Lugano, Switzerland, on July 7, 2007, this aptly titled concert video is unwavering proof that Zawinul, like so many great artists, clearly saved some of his best work for last. This is a perfect companion piece to the 75 audio CD, which garnered a GRAMMY in 2010 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.