New School Studio Orchestra to perform HEAVY WEATHER in WEATHER REPORT tribute

The New School Studio Orchestra (NSSO) opens the 40th anniversary of the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School and launches another season with A Tribute to Weather Report: 50 Years of Heavy Weather on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at Tishman Auditorium, under the baton of conductor and Dean Keller Coker. Weather Report, one of the most influential groups in jazz-fusion history, pushed the boundaries of genre in the 1970s by blending jazz, rock, funk, and world music into an iconic sound. The October performance celebrates the band by placing it in the pantheon of 20th century composers who created a new and lasting convergence of musical expressions.

The New School Studio Orchestra celebrates this milestone with a performance of the band's entire 1977 landmark album Heavy Weather, as well as a selection of other Weather Report compositions. Heavy Weather was the band's commercial breakthrough, capturing the energy and passion of the ensemble's live shows, and featuring hit tracks like 'Birdland,' which became one of the most celebrated jazz works of the 20th century.

This concert builds on the New School Studio Orchestra's recent work in bringing monumental records to life. In 2025, they presented the U.S. premiere of Carla Bley's landmark album Escalator Over the Hill to acclaim, with All About Jazz deeming it a 'triumph'; and a few months later, they performed Arturo O'Farrill's Grammy Award-winning album Fandango at the Wall.

Students at the School of Jazz & Contemporary Music collaborate and make music with faculty such as Reggie Workman, Arturo O'Farrill, Patricia Brennan, Joel Ross, Mary Halvorson, Immanuel Wilkins, Brandee Younger, Anat Cohen, James Francies, Jane Ira Bloom, Wendy Eisenberg, Julian Lage, Allison Miller, and many more. Students immersed in complex, genre-bending works like Escalator and Heavy Weather—alongside lesser-known and classic repertoire—not only expand their technical scope, but become open-minded artists, able and eager to explore and create new sonic territory.

Formed in 1970 by keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Weather Report redefined the possibilities of jazz fusion by blending jazz improvisation with rock, funk, world music, and electronic textures. The band's ever-evolving lineup included legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius, whose groundbreaking approach to the electric bass helped shape the group's Signature Sound. Over a 16-year career, Weather Report released 14 studio albums and became one of the most influential and commercially successful jazz fusion ensembles in history.

Keller Coker, Conductor and Dean, Performing Arts and Associate Dean, Parsons, Mannes, Jazz, And Drama, said: 'Weather Report's fearless genre blending mirrors the boundary-breaking nature of our school and faculty—and kicking off the season with a tribute to this seminal band on the fiftieth anniversary of their Heavy Weather album has the entire NSSO ensemble as excited as they've ever been for a show. The whole season honors the 40th anniversary of the School of Jazz & Contemporary Music, and we have a celebratory program featuring The New School Studio Orchestra and special guests on March 4. Our annual holiday show, Holiday at the Sands '66, will feature Vegas Copa Room nostalgia with classics by celebrated female vocalists from the Sands era of the mid-1960s. We conclude the season May 5-6 with the two-night Music and the Metropolis, a love letter to the inimitable alchemy created by NYC's classic buildings, streets, and neighborhoods and the music born from them. All season long, the orchestra will collaborate with students, faculty, and alumni from Parsons School of Design, which promises to make every program a feast for the eyes as well as ears.'

All NSSO events are free with registration.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 7:30pm

Place: Tishman Auditorium at the New School, 63 5th Avenue; New York, NY 10003

Tickets: Free with registration

Program

Weather Report selections

'In a Silent Way' Joe Zawinul, originally recorded by Miles Davis as the title track for his 1969 album

'Night Passage' Joe Zawinul, title track of Weather Report's Night Passage (1980)

'In Pursuit of the Woman with the Feathered Hat' Jow Zawinul, from the Weather Report album Mr. Gone (1978)

'Young and Fine' from the Weather Report album Mr. Gone (1978)

Heavy Weather Full Album

'Birdland' Joe Zawinul

'A Remark You Made' Joe Zawinul

'Teen Town' Jaco Pastorius

'Harlequin' Wayne Shorter

'Rumba Mamá' Manolo Badrean and Alex Acuña

'Palladium' Wayne Shorter

'The Juggler' Joe Zawinul

'Havona' Jaco Pastorius

Weather Report selections

'Rockin' in Rhythm' Duke Ellington, Harry Carney, and Irving Mills, recorded by Weather Report on the album Night Passage (1980)

