Miroslav Ladislav Vitouš was born on December 6, 1947. He is a Czech musician who plays the bass. He is known for being one of the first members of the group Weather Report. He has also worked as a bandleader and has performed with Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, and others.

Biography

Vitouš was born in Prague. He began learning the violin at age six, switched to piano after about three years, and then to bass at age fourteen. As a young man in Europe, he was a competitive swimmer. One of his early music groups was the Junior Trio, which included his brother Alan on drums and Jan Hammer on keyboards. He studied music at the Prague Conservatory under František Pošta and won a music contest in Vienna in 1966. This contest earned him a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music in Boston, which he attended for one year before moving to Chicago to play with a group led by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer and flugelhorn pioneer Clark Terry.

In 1967, Miles Davis saw Vitouš performing in Chicago with Brookmeyer and Terry. Davis invited him to join his group, which was playing at the Village Gate in New York City. It was during this time that Vitouš first worked with saxophonist Wayne Shorter, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, and other musicians who were helping to change mainstream jazz from hard bop to a new style called jazz fusion.

In 1968, Vitouš began working with several musicians who would become important parts of his career. He played with vibraphonist Roy Ayers on flautist Herbie Mann’s album Windows Opened. He also shared bass duties with Ron Carter on Ayers’ Stoned Soul Picnic, which was produced by Mann. Vitouš played on many of Mann’s albums released through 1971, including The Inspiration I Feel, Memphis Underground, Live at the Whisky A Go Go, Stone Flute, and a cover of the Beatles’ song “Come Together” on Muscle Shoals Nitty Gritty.

Also in 1968, Vitouš and drummer Roy Haynes joined a trio led by Chick Corea. This was the first of several collaborations between Vitouš and Corea. At the end of the year, they released the album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, which received high praise. Some tracks from this time were later included in Corea’s 1975 album Circling In.

In 1968, Vitouš also joined drummer Jack DeJohnette, with whom he would often work throughout his career. They played together on DeJohnette’s debut album as a bandleader, The DeJohnette Complex. Vitouš and Eddie Gómez shared bass duties on the album. Haynes, Bennie Maupin, and Stanley Cowell were also part of the group.

In 1969, Vitouš released his debut album as a bandleader, Infinite Search, for Mann’s Embryo label. The album was later reissued in 1972 on Atlantic Records as Mountain In The Clouds and on a German label as The Bass. It featured Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Joe Henderson on tenor sax, John McLaughlin on electric guitar, and DeJohnette and Joe Chambers sharing drum duties. In 2016, journalist Paul Rigby described the album as “superb” and “an eye-opening glimpse into [Vitouš]’s glittering past.” That same year, Vitouš played on guitarist Larry Coryell’s album Spaces, alongside McLaughlin, Chick Corea, and drummer Billy Cobham. Some tracks from these sessions were later released on Coryell’s 1975 album Planet End.

In 1969, Vitouš first recorded with Wayne Shorter, with whom he had previously played under Miles Davis’ leadership. He played on Shorter’s twelfth album, Super Nova, alongside McLaughlin, DeJohnette, Corea, and Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira.

In 1970, Vitouš continued as a bandleader, recording Purple for Columbia Records. The album was supported by McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, and Joe Zawinul, another former member of Davis’ group. He also shared bass duties with Walter Booker on Zawinul’s eponymous album, which included Shorter’s contribution on soprano saxophone. The album was released on Atlantic Records the following year.

Again working with Wayne Shorter, Vitouš played on the 1970 sessions for Moto Grosso Feio, which was released in 1974. He shared bass duties with Ron Carter and Dave Holland. The collaborations between Vitouš, Shorter, and Zawinul in 1969 and 1970 marked a new stage in their careers.

In 1970, Shorter, Zawinul, and Vitouš formed the founding core of the jazz group Weather Report. There is some disagreement about how the band began. Zawinul said he and Shorter recruited Vitouš, who had recently played with each of them separately. Vitouš claimed he and Shorter started the group, with Shorter later bringing in Zawinul. Regardless of the details, these three musicians—each a composer—formed the initial group.

Over 16 years, Weather Report explored many types of music, including jazz (especially free jazz), art music, ethnic music, R&B, funk, and rock. While their work was often called jazz fusion, the band members usually avoided that term. From the start, they avoided the traditional “soloist/accompaniment” structure of jazz and focused on continuous improvisation by all members.

Vitouš and Zawinul experimented with electronic effects pedals, which had mostly been used by rock guitarists. Zawinul used them on electric piano and synthesizers, while Vitouš used them on his upright bass, often bowing it through distortion to create a horn-like sound.

In reviews of Weather Report’s first three albums, rock critic Robert Christgau compared the band to the sound of Miles Davis’ 1969 album In a Silent Way, where Zawinul and Shorter had played, but Vitouš

Discography

• Weather Report (Columbia, 1971)
• I Sing the Body Electric (Columbia, 1972) – recorded between 1971 and 1972
• Live in Tokyo (CBS/Sony, 1972) – a live recording
• Sweetnighter (Columbia, 1973)
• Mysterious Traveller (Columbia, 1974) – recorded between 1973 and 1974

Collaborators include Enrico Rava and Franco D'Andrea.