In the late 1960s, jazz musicians began mixing the forms and improvisational techniques of jazz with the electric instruments of rock and the rhythms of soul and rhythm and blues. At the same time, some rock artists began adding jazz elements to their music. Fusion has gone on to often include world music and other elements. At its best, fusion music is often considered to be one of the most inventive, original and virtuosic musical genres. ...~
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock and roll started to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll.
Jazz fusion arrangements vary in complexity. Some employ groove-based vamps fixed to a single key or a single chord with a simple, repeated melody. Others use elaborate chord progressions, unconventional time signatures, or melodies with counter-melodies. These arrangements, whether simple or complex, typically include improvised sections that can vary in length, much like in other forms of jazz.
As with jazz, jazz fusion employs brass and woodwind instruments such as trumpet and saxophone, but other instruments often substitute for these. A jazz fusion band is less likely to use piano and double bass, and more likely to use electric guitar, synthesizers, and bass guitar.
The term "jazz rock" is sometimes used as a synonym for "jazz fusion" and for music performed by late 1960s and 1970s-era rock bands that added jazz elements to their music. After a decade of popularity during the 1970s, fusion expanded its improvisatory and experimental approaches through the 1980s in parallel with the development of a radio-friendly style called smooth jazz. Experimentation continued in the 1990s and 2000s. Fusion albums, even those that are made by the same group or artist, may include a variety of musical styles. Rather than being a codified musical style, fusion can be viewed as a musical tradition or approach......wiki....~
The domain of crate diggers, virtuosos and DJs, jazz fusion is burdened by a reputation that contradicts itself. To some, it’s the sound of a supremely cool, effortlessly funky period in the ’70s when you could have a Gold record stuffed with 15-minute clavinet solos. For others, it’s the sound of excess, the jazz equivalent of progressive rock. Both are correct, though the latter might not be entirely fair, but when you consider that actual progressive rock artists like Soft Machine and Frank Zappa were playing jazz fusion, well, the distinction grows a bit blurrier.
Jazz fusion is tricky to define by any simple terms, but guitarist Larry Coryell, often credited with pioneering the sound, once said, “We loved Miles but we also loved the Rolling Stones.” In its earliest stages, artists like Coryell and his group The Free Spirits paired jazz elements with the electric sound of rock ‘n’ roll—hence, a fusion of sounds. And it spiraled outward from there; jazz found itself injected into funk, R&B, MPB, ambient, all manner of unlikely sounds, and it continues to thrive today, thanks in large part to DJ and electronic music culture. It was two labels founded by DJ/producers—Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder and Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood—that helped bring fusion and even jazz proper back to contemporary audiences. And as we continually find new corners to explore in this newly fertile terrain—on the 50th anniversary of Bitches Brew, no less—we’ve put together a timeline of 30 essential albums that show how jazz fusion went from an experimental concept to the sound of the future.
Ordinarily, for this sort of feature we’d strictly adhere to a one-album-per-artist rule, but saw the need to make an exception, and that artist who breaks the rule appears four times here: Miles Davis. Not only did he release one of the earliest jazz fusion masterpieces and conceptual blueprints, as well as a follow-up that stands as one of jazz’s best selling albums of all time, but a few more entries in the 1970s that showed how far he was willing to take it. We’re willing to break our own rules every now and then when it means being able to tell the whole story (or as close to it as we can).
Though, to tell the truth, there really is a lot more to this story. We just weren’t able to fit all of it. Let’s get this chronologically historical chronicle of 30 of the most groundbreaking and simply best jazz fusion albums of all time started.....BY TREBLE STAFF......~
Of all the sub genres of music, and in particular Jazz music, the once mighty proud sound of Jazz Fusion may seem like a dying art form. A quick browse through the genre section of the awesome website rateyourmusic.com reveals fewer and fewer groups dedicated to this lost art form. But, thankfully, it is NOT dead yet…
At one time, in the mid to late 60s, Miles Davis and a few other UK based contemporaries, such as Graham Bond & Manfred Mann were dabbling in what would become known as ‘Jazz Fusion’ or ‘Jazz Rock’. Miles Davis, already a well- respected living legend of Jazz, was taking a keen interest in the Psychedelic movement and music scene, not to mention his admiration of just about anything Jimi Hendrix was doing. Having finished a string of gentile recordings in the 60s with the Canadian born arranger Gil Evans, Miles was anxious to put his newer musical thoughts and aspirations on record. With the help of the younger players he mentored – English guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin, Austrian keyboardist, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and drummer Tony Williams – the resulting album was Davis’ first real fusion effort entitled ‘In A Silent Way’ and then just a little over a year later came Miles’ magnum opus epic ‘Bitches Brew’. In that same time, McLaughlin and Tony Williams teamed up to record ‘Emergency’, another classic example of this new & formidable combination of Jazz and Rock music. Then, less than two years later came the explosive sound of John McLaughlin’s group Mahavishnu Orchestra, featuring the powerhouse drummer Billy Cobham and bassist extraordinaire Stanley Clarke. Mahavishnu Orchestra’s first two albums ‘The Inner Mounting Flame’ and ‘Birds of Fire’ remain to this day mainstay examples of how potent and powerful the combination of Jazz and Rock can be, when executed to perfection.
