Birdland (Weather Report song)

This article is about the Joe Zawinul instrumental. For the Chubby Checker song, see Birdland (Chubby Checker song). For the Patti Smith song, see Horses (album). For the 1952 jazz standard, see Lullaby of Birdland.
"Birdland"
Single by Weather Report
from the album Heavy Weather
ReleasedApril 19, 1977
GenreJazz fusion
Length5:58
LabelColumbia, CBS, ARC
Songwriter(s)Joe Zawinul

"Birdland" is a jazz/pop song written by Joe Zawinul of the band Weather Report as a tribute to the Birdland nightclub in New York City, which appeared on the band's 1977 album Heavy Weather. The Manhattan Transfer won a Grammy Award with their 1979 version of the song, which had lyrics by Jon Hendricks.[1] Quincy Jones won two Grammy Awards for the version of the piece he included on his 1989 album Back on the Block.[2] The leading Cuban band Los Van Van included an extended interpolation of the piece in their song Tim Pop/Birdland.

  1. ^ Feather, Leonard (18 February 1990). "Keyboardist Joe Zawinul: From Weather Report to Rap". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Best Jazz Fusion Performance" and "Best Arrangement on an Instrumental" "33rd Annual GRAMMY Awards (1990)". Retrieved 13 November 2018.