Chris Watson

An exquisite recording, Weather Report is divided into three sections; field recordings from Kenya, Scotland and Iceland. The focus of this CD is how the weather affects life on this planet for both humans and animals in their natural habitat. Watson travelled these three countries, nearly endangering his life, to capture animal and bird noises, the wind rustling through indigenous plants, and the natural movements of water in the form of streams and rivers. Accompanying these noises are the sounds of air currents, wind, rain and thunder. Though the concept of Weather Report seems trite, it is actually much more engaging than one would expect. In fact, these field recordings act as music on their own, a natural contrapuntal symphony of sound. The staccato of rustling vegetation and animal movements is accompanied by the literal atmospherics of air and water currents to form what producers with four and five digit gear aspire to. More than sounds that appeal to just audiophiles, Chris Watson captured something as close to a composition in nature as I’ve ever heard.