As the 70s moved forward, with the help of the growing FM and College Radio stations, ‘Fusion’ (as it now was called) exploded in popularity amongst serious music fans and now included numerous classic recordings by Stanley Clarke, Weather Report, Brand X, Jean-Luc Ponty, Return To Forever and many others (select list at the bottom of this blog). Then came the onslaught of Punk, New Wave, Disco, Heavy Metal and before long ‘Fusion’ was seemingly being pushed into the background of the popular music scene. While not entirely ‘dead and gone’, ‘Fusion’ was now a form of music that the mainstream audience just didn’t buy into and was relegated to the stereos of music purists and aficionados. In fact, by the 80s, with the addition of drum machines, the synclavier and other digitized instruments, ‘Fusion’ had morphed into the newer ‘Smooth Jazz’ scene with music from the likes of David Sanborn, George Duke, Chuck Mangione, Spyro Gyra and others.
In the 90s, one guitarist did stand out from the rest in the Jazz Fusion scene. Around since the 80s, the work of Allan Holdsworth has stood the test of time in some ways, especially as an influence on Metal guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai and, subsequently the beginnings of the more recent sub genre known as ‘Metal Fusion’ which now includes noteworthy bands such as Planet X, Dream Theater, Mars Volta, all of whom exhibit their influences from Jazz Fusion.
Now we come to the 21 Century, where my own interest and love of Jazz Fusion has helped me discover some very interesting sounds, especially two groups in particular – one from New York (via Texas) and the other from Toronto.
Out of NY come the captivating recordings of Snarky Puppy (great name for any type of band!). With only 7 recording under their belt, since 2006, they might not be household names, but their work demands some attention and live in performance they are stupendous.
Meanwhile, here in Toronto comes the awesome sound of BadBadNotGood (or BBNG). With BBNG, the group has neatly combined Jazz Fusion & occasionally with a more intellectual Hip Hop sound (working with Ghostface Killah and others). BBNG have only been around for less than 4 years and have 5 albums to their credit, their latest simply entitled ‘III’. Check out the YouTube clip at the bottom.
So, for anyone, craving some ‘real music’ Jazz Fusion may be just the style and genre for you. Check out Snarky Puppy and BadBadNotGood when you can on YouTube and if you are really adventurous, seek out online or on CD/Vinyl some of these original ‘Masters’ of the Jazz Fusion sound. I can almost guarantee you will not regret this adventure into fantastic sounds!...by....DOUG CALDWELL....~
list
1. In A Silent Way (1969) - Miles Davis ~
2. Bitches Brew (1969) - Miles Davis ~
3. The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) - Mahavishnu Orchestra ~
4. Weather Report (1971) - Weather Report ~
5. Third (1970) - Soft Machine ~
6. Return To Forever (1972) - Chick Corea ~
7. Tribal Tech (1991) - Tribal Tech ~
8. Atavachron (1986) - Allan Holdsworth ~
9. Emergency! (1969) - Tony Williams Lifetime ~
10. Electric Bath (1967) - Don Ellis Orchestra ~
11. 8:30 (1979) - Weather Report ~
12. Love, Devotion & Surrender (1972) - Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin ~
13. Rocket Science (2000) - Tribal Tech ~
14. Lotus (1974) - Santana ~
15. Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969) - Blood, Sweat & Tears ~
16. The Lost Trident Sessions (1999) - Mahavishnu Orchestra ~
17. Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Chicago ~
18. Light As A Feather (1972) - Return To Forever ~
19. Birds Of Fire (1972) - Mahavishnu Orchestra ~
