Tag: Jazz Fusion
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Frank Zappa ‘Apostrophe’ (1974)
Frank Zappa was part composer, part comedian, part critic of American culture, and fully unbothered by whether or not you cared. On “Apostrophe” Zappa refined his weirdness into commercial appeal.
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Miles Davis ‘On The Corner’ (1972)
Once lambasted by the mainstream jazz community (Bill Coleman once said it was “an insult to the intellect of the people”), On the Corner has since been reappraised as a groundbreaking and visionary work that was way ahead of its time. Fusing funk, rock, electronica, and jazz together, Davis’ tested the limits of what the…
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Steely Dan ‘Gaucho’ (1980)
For all intents and purposes Walter Becker and Donald Fagen from Steely Dan were psychopaths. These dudes completely redefined what the word meticulous means during their grueling studio sessions, displaying an obsession with perfectionism that basically dragged everyone involved along with them down into a never-ending rabbit hole. The recording of Gaucho is probably the…
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Frank Zappa ‘Hot Rats’ (1969)
Frank Zappa was a groundbreaking composer, guitarist, and bandleader whose career spanned a metric ton of musical genres while he was active from the late 60’s to early 90’s. Drawing on influences from doo-wop to avant-garde classical music, he fused rock, jazz, and complex modern music with a satirical twist that often mocked popular culture…
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Herbie Hancock ‘Head Hunters’ (1973)
Herbie Hancock’s influence on funk is undeniable, with his groundbreaking keyboard work redefining what was possible within the genre. Hancock brought a mesmerizing harmonic sophistication and experimental spirit into funk, especially through his mastery of the electric keyboard and synthesizer. On Head Hunters he fused the rhythmic depth of jazz with the driving grooves of…
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Casiopea ‘Casiopea’ (1979)
Japanese jazz fusion group Casiopea has been around for a minute ever since releasing their self-titled debut album in 1979. The band has gone through multiple lineup changes and released over 40 albums in their nearly 50-year career, constantly pushing the envelope of funk and jazz into the far off corners of the fusion genre.…
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Weather Report ‘Heavy Weather’ (1977)
Jazz-rock is this interesting little corner of the music world that existed in the early 70’s amidst the prog-rock explosion before sort of withering away into smooth jazz with the likes of Kenny G in the 80’s. Jazz rock took a whole bunch of brilliant musicians who grew up listening to rock n’ roll and…
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The Nice ‘The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack’ (1968)
In the summer of 1968 prog-rock’s foundation was still being laid. Using elements of psychedelic pop that came to prominence off the heels of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and combining it with Cream’s affinity for blues-rock jamming found on Disraeli Gears, The Nice wedged themselves between the two and in the…
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Spyro Gyra ‘Morning Dance’ (1979)
American jazz fusion can run the gamut from being overtly cheesy to incredibly interesting, and Spyro Gyra’s 1979 album Morning Dance checks both of those boxes (sometimes in the same song). Blending elements of R&B, jazz, and funk along with virtuostic performances from as many as 10 musicians on an individual song, the band zips…
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Jaco Pastorius ‘Jaco Pastorius’ (1975)
Jaco Pastorius is the living embodiment of spontaneous combustion, an artist who rose to massive prominence in the 1970’s backed by his prodigious bass playing capabilities before flaming out spectacularly under the weight of mental issues brought on by massive drug use in the 80’s which led to homelessness and a drug-induced bar fight that…
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Mahavishnu Orchestra ‘Birds of Fire’ (1973)
Led by jazz fusion legend John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra was one of the pre-eminent jazz fusion groups operating in the early 70’s. Prior to the band’s formation McLaughlin had played in jazz icon Miles Davis’ band during the bulk of the 1960’s, and after going out on his own to form a solo career, formed…
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Santana ‘Abraxas’ (1970)
Carlos Santana is one of history’s most respected guitar players, known for his psychadelic take on Latin music that he effortlessly transposed into the explosion of psychedelic rock that swept across Great Britain and the United States in the late 60’s/early 70’s. The band which bears his last name first played at Woodstock in 1969…
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Terje Rypdal & The Chasers ‘Blue’ (1987)
Known affectionately as “the tone poet of the Fender Stratocaster”, Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal has had a prolific 50-year career that has blended jazz, rock, and classical music into his own unique take on what music can be. His 1987 album Blue is a fusionist’s dream, filled with eclectic sounds that bend and warp over…
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