Comparing 70’s Jazz-Fusion Supergroups with Operating Systems

Last night I saw Return to Forever in concert. The opening date of their first tour in 25 years. Their nervousness and the crowd's anticipation nearly stifled their astounding performance. But I must say, it was quite a thrill. Afterwards, I overheard fans fantasizing about seeing reunions of other jazz-fusion supergroups of that same era - Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Thinking of that triumvirate lead me to this most dorky of all analogies. Return to Forever is to Microsoft as Mahavishnu is to Mac as Weather Report is to Linux. Let me explain.

Return to Forever is the least rebellious (some would say least cool). Their products are often overly complex and that sometimes complicates the central goal. Some product features are added to great effect others not so much (Hello Again?).

Mahavishnu Orchestra on the other hand consistently put out lethally brilliant pieces that appealed to hip rockers. It was, however, ruled by an overcontrolling tyrant.

Finally, Weather Report started out with creations that were free. It had a huge roster of brilliant but forgettable players that didn't stick around for long. They had a slow evolution from eclectic pieces to more commercial stuff that, in the end, consistently missed opportunities to be truly innovative. And maybe Jaco is Google! Taking the group towards its cohesive peak and later breaking off to develop his own successful (and better) material.

Well that was fun, but I don't suppose we'll be hearing Celestial Terrestrial Commuters in an Itunes commercial anytime soon.