the FUSION thread

Randy & Michael Brecker - Some Skunk Funk

JAMMIN'!

I've heard of the Brecker Bros. but never listened to them until this...me likey.

Michael Brecker was an amazing musician (he passed away a couple years ago), if you look through his AMG credits you'll see he played on almost every damn pop & rock album in the 70's! :-)

I was lucky enough to catch him with his acoustic quartet back in the late 90's and he was fantastic.

detuned wrote:

Michael Brecker was an amazing musician (he passed away a couple years ago), if you look through his AMG credits you'll see he played on almost every damn pop & rock album in the 70's! :-)

I was lucky enough to catch him with his acoustic quartet back in the late 90's and he was fantastic.

Name a few,d.

akeldama wrote:

Name a few,d.

James Brown - Get On The Good Foot
Lou Reed - Berlin
John Lennon - Mind Games
Aerosmith - Get Your Wings
James Taylor - Walking Man
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune


There are pages and pages of his album credits here:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3ifuxqt5ldhe~1~T40B

Man,that is a great song! I'm a little disappointed that the Tenor Sax is overpowering the trumpet. I think it could have toned down the volume a little.

It was a live recording, so that happens. I'll have to dig up some more clips, I never bothered because this thread died like a dog...thanks for bringing it back up.

The mighty Weather Report (early lineup)

The funky goodness of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters - 1975

Alan Holdsworth w/Soft Machine - THIS IS AWESOME!!!!

You got some great stuff there detuned.

Return To Forever-Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy is a must listen as well as Romantic Warrior IMO.

Those are some awesome videos. Weather Report without Jaco doesn't get too much justice. Here's Casiopea from Japan. They seem so happy:

You never seem to let me down with the FUSION, I guess that's why you started this thread... But some good Fusion is Dixie Dregs. If you don't know who they are check out Refried Funky Chicken: (just listen, don't watch)

EvyMetal wrote:

I've got a question!!!

Are you guys into Colosseum II? I want to know your feelings about these guys to see if I should pick up anything by them.

Yes I dig Colosseum II, anything with Gary Moore is worth getting (almost). Also check out Billy Cobham-Spectrum. Also check out Doug Carn if you like Jazz.

Frank Marino did some great fusion stuff.

Everything that has been recommended to me has be from the early '70's or late '60's, is anyone doing fusion today. It seems from what I have listened to it is almost psychedelic in nature. Please forgive my ignorance but everyone starts somewhere.

Edit: Ok, I've answered for myself a lot of questions. I suppose the only question that I don't have an answer for is how popular is jazz today? What is being done today in terms of Jazz or Fusion?

The development of fusion & progressive rock basically evolved around the same time (1967 or so). It developed out of the psychedelic scene going on both in England and the U.S.

Rock bands started using improvisational structures based on jazz forms. Rock had primarily been a singles driven machine, but the success of Sgt. Peppers had inspired musicians to think in broader terms and to look for inspiration from other musical forms outside of blues. Bands like Cream (made up of jazz musicians like Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce) melded the blues based song structure with modal jazz forms and started doing long improvisational works.

At roughly the same time, Miles Davis started bringing electric instruments into jazz on albums like Miles In The Sky and In A Silent Way. These records combined some acoustic instruments (trumpet, saxophone) with electric instruments (distorted guitar, electric bass, electric piano). Once Hendrix debuted, the floodgates started to open with jazz guitarists adapting what Hendrix pioneered...primarily people like John McLaughlin & Larry Coryell. ln addition, saxophone and trumpet players started using effects like the varitone and wah pedal.

For a brief moment in time, all these forms existed together and fed off each other. Jazz influencing rock players and rock influencing jazz players. The more jazz based acts were often called "jazz rock" while the more rock oriented groups were called everything from psychedelic to "progressive".

The first album that combined all this was Miles Davis' Bitches Brew recorded in 1969, it's generally considered the first "real" jazz-fusion album. At the same time you had groups like King Crimson who were basically playing jazz but from a "heavier rock" direction.

Another offshoot of the jazz/rock combination resulted in "jam bands" like The Grateful Dead, Santana and The Allman Brothers. While on the pop side of things you had groups like Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears.

Once 1970 rolled around the path had been laid...most of the progressive rock bands had vocalists and alternated shorter pieces with long improvised works...while the jazz fusion acts remained instrumental but were playing with rock oriented rhythms.

In one corner you had groups like Yes, King Crimson, Focus, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd, etc.
In the other you had Weather Report, Return To Forever, Lifetime, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc.

That's an overly simplified explanation, but as good as I can come up with off the top of my head.

Although this book is currently out of print, it's well worth searching out for anyone even remotely interested in how all this stuff (fusion, progressive rock, some heavy metal) developed. There's an exhaustive discography and it's one of the best musical books I've ever read.

Jazz Rock: A History by Stuart Nicholson

bgast1 wrote:

Edit: Ok, I've answered for myself a lot of questions. I suppose the only question that I don't have an answer for is how popular is jazz today? What is being done today in terms of Jazz or Fusion?

Popular? Jazz & Blues combined make up only 2% of all recordings sold. Which is a travesty.

There is still tons of jazz out there, but it's way underground...fusion exists in altered forms. I recommend joining "emusic.com" and start exploring their jazz collections...that's the best (and cheapest) way to amass a large catalog of jazz without spending a fortune.

I used to use eMusic until my wife got wind that I was spending a minimum of $75.00 a month with them. $75.00 was the base and then I started adding booster packs. Since I canceled my subscription I have cut way back.