'Three Views of a Secret' Jaco Pastorius, from the album Night Passage (1980)

'Where the Moon Goes' Joe Zawinul and Nan O'Byrne, from the album Procession (1983)

Artists

The New School Studio Orchestra, Keller Coker, Music Director

Reeds: Pau Bonastre, Alto/Clarinet; Rinat Fishman, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet; Jaxon Hirsh, Bari/Bass Clarinet; Greg LaPine, Soprano/Alto/Flute; Nathan Tokunaga, Tenor/Clarinet

Winds: Percy Flint, Flute/Piccolo

Low Brass: Bishesh Paudel, Trombone; Aaron Holst, Trombone; Ben Koller, Trombone; Rieve Nydegger, Bass Trombone

Trumpets: Miles Halloran, Trumpet 1; Dakyung Kwak, Trumpet 2; Nick Marcione, Trumpet 4; Adam Brazzly, Trumpet 3

Rhythm: Luis Peralta, Piano; Maxwell Holmes, Piano; Paul Yoon, Guitar; Daniel Stromland, Guitar; Tristan Wiafe, Bass; Vasja Caharija, Bass; Seonjae Lee, Drums; Carson Grimes, Drums; Gio Suarez, Drums

Strings (full string section TBA): Hanjia Zhao, Cello

Vocalists: Dean Akbar, Flavio Boasso-Viale, Keala Burns, Princess Harris, Aiko Hayes, Anais Magrini, Olia Novikova, Macks Pettit, Edward Prebble, Ariana Rice, Stella Rodriguez

Additional Free Events with the New School Studio Orchestra During the 40th Anniversary Season

December 10, 2026, 7:30pm: Holiday at the Sands '66

March 4, 2027, 7:30pm: New School Jazz at 40!

May 5-6, 2027: Music and the Metropolis

About the New School Studio Orchestra

Conducted by Keller Coker, The New School Studio Orchestra (NSSO) is composed of students from the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Mannes School of Music, often with guest artists, performing music from a wide variety of genres, including jazz, soul, pop, and improvised music.

The U.S. premiere of Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill was the close to the 2024–2025 season. The New York Times described the musicians as playing with 'rattling intensity,' adding 'The sound seemed to shudder like a pot about to blow its lid.' All About Jazz stated, 'Presenting a cherished '70s cult jazz-rock album in its U.S. performance debut was a high-wire act of artistic bravery, yet the New School ensemble triumphed over the odds. This was very much a student performance, even if its stellar standard forced you to frequently—and delightedly—remind yourself of that improbable fact.' UK Jazz News wrote: 'The student band impressively embodied Bley's gonzo vision. This was a worthy and deeply enjoyable ride on Escalator Over the Hill, and a historic moment to boot.'

The 2025/2026 season began with 1930s Radio Night. The Grammy-winning Fandango at the Wall featured The New School's Arturo O'Farrill, his Afro Latin Jazz Octet, and The Conga Patria Son Jarocho Collective. The second annual NSSO Holiday Swing ushered in the holiday season, featuring music from Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas albums and Jazz at Lincoln Center holiday arrangements, with special guest Brianna Thomas. March brought The Blue Note Records All Stars Evening, featuring James Francies, Joel Ross, and Immanuel Wilkins. All About Jazz praised the program, writing, 'The New School is steadily moving the center of gravity for collegiate jazz in New York further downtown.' The season culminated in May with a sold-out audience at A Motown Spectacular, featuring music by The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, and more. The NSSO also performs annually at The Jazz Gallery.

The 2026/27 season celebrates the 40th anniversary of the School of Jazz & Contemporary Music, featuring 50 Years of Heavy Weather: A Tribute to Weather Report, New School Studio Orchestra's annual Holiday at The Sands '66, The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music's 40th Anniversary Celebration, and, to close out the season, Music and the Metropolis: a two-night event and collaboration with Parsons School of Design featuring music inspired by iconic NYC buildings, monuments, and neighborhoods over 125 years.