Musical fusion is powerful. It can bring you through many different moods and feelings through the varied musical expressions the artists create. It can be uplifting, sorrowful, joyful, angry - the list goes on and on. It’s made a huge difference in the way I listen and create music.

Imagine putting together jazz, rock, Eastern music, funk and rhythm and blues and you’ll find yourself listening to the rhythmically complicated “Vital Transformation” by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Now combine jazz, rock, Latin rhythms, rhythm and blues and funk and a result would be the very catchy tune “Birdland” by Weather Report.

Whoever started the genre “jazz fusion” can never be singled out since many artists contributed to its birth (some progressive rock bands are also labeled jazz fusion and vice versa). One person who was truly a major impact though was Miles Davis (R.I.P. – 1926-1991). He released one of the first jazz fusion albums in 1969 called “In a Silent Way.” Every musician on the album used electronic instruments and Miles started experimenting with the soothing sound of ambient music. The result was genius. During this time, Miles experimented more with different sounds and played with many different musicians. Little did the world know that the artists he inspired and jammed with would soon become some of the most influential and best-known jazz fusion players around.

In my opinion, three of the best jazz fusion bands are:

THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA 

The Mahavishnu Orchestra started in 1971. My personal favorite version of the band (there were two different line-ups – 1971 and 1974) was led by “Mahavishnu” John McLaughlin (guitars – formerly of the Miles Davis band) along with Billy Cobham (drums), Jan Hammer (keyboard, piano and synthesizer), Jerry Goodman (violin) and Rick Laird (bass). Their sound was original and powerful. Billy Cobham’s ferocious drums are so irregular, different and complicated that I now consider him my favorite drummer. Jerry Goodman’s fast, emotional playing on the violin delivers. Rick Laird’s powerhouse rhythm and backing boost their sound and Jan Hammer’s perplexing melodies put you in a trance. Some of the songs I recommend by them are: “Meeting of the Sprits,” “Birds of Fire,” “Noonward Race,”  “One Word”

RETURN TO FOREVER 

Chick Corea (keyboards – also from the Miles Davis band), Al di Meola (guitars), Stanley Clarke (bass) and Lenny White (drums) made up the golden line-up of Return to Forever. They released three equally-amazing albums between 1974 and 1976, as this line-up, and displayed that every player in a band can be a virtuoso yet still be heard. There sound is so distinguishable because of the interplay between the instruments that usually appears in every song. No one has succeeded at copying the sound of this band and that I love. Some tunes I dig from them are: “Vulcan Worlds,” “The Shadow of Lo,” “Sorceress,” and “Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant (Part I & Part II)”

WEATHER REPORT 

Not only did Weather Report’s constant line-up include Joe Zaniwul (R.I.P. – 1932-2007) on keyboards and Wayne Shorter on saxophone (both from the Miles Davis band), it also contained Jaco Pastorius (R.I.P. – 1951-1987) – one of the best, if not the best, bass players who have ever walked this earth. I loved how they mixed Latin sounds and rhythms and had different percussion instruments like congas, timbales and many others. It made them stand-out even more since they already fused funk, rock and world music. Their music was unpredictable and fantastic yet sometimes very accessible. Here are a few tracks from them that I enjoy: “Birdland,” “Black Market,” “Gibraltar,” and “Teen Town”

Bookmark to: