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Just thought I'd throw this out there since I was listening to Return to Forever today...
Btw I'm defining jazz fusion as musicians coming from a jazz background, using a heavy rock beat with electric bass and (usually) electric guitars or electric keyboards with heavy effects. No horn-based stuff. No Chuck Mangione or Earl Klugh.
In no particular order, here are my favorites:
Return to Forever, Romantic Warrior--the epitome of jazz fusion, absolute virtuosity and flawless production, plus some of the best tunes ever written for this type of music. And the best fusion lineup in history IMHO.
Weather Report, Heavy Weather--OK no distorted guitars but lots of keyboards with heavy effects. THE best bass work in any genre by Jaco. I heard this when I was in high school and it blew my mind and opened up the door for jazz in all its forms.
Jean-Luc Ponty, Enigmatic Ocean--Ponty himself was a monster, but with Allen Holdsworth AND Daryl Stuermer? and Ralphe Armstrong? OMG. Cosmic Messenger was also one of my favorites from the 70's.
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Inner Mounting Flame--again one of the best line-ups in fusion, with John McLaughlin (of course), Jan Hammer and Billy Cobham. All the early studio albums were awesome.
Honorable mention:
Miles Davis, Bitches Brew--a seminal album, with elements of rock of course but IMO more of an experimental jazz album. All his stuff from this period was fusiony, but much more jazz than rock. (He also famously said to Santana that jazz guys could rock out but rock players couldn't do real jazz.)
Santana, Moonflower--my first and favorite Santana album, with his best lineup. Really fusiony but more rock and Latin than jazz. His albums with John McLaughlin and some of his solo albums are also super tasty.
Frank Zappa, The Grand Wazoo--his jazziest album, though my absolute favorite is Over-Nite Sensation. With George Duke and Jean-Luc Ponty among others, playing their nuts off.
Dixie Dregs, Free Fall--coming from a Southern rock background but with elements of jazz and classical. I saw them innumerable times in Atlanta in the 70's and 80's; they never failed to put on a great show.
Herbie Hancock, Headhunters--jazz-funk, something I somehow missed at the time.
Chick Corea, My Spanish Heart--almost chamber jazz but with enough oomph to classify as fusion. My first and still my favorite Chick album.
Any others I missed?
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03-04-2015 04:33 PM
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Yes, of course !
And I'll miss a lot, too !
Billy Cobham - Spectrum (amazing Tommy Bolin)
Gong - Gazeuse ! (Allan Holdsworth)
Soft Machine - Seven (I wish they had issued an album with Allan Holdsworth, but we still have this Montreux Concert)
FZ - Wazoo (live performance with the jazziest line-up Frank leaded)
Miles Davis and ... - We want Miles (Mike Stern !)
Sixun - Live in Marciac (I was there !) (Louis Winsberg)
Stanley Clarke - Stanley Clarke
...
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Jeff Beck With The Jan Hammer Group is a favorite of mine
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Eleventh House (Larry Coryell)
Tony Williams Lifetime, Emergency (McLaughlin)
Turn It Over
Gabor Szabo, Spellbinder
The Sorcerer
Gary Burton, Duster (Larry Coryell)
Country Roads and Other Places (Jerry Hahn)
Jerry Hahn Brotherhood (more rock than jazz, perhaps)
The Fourth Way, Sun and Moon Have Come Together (elec piano, violin, no guitar---not on CD)
Herbie Mann Memphis Underground (w/ Larry Coryell and Sonny Sharrock on guitars==Muscle Shoals rhythm section)
John Scofield
Mike Stern
Steve Khan
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I take it from the OP this is about first generation fusion and not the 80s funk and pop stuff?
The DiMeola thread had me dig out Tour De Force again. That is as strong an album as Al ever made
I'll second the 11th House. I loved "introducing..." as a kid.
Tony Williams Lifetime's Emergency is kind of rough but the energy is amazing
A Tribute to Jack Johnson isn't Davis' best fusion album but the power of Right Off make it a desert island disk for me. And probably my favourite McLaughlin playing.
At the softer end of the spectrum the first Yellowjackets album is very good
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I'll throw in mine.
although I can't listen to him anymore, to me
Mike Stern's Time in Place is the best, because of the compositions (Chromazone, Little Shoes)and of course the playing of everyone involved.
Sara's Touch by Mike Mainieri is IMHO the "fusion" composition ever.
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Still one of my favorite albums.
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Let's not rule out:
Al DiMeola's Elegant Gypsy or Land of the Midnight Sun.
Larry Carlton's earlier releases: Room 335 and Lightning Strikes.
Jeff Beck: Blow By Blow.
Lenny White's Venusian Summer
Steely Dan introduced a great many rock aficionados to the flavors of jazz as did Santana, Blood Sweat and Tears, and an Obscure band called Stuff with the guitar duo of Eric Gale and Cornell DuPree.
