Jazz fusion was always a natural extension of the music. After all jazz had, from its very beginning been a fusion or melding of different musical genres and cultures. From the early days, when the term jazz was starting to be used, the music was a hybrid of influences from spirituals, blues, ragtime along with African rhythms, European harmony and improvisation.
As the Twentieth century progressed and the music developed from swing and dance music through bebop and hard bop the audience for jazz gradually diminished as rock’n’roll swept across the US and worldwide.
Throughout these changes in audience preferences and the increasing influence of radio and the media, jazz continued to explore new avenues of expression. With the advent of electric instruments including electric pianos and later synthesizers, jazz musicians started to incorporate these new instruments into their music.
These new sounds inevitably led to a new way of playing, and along with the electric instruments the rhythms of the rock music of the day also became more widely used among jazz musicians.
The albums below are some of the most influential jazz fusion albums of all time, and as you progress down the list it is apparent how a key group of musicians in less than a decade pushed the boundaries of this exciting new genre of jazz.
Miles Davis – In a Silent Way (Columbia -1969)
Ground breaking album from Miles following on from his use of the electric piano and rock rhythms with his quintet on Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968). Regarded as the trumpeters first fusion album, In A Silent Way featured no less than three electric pianos and electric guitar, with much of the music being played at a slow tempo and drummer Tony Williams confined to a rhythmic pattern played on his hi-hat.
There is one moment of drama on the closing ‘It’s About That Time’ where the drums open up and the soloists become increasingly intense, releasing the pent up tension superbly.
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (Columbia -1970)
The follow up to In A Silent Way took the concept still further in a recording that once again was heavily edited from basic studio jams and minimal themes. An enlarged group retaining three keyboards and guitar also introduced two bassists, two drummers, two percussionists.
A heavily and sometimes cumbersome rhythm section, the music was built on multiple rhythms but always with one drummer and one bass player laying down a steady beat. The album featured large slabs of sound with soloists appearing out of the ensemble, and the incredible ‘Miles Runs the Voodoo Down’ comes out of one complete fourteen-minute jam.
Mahavishnu Orchestra – The Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia – 1971)
The first and arguably the finest of the Mahavishnu Orchestra albums, this takes the world of rock music and jazz into a whole new realm. Billy Cobham’s heavy rock rhythms together with John McLaughlin’s virtuoso electric guitar solos were a formidable combination.
The keyboards of Jan Hammer and violin of Jerry Goodman fill out the ensemble sound in addition to providing their own solos giving the impression of an orchestrated powerhouse electric group.
Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters (Columbia – 1973)
Irresistible and impossible not to be captivated by this iconic record from Hancock. With its uses of jazz, rock and funk rhythms the music is highly infectious and groove orientated. Repetition is the order of the day, but nothing becomes boring as the grooves are so intense and, in the pocket, with the solos packed with detail.
The keyboardist revisits his famous composition ‘Watermelon Man’ reworking it in a whole new way, and the opening ‘Chameleon’ is a masterclass in the genre.
Billy Cobham – Spectrum (Atlantic – 1973)
Virtuoso drummer Billy Cobham’s superb fusion album featuring fellow Mahavishnu bandmate Jan Hammer on keyboards. The two hit the ground running on the opening ‘Quadrant 4’ in a blistering performance with Cobham’s rock solid drumming.
The track ‘Stratus’ was featured on the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, but it is the slow hypnotic groove and soloing on ‘Red Baron’ by guitarist Tommy Bollin that is one of the most memorable moments on the album.
Return To Forever – Romantic Warrior (Columbia – 1976)
The group’s most popular and biggest selling album, and the last with the quartet of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola and Lenny White. The music is moving away from pure jazz rock into a more progressive rock area and the heavy use of synthesizers by Corea is a feature of the three compositions written by the keyboardist.
Drummer Lenny White brings a funkier feeling to his piece ‘Sorceress’, while Di Meola’s piece has a heavy rock guitar sound and beat from the drums. The bass riff by Stanley Clarke incorporates a chordal feel that appears in a slightly different format in his Schooldays album recorded a few months later.
The album as a whole is virtuosic display that resists the self-indulgent due the strong compositions and concept of the six pieces that combine to make a compelling suite.
Stanley Clarke – Schooldays (Nemperor/Epic – 1976)
A double bass virtuoso, Clarke was also a pioneer in the development of the electric bass guitar in jazz and fusion. A staggering technique enabled Clarke to play melody lines on the bass guitar and piccolo bass guitar at great speed and fluency. The title track of this his fourth studio album is now an iconic an instantly identifiable track but should not detract from his playing on the ballad ‘Quiet Afternoon’ or the funky ‘Hot Fun’. ‘Desert Song’ is a delicate and carefully constructed piece that features Clarke’s arco double bass and John McLaughlin on acoustic guitar.
Jaco Pastorius (Epic – 1976)
Bass guitar virtuoso Pastorius made his reputation as a pioneer of the fretless electric bass. He brought an impressive technique that was previously unheard of, and a musicality that was second to none. He had previously played drums before a football injury forced to abandon the drumkit in favour of bass and the drummer’s sense of was also a trait of his bass playing and arranging.
This, his debut album under his own name, feature a stunning ‘Donna Lee’ that negates Parker’s tricky them with ease and incorporating Pastorius’s use of harmonics. ‘Kuru/Speak Like A Child’ again showcases Jaco’s facility on the bass along with his orchestration and arranging talents while also leaving room for a wonderful solo from Herbie Hancock, and equally as effective is Pastorius’s writing on ‘Okonkolé Y Trompa’ for bass, French horn and percussion. A stunning debut album that has stood the test of time.
Jean-Luc Ponty – Enigmatic Ocean (Atlantic-1977)
A little different from the albums discussed so far in that the ‘lead’ instrument is the violin. Coming from a classical background, both his parents were classical musicians and Jean-Luc also began his playing career as a classical violinist. Becoming interested in jazz, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet but after finding himself taking part in a jam session where he only had his violin with him, decided to settle on the violin, and later electric violin as his primary instrument.
Featuring British guitarist Allan Holdsworth, Ponty’s Enigmatic Ocean feels very much like a suite, and the arrangements and expansive sound has an orchestral element that sets the album apart from many other fusion albums.
Weather Report – Heavy Weather (Columbia – 1977)
Featuring the tune ‘Birdland’ by Joe Zawinul, this is the group’s most successful album. Zawinul’s tune became a staple of the band’s repertoire from this point onwards, and was also covered by the vocal group, The Manhattan Transfer. With bassist Jaco Pastorius onboard the ensemble had another solo voice and composer, and the tune ‘Teen Town’ is regarded as key performance in Jaco’s career. Not to be left out, co-founder Wayne Shorter plays some wonderfully lyrical tenor saxophone on ‘A Remark You Made’ and contributes the excellent composition ‘Palladium’. One of the all-time great fusion bands.
