Wow, I like Adderley too, but I don't know if I liked the Zawinul pairing as much. I wasn't a big fan of Weather Report since it was a little more pop than jazz for my taste. Chacun a son gout like the French would say.

My Adderley favorites are the stuff with Miles (yes, I know he got into the pop/jazz thing also) like Kind of Blue (5/5 stars) and Somethin' Else. Of course this is all colored by my being a big Coltrane fan, so take it with a grain of salt.

Yes, "Kind of Blue" is a stunningly beautiful recording, but to me it's gotten to be like "Stairway to Heaven" or "Free Bird." At some point, I've burned it out. Plus, none of the tunes are as good as "Mercy Mercy Mercy," "Country Preacher," and "Why Am I Treated So Bad?"

A lot of Weather Report (and "74 Miles Away" by Zawinul and Adderley) is too far out there to be called pop.

I can understand a John Coltrane-loving, jazz purist having problems with Weather Report. The band did sound a little light at times with the fusion routine. Meanwhile John Coltrane took a song from the ultra-square “The Sound of Music” and made one of the best recordings of all time: “My Favorite Things.” There wasn’t anything of the original popular music left. It was pure jazz greatness.
But Weather Report had greatness, too. When I saw the group at the Paramount, Wayne Shorter played into another dimension. At one point he stood by himself and turned on the tone from heaven. The audience was stunned into disbelief, and whatever you want to call it, it was also 100% pure. So, yes, John Coltrane’s music stomped the earth, but Wayne Shorter is also a monster.

Shorter is a true mystic.

"...Zawinul pairing as much."

Boy, just finished listening on a long drive to a lot of Zawinul playing with Miles ("Bitches Brew" and "Live at Fillmore East".) Not as accessible, but Bitches Brew sure blew me away back when it first came out.