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Anybody checked out Rez Abbasi's new CD "Intents and Purposes"? Terrific acoustic renditions of some favorite 1970s jazz fusion classics, and an extremely high level of musicianship all around from Rez Abbasi's Acoustic Quartet (with Bill Ware, Stephan Crump, and Eric McPherson).
Quote: "Steely Dan introduced a great many rock aficionados to the flavors of jazz ...."
My brother took a class with George Russell at the New England Conservatory in the very early 80's and reported that George spent an entire class session applying his Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization to the tunes on "Aja."
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Great CD's of Scof .
My favorit Still Warm.
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I dig Rez's new album I like sound of the acoustic in and band setting. Agreed excellent playing all around.
Originally Posted by Perdido
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I was fortunate enough to see Rez and quartet a couple of weeks ago at a free afternoon masterclass at nearby Sonoma State University. They played a bunch of the tunes from the CD and fielded questions from the (small) audience for two hours. Great stuff. Bill Ware just kills on vibes, and the guy spoke more like a college professor than many college professors I've known. Great CD, too. Probably the most "accessible" recording Rez has done, and I've got a bunch of them.
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Thanks for the reminder on Rez's new one! I have that first one he did with his acoustic quartet and it just KILLS.
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Good thread! Some of my favorites...
Pat Martino - Joyous Lake
Tony Williams Lifetime - Believe It! (with Allan Holdsworth. Be sure to pass on Million Dollar Legs, though!)
Soft Machine - Bundles (also with Holdsworth. These two were my intro to him.)
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow and Wired
Return To Forever - Hymn to the Seventh Galaxy (I prefer Connors in the band for the energy.)
Kazumi Watanabe - Spice of Life and Spice of Life II (with Jeff Berlin and Bill Bruford.)
Jean Luc Ponty - Imaginary Voyage
Philip Catherine - September Man and Guitars (There's an excellent compilation of the two entitled Nairam.)
Larry Coryell - +1 on Introducing the 11th House
Some more obscure stuff (both on Inner City)...
Charlie Mariano - October (I kinda put this near Heavy Weather-period WR but with more World influences.)
David Pritchard - Light Year
...and I'm sure that I'm forgetting a few.Last edited by ooglybong; 03-06-2015 at 09:36 PM.
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now we are talking...yep all that...free fall yeaa . Stanly Clark school days. that was always the deal when I was young every band I was with had to let me play school days. lol.. liked Miles tutu also. But I always thought early yes should be classified as jazz fusion.
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How about The Bruford Tapes with board contributor Jeff Berlin on bass?
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On a similar note how about UK?
Wetton Jobson Bruford Holdsworth
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I'll never forget seeing the Mahavishnu Orchestra the first time. Inner Mounting Flame was a historic recording.
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I'll play.
Mahavishnu Orchestra " Inner Mounting Flame"
Weather Report " I Sing the Body Electric"
Return to Forever " Romantic Warrior"
Miles Davis "Ahgarta"
Herbie Hancock "Head Hunters"
and for a more modern take: Sonny Sharrock " Ask The Ages"
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Alphone Mouzon "Mind Transplant" -- more Tommy Bolin action.
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Electric Guitarist by John McLaughlin is my all time favorite.
Also:
Romantic Warrior RTF
Birds of Fire - Mahavishnu Orch.
No Mystery - RTF
Santana - Oneness
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Bright Size Life - Pat Methany
Jaco Pastious - Jaco Patorious
Larry Coryell - Return & Better Than Live (both with the Brubeck brothers)
✌️
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The Soft Machine album "Bundles" has Holdsworth. I recently picked up a copy on CD (reissue from 2010). Originally Posted by 339 in june
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All of my choices have already been mentioned at least a couple of times but I'll second "Ask the Ages" by Sonny Sharrock. It's one of my desert island selections.
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After reviewing this thread I wondered why none of us picked a Pat Metheny album. Bright Sized Life was pretty impressive and innovative at the time. Along with so many others. His guitar tone was coming from a more traditional sound but then the synth, Picasso Guitar, 12 strings tuned in fifths, Ornette Coleman,,,
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abercrombie-timeless..he thought it was gonna be a straight organ trio date..but jan hammer and jack dejohnette propelled it elsewhere
gateway trio-first lp...dave holland replaces hammer..abercrombie at his legato best
stanley clarke-stanley clarke- first lp on nemperor..bill connors, jan hammer and tony williams..
brand X- unorthodox behavior...percy jones just killin it on bass
terje rypdal-whenever i seem to be far away- great date with fusion band and strings
coryell and holdsworth were fave players but never made the perfect album..good on lots of different albums though
miles-jack johnson- sharrock and mclaughlin..early jammy fave
cheers
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