Joe Zawinul passes

VIENNA, Austria (AP) ­ Jazz legend Joe Zawinul, who soared to fame as
one of the creators of jazz fusion and performed and recorded with
Miles Davis, died early Tuesday, a hospital official said. He was 75.

Zawinul had been hospitalized since last month. A spokeswoman for
Vienna's Wilhelmina Clinic confirmed his death without giving details.

Zawinul won widespread acclaim for his keyboard work on chart-topping
Davis albums such as "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew," and was a
leading force behind the so-called "Electric Jazz" movement.

In 1970, Zawinul founded the band Weather Report and produced a series
of albums including "Heavy Weather," "Black Market" and "I Sing the
Body Electric." After that band's breakup, he founded the Zawinul
Syndicate in 1987.

Zawinul is credited with bringing the electric piano and synthesizer
into the jazz mainstream.

This past spring, he toured Europe to mark the 20th anniversary of the
Zawinul Syndicate. He sought medical attention when the tour ended,
the Viennese Hospital Association said in a statement last month.

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