Appreciating the Fusion Greats

[baksheesh]

This is just a thread (suggested by a post i just read) intended to give those who want, an opportunity to celebrate their favourite jazz fusion artists and albums.
Speaking for myself, i followed Miles, through from Kind of Blue up to Nefertiti and then my Mum got me a cassette her friend copied from her vinyl of Bitches Brew. It blew me away - i listened to it over and over again. Took mushrooms (the gentle kind that grow wild all over Ireland, not the head messing with serious ones) and marveled at it, listened to it over and over until i finally started to get a handle on what was going on.
When the CD boxset came out i was in an extremity of excitement but the mix horrified me! That murky brew was gone, in which mysterious sounds clattered and rumbled and periodically one of the voices would rise out of the jungle. No, now it was cold and clinical, each element separate and even. Despair!
Of course i got over it eventually but that experience confirmed me in the belief that vinyl has far and away the most 'real' and full sound.
Anyway, i'm yammering, here's my other faves (mainly the usual suspects);
The Inner Mounting Flame
Bitches Brew
Gateway
Hymn to the Seventh Galaxy
A GoGo
The Dropper
Agartha and Pangaea

No doubt i'll add to that list in time, but now let's hear from someone else...

[bigtiny]

All of Miles' stuff

Weather Report (particular faves):

Live in Tokyo
Myserious Traveller
Tale Spinnin'

RTF:

Hym of the Seventh Galaxy
No Mystery

Mahavishnu:

Inner Mounting Flame

Billy Cobham:

Spectrum

bigtiny

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by baksheesh

Gateway

Is that considered fusion?

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Is that considered fusion?

Good question Mr. C! I've always thought so - particularly 'cos of that outrageous guitar on Unshielded Desire. The Gateway trio were discussed as such in Stuart Nicholson's book Jazz-Rock (which is an enjoyable and informative read).

Heavens above! I forgot about Weather Report (most reprehensible i admit)
Add the following to my list:
Live in Tokyo - probably their best of the 'early' phase, i.e. the whole 'everybody solos and nobody solos' approach.

Night Passage - some extraordinary stuff by Pastorious on this one and the finale of Mozambique is out of this world.

8:30 - principally for three of the most exciting fusion performances EVER -Slang (in which Pastorious proves his divinity), Teen Town (absolutely MANIC) and Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz Medley (again, a truly aweinspiringly powerful climax)

Thrust - Herbie Hancock (saw him do Actual Proof from this at a gig last year and the exhileration i felt made me realise how good the album as a whole is, which everyone tends to consider as playing second fiddle to HeadHunters)

[Gentle Giant]

Parts of Gateway almost sound like King Crimson to me, which is not an answer to the query of whether it's fusion but there you go.

My first jazz album was In A Silent Way and I took that in every direction, forwards in time and backwards, for the various musicians on it. I developed an intense love of Chick Corea's playing in almost any context he chose for himself.

Being a proghead at the time of this discovery, I gravitated most to Return to Forever. I reckon I dig Romantic Warrior more than most people here, and it's probably due to the fact that I was flashing on ELP/Yes while listening. I actually listened to John McLaughlin's My Goals Beyond before checking out Mahavishnu Orchestra. Birds of Fire is a touchstone recording for me.

Weather Report I came to a little later; some of their albums I like a lot, others don't move me as much. I don't question the quality, but sometimes I want more Shorter than is on the grooves.

[Bill Barton]

FWIW, I don't think of Weather Report as being "Fusion" at all (maybe "fusion" with a lower-case "f").

I'd add The Fourth Way to the list of essentials. That band was killer.

[Chaz Longue]

I don't use the F word (I won't deliver that particular rant here) but being 53, I heard and loved a lot of this music, when at a tender and impressionable age.

I just met John McLaughlin, and he was gracious enough to sign one of my vinyl copies of My Goal's Beyond, on Douglas. I saw The Mahavishnu Orchestra back in the day, and liked them a lot. I saw Weather Report too, with Jaco Pastorius. Come to think of it, I saw RTF when they first toured, too.

