Jazz fusion

Jazz fusion (sometimes referred to simply as fusion) is a musical genre that loosely encompasses the merging of jazz with other styles, particularly rock, funk, R&B, and world music. It basically involved jazz musicians mixing the forms and techniques of jazz with the electric instruments of rock, and rhythmic structure from African-American popular music, both "soul" and "rhythm and blues". The 1970s were the most important decade for fusion, but the style has been well represented also during later decades. Fusion albums - often even those that are made by the same artist - include a variety of musical styles. It can be argued that rather than being a coherent musical style, fusion is a musical tradition and approach.

Fusion during the 1970s

Much of fusion grew from a core of musicians who had worked with Miles Davis on In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. In addition to Davis, the most important figures in early fusion were Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea (with his band Return to Forever), John McLaughlin (with his band Mahavishnu Orchestra) and Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter with their band Weather Report.

Related Topics:
Tony Williams - Herbie Hancock - Chick Corea - Return to Forever - John McLaughlin - Mahavishnu Orchestra - Joe Zawinul - Wayne Shorter - Weather Report

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Herbie Hancock first continued the path of Miles Davis with his experimental fusion albums (such as Crossings, 1972), but soon after that he became perhaps the most important developer of "jazz-funk" with his albums Headhunters (1973) and Thrust (1974). Later in 1970s and early 1980s Hancock took yet more commercial approach eventually recording straight disco and pop-albums (though he also recorded some acoustic jazz occasionally). Hancock was one of the first jazz-musicians to use synthesizers (though at very first, he left playing for his sidemen).

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Also Joe Zawinul's and Wayne Shorter's Weather Report was more experimental at the beginning, but introduced more commercial sound later. Their albums were often quite varied and influenced by different styles of ethnic music, mainly latin and African music. Zawinul practically became the leader of the band, and he was endlessly making experiments by fusing different styles. Jaco Pastorius, one of the most celebrated electric bass players, joined the group in 1976.

Related Topics:
Weather Report - Jaco Pastorius - 1976

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Chick Corea formed his band Return to Forever in 1972. The band started with latin-influenced music (Flora Purim as a vocalist) but the band was transformed in 1973 to become a jazz-rock group that took influences from both psychedelic and progressive rock. Since 1974 Corea used synthesizers with his distinctive personal style. The drummer of the band (after 1973) was Lenny White who had also played with Miles Davis. What make Return to Forever distinctive were their well made compositions, written mostly by Corea and group's bassist, Stanley Clarke. Clarke became perhaps the most influential bassist of 1970s along with Weather Report's Jaco Pastorius. Clarke's playing featured slap bass technique while Pastorius popularized the fretless bass. Also guitarist Al Di Meola started his career in Return to Forever. He soon became one of the most important fusion guitarists. In 1980s Corea formed a new fusion band Chick Corea Elektric Band with new young musicians such as Dave Weckl and John Patitucci.

Related Topics:
Return to Forever - Flora Purim - Psychedelic - Progressive rock - Lenny White - Stanley Clarke - Al Di Meola - Dave Weckl - John Patitucci

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John McLaughlin formed a jazz-rock band Mahavishnu Orchestra and their first album was released in 1972. The band included important musicians such as drummer Billy Cobham and keyboardist Jan Hammer. Hammer used his moog synthesizer with distortion making it sound like an electric guitar. The sound of Mahavishnu Orchestra was influenced by psychedelic rock. The band's first line up broke up after two studio albums, but McLaughlin formed another group under same name which included Jean-Luc Ponty, a jazz violinist, who made many important fusion recordings also under his own name.

Related Topics:
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Billy Cobham - Jan Hammer - Jean-Luc Ponty

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Many rock acts continued to borrow ideas and influences from fusion; while most of these remained rooted in the traditional vocal-based rock song structure, rock guitarist Jeff Beck had mainstream success with the instrumental rock-fusion album Blow by Blow in 1975.

Related Topics:
Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow

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Other important musicians that emerged from the fusion movement during the 1970s include guitarist Larry Coryell with his band 11th House and Pat Metheny, whose band Pat Metheny Group (formed in 1978) became one of the most important and long-lived groups in modern jazz.

Related Topics:
Larry Coryell - Pat Metheny - Pat Metheny Group

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