20. Quantum (2007) - Planet X ~
21. Amandla (1989) - Miles Davis ~
22. Head Hunters (1973) - Herbie Hancock ~
23. The Grand Wazoo (1973) - Frank Zappa ~
24. The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (1971) - Traffic ~
25. Six (1973) - Soft Machine ~
26. Sand (1987) - Allan Holdsworth ~
27. Reality Check (1995) - Tribal Tech~
28. Aja (1977) - Steely Dan ~
29. Pick Hits Live (1987) - John Scofield ~
30. Elegant Gypsy (1977) - Al Di Meola ~
31. Michael Brecker (1986) - Michael Brecker ~
32. Spectrum (1973) - Billy Cobham ~
33. Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar (1981) - Frank Zappa ~
34. Believe It (1975) - The New Tony Williams Lifetime ~
35. Live At The Village Gate (1971) - Larry Coryell ~
36. World Gone Strange (1991) - Andy Summers ~
37. Short Stories (1987) - Bob Berg ~
38. Where Have I Known You Before (1974) - Return To Forever ~
39. Sunburst (1975) - Eddie Henderson ~
40. Steps Ahead (1983) - Steps Ahead ~
41. Vertical Vision (2003) - Christian McBride ~
42. Seven (1974) - Soft Machine ~
43. Closer To The Light (1989) - Leni Stern ~
44. Romantic Warrior (1976) - Return To Forever ~
45. The Forbidden Zone (1994) - Tom Coster ~
46. I Sing The Body Electric (1972)- Weather Report ~
47. Pat Metheny Group (1978) - Pat Metheny ~
48. School Days (1976) - Stanley Clarke ~
49. Petite Blonde (1992) - Bill Evans ~
50. Getting Even (1998) - Dennis Chambers ~
51. Unorthodox Behaviour (1976) - Brand X ~
52. Crossings (1972) - Herbie Hancock ~
53. King Kong (1969) - Jean-Luc Ponty ~
54. Vital Tech Tones (1998) - Vital Tech Tones ~
55. Kinesethetics (2006) - Scott Kinsey ~
56. Stories To Tell (1974) - Flora Purim ~
57. Expansions (1974) - Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes ~
58. Cycles (1998) - Bob Berg ~
59. Metro (1994) - Metro ~
60. Tutu (1986) - Miles Davis ~
61. The Rotters' Club (1975) - Hatfield & The North ~
62. Bass Desires (1985) - Marc Johnson ~
63. National Health (1977) - National Health ~
64. We'll Talk About It Later (1971) - Nucleus ~
65. Train Of Thought (1985) - Mitchel Forman~
66. Upside Downside (1986) - Mike Stern~
67. To The Heart (1976) - Mark-Almond ~
68. Captain Marvel (1972) - Stan Getz ~
69. B,S & T 4 (1971) - Blood, Sweat & Tears ~
70. Dreams (1969) - Dreams ~
71. Introducing The Eleventh House (1974) - Larry Coryell ~
72. Forty Reasons (1991) - Chad Wackerman ~
73. Arrowhead (1980) - Wayne Johnson ~
74. Still Warm (1986) - John Scofield ~
75. Secrets (1989) - Allan Holdsworth ~
76. Don Ellis At Fillmore (1970) - Don Ellis Orchestra ~
77. Crosswinds (1974) - Billy Cobham ~
78. Expresso II (1978) - Gong ~
79. Music On The Edge (1991) - Chroma ~
80. Cross-Collateral (1975) - Passport ~
81. Compost (1971) - Compost ~
82. If 2 (1970) - If ~
83. Electric Guitarist (1978) - Johnny McLaughlin ~
84. Blue Matter (1986) - John Scofield ~
85. Enigmatic Ocean (1977) - Jean Luc-Ponty ~
86. Thick (1999) - Tribal Tech ~
87. Smash & Scatteration (1984) - Bill Frisell & Vernon Reid ~
88. Mountain In The Clouds (1969) - Mirolslav Vitous ~
89. CAB 2 (2001) - CAB ~
90. My Goals Beyond (1970) - John McLaughlin ~
91. Volume Two (1969) - Soft Machine ~
92. MoonBabies (2002) - Planet X ~
93. Illusion (1975) - Isotope ~
94. Like Children (1975) - Jan Hammer & Jerry Goodman ~
95. Unity (1974) - Catalyst ~
96. Live (2006) - Michael Landau Group ~
97. Wardenclyffe Tower (1992) - Allan Holdsworth ~
98. Vinnie Colaiuta (1994) - Vinnie Colaiuta ~
99. Live And More - Marcus Miller ~
100. Mobo II (1984) - Kazumi Watanabe ~
Album ready Finished....
click the title of the album & you have the album with full informations & mp3`s
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