For my money though, of all the bands to be saddled with the F word, my favorite is The Pat Metheny Group. Even though the PMG wasn't founded (as the others above were) by a Miles sideman, and it formed later, it tends to come up in the same conversations. I like it's various incarnations a lot because of the unbelievable writing and arranging, and because I think so much of Metheny's playing. I like Metheny's playing in other contexts too, of course, but some of his work with the PMG is, for my money, just as interesting and as exciting as his work with (insert the name of your favorite 'Jazz" musician he's collaborated with here).

I also think Bela Fleck and The Flecktones is an unbelievable band - particularly live.

Some of Fareed Haque's recent work is pretty wonderful too.

later...

David Beckett

[bigtiny]

Oh my...I left out Herbie and especially the Headhunters....love that first album and the Mwandishi stuff.

If I had to pick an ECM of the time as fusion, I might pick 'timeless' with Abercrombie, Hammer, and I think DeJohnette. Great album and excellent organ work by Hammer (who is NOT one of my faves)..

Ahhh...Pat Metheny. I really like Pat Metheny as a player. I like a lot of his work and I was particularly taken with the first 'group' album (the white one) when it came out (still am). Amazingly musical piece of work.

I don't know why one wouldn't consider WR a fusion band....I think of fusion in the best sense of the word and they were masters at seamlessly blending various genres and styles....

bigtiny

[Bill Barton]

Originally Posted by bigtiny

...I don't know why one wouldn't consider WR a fusion band....I think of fusion in the best sense of the word and they were masters at seamlessly blending various genres and styles....

bigtiny

I meant in the capital "F" Fusion sense as in "Jazz-Rock Fusion" which was the term coined primarily by marketing folks. There's precious little Rock in Weather Report. They defnitely were an amazing fusion of a ton of other influences though.

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by Chaz Longue

I just met John McLaughlin, and he was gracious enough to sign one of my vinyl copies of My Goal's Beyond, on Douglas. I saw The Mahavishnu Orchestra back in the day, and liked them a lot. I saw Weather Report too, with Jaco Pastorius. Come to think of it, I saw RTF when they first toured, too.

You are one hell of a jammy bastard! (that means you lucky, lucky fellow - please don't take offense). Wow. I absolutely second you with regard to the Pat Metheny Group. I saw them in Rome a few years back - playing The Way Up - it was dynamite! They did some great encores too. For my money i think Travels and Still Life (Talking) are my faves. Pat's solos on Third Wind and Song for Bilbao are absolutely dynamic.
Second bigtiny too on Timeless - that's one of the greats. Ralph Towner does a great acoustic version of the title track on Solo Concert.

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by Bill Barton

FWIW, I don't think of Weather Report as being "Fusion" at all (maybe "fusion" with a lower-case "f").

I'd add The Fourth Way to the list of essentials. That band was killer.

I have Werwolf on vinyl but haven't played it for years. Probably because I have it on vinyl.

[Pete C]

Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages--one of the all-time great albums that overlaps with taomud

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages--one of the all-time great albums that overlaps with taomud

I second that one Mr. C! I imagine you like Last Exit then? They have some damn good stuff - Iron Path, Headfirst into the Flames, Last Exit - they're all smashing. Plus i really liked that Arcana album with Bailey, Williams and Laswell - The Last Wave. Stomping stuff

[Chaz Longue]

I had to explain to my family what "I'm knackered" meant last night... Now I can explain I'm a jammy bastard!

Originally Posted by baksheesh

You are one hell of a jammy bastard! (that means you lucky, lucky fellow - please don't take offense). Wow. I absolutely second you with regard to the Pat Metheny Group. I saw them in Rome a few years back - playing The Way Up - it was dynamite! They did some great encores too. For my money i think Travels and Still Life (Talking) are my faves. Pat's solos on Third Wind and Song for Bilbao are absolutely dynamic.
Second bigtiny too on Timeless - that's one of the greats. Ralph Towner does a great acoustic version of the title track on Solo Concert.

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by Chaz Longue

I had to explain to my family what "I'm knackered" meant last night... Now I can explain I'm a jammy bastard!

Glad to be passing on some of the lingo! Be careful how you use that one though.