Fusion

The fusion of jazz and rock has its roots in the late 60's. A number of musicians explored different blends of jazz and rock. Some used psychedelic rock, some art rock, some funk, and some just plain hard rock. In more recent times, many musicians have achieved fusions of jazz and "Top 40" pop music and dance music.

A Jazz Improvisation Almanac
Unit: Jazz Styles
Chapter: Hybrids And Related Styles

Early Fusion
Modern Fusion
Musicians

This is a preview of the educational program A Jazz Improvisation Almanac which is under development for the Outside Shore Music Online School. Feel free to browse this preview and learn what you can from it. For a more completed product, though, check out the original freely browsable jazz textbook, A Jazz Improvisation Primer.

The word "fusion" might appear to refer to any combination of distinct styles, and as such, be just another form of postmodernism. However, among jazz aficianados, the term is almost invariably associated with the combination of jazz and rock that has evolved into a genre of its own. Of course, since both jazz and rock developed out of the blues, this fusion is really only a rejoining of forms of music that share common ancestors. Although musicians have been blurring the line between hard bop and R&B (rhythm and blues) for decades, including the soul jazz of the early 1960's, fusion is normally considered to refer to combinations of more "progressive" forms of jazz and rock. It is generally the driving rhythms and the instrumentation of rock that are used in fusion. The main elements of jazz that are borrowed include harmony and improvisation.

Early Fusion

Herbie Hancock (Copyright © 1998 Lester Levy)

It is often claimed that Miles Davis' 1969 recording Bitches Brew marked the birth of fusion, but this is certainly an oversimplification. Guitarist Larry Coryell and others had already been playing a blend of jazz and rock, and Miles himself had used electric instruments and recorded similar sounds on previous albums such as In A Silent Way. However, Bitches Brew is still the album that many people consider the landmark, and it is the one that seems to have proven the most influential. It combines the ambiguous harmonies of the Davis' mid-60's quintet with the sounds of psychedelic rock. The album featured Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, and Larry Young on electric pianos, John McLaughlin on electric guitar, as well as an electric bassist, electronic effects such as echo, and three percussionists, plus Davis and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Here is how that music sounds:

Miles continued exploring this style of music into the 1970's. Many of the musicians on Bitches Brew formed their own fusion groups as well. The three most important of these are Weather Report, founded by Zawinul and Shorter, Chick Corea's Return To Forever, and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Weather Report emphasized composition and collective, impressionistic improvisation as opposed to virtuoso solos:

Return To Forever relied more on virtuoso soloing and ensemble playing, and was sometimes reminiscent of the art rock bands of the early 70's:

Mahavishnu had more of a hard rock influence and a decidedly expressionistic sound. It also drew from the music of India:

Other alumnae of Miles Davis' previous bands formed fusion groups as well. Herbie Hancock's band was considerably more funky than most. This group recorded the album Headhunters, which was also the name of the band:

Modern Fusion

The distinction between early and modern fusion is entirely arbitrary. Some modern bands seem to be direct ancestors of the bands discussed above. For instance, Tribal Tech (led by guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis) deals with many of the same elements as Return To Forever and Mahavishnu:

However, the changing face of the rock world has had an effect on fusion. As FM radio became more dominated by "Top 40" stations that played more easy listening pop music, bands like Mahavishnu no longer had much crossover appeal. A softer form of fusion began to arise. One of the first bands to achieve "Top 40" success was Spyro Gyra (led by saxophonist Jay Beckenstein):

Eventually, this type of fusion developed into a genre of its own, which is now variously called smooth jazz or contemporary jazz. One of the most popular artists in this style is saxophonist Kenny G:

Pat Metheny (Copyright © 1998 Lester Levy)

Pat Metheny, who has played in settings ranging from post bop to freebop to non-idiomatic improvisation, has developed a brand of music that appeals to both smooth jazz and mainstream jazz audiences:

Another direction in fusion is the incorporation of the strong dance beat of modern R&B. This approach is taken by saxophonist David Sanborn:

Also emphasizing the dance element, acid jazz is a fusion of jazz improvisation and hip-hop rhythms. It often makes use of samples from older soul jazz recordings. Medeski, Martin, and Wood play a brand of acid jazz that most critics agree is some of the most creative music played in this style: