Jazz Fusion. Help me make some connections?

[jerrythek]

There’s another interesting path to follow… the horn bands. People will mention some early Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears, but you need to add the band Dreams to that formative path. And then Dreams begat The Brecker Bros. Band, who you really need to check out. The NY energy/vibe is very identifiable and influential. Randy Brecker’s writing back then introduced a whole harmonic language (using poly chords) that is very interesting. And follow the personnel from Dreams and you’ll see many of the names from ‘70s fusion/crossover. The Breckers, Billy Cobham, John Abercrombie, Will Lee and Don Grolnick.

 

Following the Brecker Bros will lead you to Steps (later Steps Ahead)… lots of great recordings. And when the Brecker Bros reformed in the ‘90s they made two really excellent albums. And Dave Sanborn was part of the original Brecker Bros. band… his first few solo albums really capture the NY vibe and players. Steve Kahn played in the band… his records, and John Tropea are classic NY sound. As mentioned above, John Scofield drew on NY players for a lot of his early work. I could go on, but checking out Dreams will lead you through a lot of paths to a lot of great players from that formative time.

 

Jerry

[harmonizer]

Weather Report's "Heavy Weather" is my favorite album in the fusion genre.

I also bought their "I Sing the Body Electric" and "Black Market" LPs, but those never reached me in the same way.

From RTF I had "Light as a Feather" and "Romantic Warrior" and enjoyed both but they are not something I go back and listen to today.

 

There was something magical going on in "Heavy Weather". Zawinal producing electronic-sounding noises that worked perfectly from an artistic point of view. Shorter being a sorcerer throughout the album, like playing a two note sax solo by on "Teen Town". Jaco's spellbinding solo on "Havona", and playing completely freed from bass instrument convention throughout the album. Low notes played in several songs where you wonder if it was played by Zawinal or Jaco, where they work so perfectly in the music you almost don't care who did it. What is really happening in 4:16-4:27 in Havona? And then what did Shorter and Zawinal do from 4:27-4:37? It's marvelous but how did that all happen?

 

Shorter played soprano on many songs on this album. His robust soprano sax tone does not sound like other soprano sax players, and to me it sounds synth-like. Even his tenor sax solo on "A Remark You Made" almost sounded synth-like, which works well considering how much of the sound spectrum was dominated by Zawinal.

 

To me, "Heavy Weather" is to fusion what "Kind of Blue" is to jazz.

[ProfD]

14 hours ago, harmonizer said:

Weather Report's "Heavy Weather" is my favorite album in the fusion genre.

 

To me, "Heavy Weather" is to fusion what "Kind of Blue" is to jazz.

Same here.  IMO, Weather Report as a band and the "Heavy Weather" record definitizes Jazz Fusion.😎

[jejefunkyman]

On 4/16/2022 at 2:17 PM, Tusker said:

 

Henrik Linder delivers the goods every time!! Your post adds so much context to this conversation, and I fear my response is going to be inadequate ...

 

Tribal Tech was a lazy example on my part. A kind of straw man to knock down. Your larger point that genre labels wear out is important for us to consider as we trace the lineage of music. So far, it seems nobody has mentioned influential bands like the Pat Metheny Group, the Dixie Dregs or the Flecktones, which makes me feel this conversation should not be seen as encyclopedic. Some would say that Medeski and pals fit more easily in the jam band tradition, but my response would be why not see them as both? Some of your examples are hugely educational for me particularly with the newer acts that include turntables and sampling. If you would point to any recent tracks, I would gladly take them as homework. Listening to a great track by Robert Glasper with Esperanza and Q-Tip as I type this, and so very glad you helped open this window a bit wider for me. 🙏

 

That's a very good definition. This is what I'd like to learn more about. I recently saw a video of Grace Kelly playing with Dirty Loops and it perked me up. I know her jazz chops and it feels right that music not be balkanized but that it comes together. Ditto for the Funk Apostles and Snarky Puppy. They are bringing the kids out and enriching them with a ton of vocabulary. 👍 👏

 

If you are interested by hearing more of this wonderful mix of jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul, I’d suggest then that you listen to the complete RH Factor album « Hardgroove ».

 

 

This one of my favorite albums of all time, and perfect example of fusion between jazz and more modern music styles.

 

All the musicians featured are really excellent 😁 There are some other very nice RH factor tracks, which I’ll let you discover by yourself 😁

 

[GovernorSilver]

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

Same here.  IMO, Weather Report as a band and the "Heavy Weather" record definitizes Jazz Fusion.😎

 

I wore out the double-album cassette that I had with Black Market on one side and Heavy Weather on the other.  

 

Before I got the cassette I was listening to a lot more smooth jazz/"the wave" kind of stuff.  First time I heard the cassette, I like the opening track "Black Market" right away but found the rest to be kind of avant-garde, with some weirdness I wasn't used to.   Turned out to be one of the very first times I heard jazz fusion with in its full glory, not the "chill in the jacuzzi with your cocktail" lite fusion.

[Mark Zeger]

1 hour ago, jejefunkyman said:

 

If you are interested by hearing more of this wonderful mix of jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul, I’d suggest then that you listen to the complete RH Factor album « Hardgroove ».

 

 

This one of my favorite albums of all time, and perfect example of fusion between jazz and more modern music styles.

 

All the musicians featured are really excellent 😁 There are some other very nice RH factor tracks, which I’. let you discover by yourself 😁

 

Jejefunkyman, I know you know this. Here’s another track where hip hop is filtered through jazz, or the other way around. Roy Hargrove co-wrote & played horns. Questlove on drums. I LOVE Charlie Hunter on 8 string guitar and he has his hands full covering bass & guitar here.

 

 

[jejefunkyman]

Hey Mark, of course Voodoo is one of my favorite album of all times 😁

 

Here’s another nice one from Charlie Hunter, featuring Mos Def.

 

 

 

[GeorgeRaindog]

Labels are just labels... "Call It Anything" as Miles named the "song" of 1970 Isle Of Wight appearence (what a band! Gary Bartz, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette and Airto Moreira. here for anyone not seen it yet)

 

 

 

Thing is that jazz started to blend with other genres (rock, funk) in the late 60s. And 1968-1972 is my favorite period of that style because it was the early years... 
Also its very different what jazz musicians that blended other elements into their music did comparing to what rock bands did blending jazz into their sound.

Apart from the obvious choices, some other favourites from the period 

- Herbie's Mwandishi period  (Mwandishi, Crossings, Sextant)
- Miroslav Vitous: Infinite Search, Purple

I really like both In a Silent Way & Bitches Brew but Bitches Brew is my definite album of the era. Yes, it contains Teo Macero edits in most of the tracks but there are more direct performances as well (Spanish Key, Miles Run the Voodoo Down). It has a very distinct "sound" and no musician involved in this sounded similar in any later personal album (or in their groups) that followed

(if I was to make a comparison with Dylan's electric period, In A Silent Way would be "Bringing it On Back Home" while Bitches Brew would be "Highway 61 Revised" and "Blonde On Blonde" together - or probably Jack Johnson would be Blonde on Blonde)

[Mark Schmieder]

Herbie Mann arguably planted the seeds for what many of his bandmates went on to do in "official" fusion acts later on.

 

The pollination crossed in both direction, so there was a time when people referred to rock-jazz and jazz-rock (at least where I grew up). Then it all kind of melded into fusion, originally called jazz-rock fusion as I recall. But most of the people making that music didn't care for labels, just as punk was about DIY vs. fashion and style. And of course amidst all of this, the funk crossover fusion was happening as well.