Five Easy Masterpieces: An introduction to jazz fusion
Of all the genres of music that remain popular today, jazz has been around longer than most and has also gone through the most mutations of its sound. From the big band sounds of Count Basie and Glenn Miller through to the bebop of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie to the spiritual exploration of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, jazz had already undergone many transformations in the space of three decades, but the 1970s wasn’t where things all stopped dead in their tracks.
The entire point of jazz is to invent, create and defy convention, and without these permutations in style and genre, jazz would never have evolved beyond its earliest forms into the rich melting pot of sounds that it exists as today. However, not all of these variants are actively enjoyed by jazz purists, and certainly, at the time of new innovations being brought to the fore, there were people dissenting against certain musicians deciding to bastardise jazz by incorporating elements of other genres.
An example of this is jazz fusion, which began towards the end of the 1960s with musicians from rock and classical backgrounds beginning to occupy the same spaces as jazz musicians and sharing ideas with one another. While some enjoyed this broadening of the horizons beyond the traditional parameters of jazz music, others detested the fact that the unruly and primitive genres such as rock were beginning to infiltrate a genre that prided itself on virtuosity and creative expression.
However, it was soon proven that jazz could realistically cohabit with other genres in a tasteful and artistically exciting way. As a result, more prominent figures in the jazz world began to expand into a fusion-based sound after having begun in other sub-genres of jazz.
Jazz fusion offers plenty for fans of rock, funk, classical music, and beyond to enjoy, and with that in mind, here are five essential entry points into the genre to help you understand its exploratory nature.
Five essential jazz fusion albums:
Pat Metheny Group – ‘Still Life (Talking)’ (1987)
Beginning this list with the most recent offering, Pat Metheny Group’s Still Life (Talking) happens to also be the gentlest introduction one could ask for when attempting to get into what many people might consider to be an intimidating genre to get acclimatised to. Having been one of the main proponents of the breezy style of jazz associated with his record label, ECM, Metheny is a guitarist who favours subtlety over maniacal wizardry on his instrument, and alongside keyboardist Lyle Mays, he produced some of the genre’s finest but most subdued moments.
Unlike other entries on this list, the sudden changes in time signature, tempo and dynamics aren’t so frenetic, and each element is given breathing room to flourish in its own unique way, with some of the voicings of the instruments used adding an ethereal feel to the compositions. It’s not all plain sailing, but it’s relatively relaxed for the most part, as evidenced by tracks such as ‘So May It Secretly Begin’ and ‘Last Train Home’. Don’t let it lull you too far into a comfortable zone, however, as things are only going to get more complex from here.
Stanley Clarke – ‘Journey to Love’ (1975)
From the outset, Journey to Love sounds much more grandiose than Still Life (Talking) could ever hope to. The funky bass playing of bandleader Stanley Clarke against the impenetrable groove of the drums and blasting horns only accounts for the beginning of the opening track ‘Silly Putty’, but the rest of this 1975 effort from the former Return to Forever member is one of the most insatiable amalgamations of funk, rock and jazz ever heard.
Having the likes of Chick Corea and Jeff Beck passing through over the course of the record to deliver their heart and soul into these explorations of various different styles, all while maintaining an underlying focus on jazz, Journey to Love is a celebration of all of the fusion records that had come before it and much more, and the way it packages it all into one easily-digestible six-track gut punch of a record is sublime. After it has weaved its way through the multitude of influences, prepare to have your mind blown one last time by the epic finale of ‘Concerto for Jazz/Rock Orchestra’, which serves as a four-part culmination of everything explored on the record.
The Mahavishnu Orchestra – ‘The Inner Mounting Flame’ (1971)
While they may have formed in the heart of New York City, the Mahavishnu Orchestra was driven by their eccentric British bandleader, John McLaughlin. He was arguably one of the most important figures in establishing the merger between psychedelic and progressive rock and jazz in the early 1970s. His propensity for creating a manic fusion of sounds ultimately culminated in the formation of the band’s debut album, The Inner Mounting Flame.
The album is unrelentingly out there from start to finish. Aside from a few mellower cuts, there’s a menacing edge that runs through the record, driven by the sheer force with which every instrument is played. While others had dabbled in the sounds later associated with jazz fusion, this was one of the first records to be labelled as such—and is widely regarded as the moment jazz fusion was truly born. A fearless work of epic proportions, it’s the kind of record that might leave you too embarrassed to ever pick up an instrument again.
Herbie Hancock – ‘Head Hunters’ (1973)
Keyboard player Herbie Hancock may have spent a large amount of time at the end of the 1960s and beginning of the ‘70s experimenting with new sounds and attempting to steer his musical output in a different direction, but on his 1973 album, Head Hunters, he landed in perhaps the most comfortable place that was available to him. Centring the entirety of the record around grooves, then allowing the band to go into more freeform expressions before always bringing the composition back around to an anchoring motif, this record is one of jazz fusion’s most undeniably soulful and fun excursions.
Huge portions of the opening track ‘Chameleon’ hinge on the constant arpeggiating synth bass that underpins it, and while you might think that hearing that repeating for 16 minutes gets tiresome, it’s actually the repetition and familiarity of when the song returns to this lick that keep things exciting throughout. ‘Watermelon Man’ is built around even tighter rhythmic interplay and repetition, with a range of percussion and flutes used to punctuate it. It’s a masterpiece that fused together strands of jazz from across the globe, and it is indicative of Hancock’s subtle brilliance.
Miles Davis – ‘On The Corner’ (1972)
Any number of Miles Davis albums could’ve earned a spot on this list, but it would feel remiss not to place him at the top with one of them. While his 1969 release In a Silent Way arguably brought greater attention to the efforts of early fusion pioneers, it was followed by the sprawling epic Bitches Brew in 1970, which cast an even brighter spotlight on the genre. However, the true opus of his jazz fusion period is 1972’s On the Corner. While it may not have reinvented jazz’s boundaries in the same way as those earlier records, it stands as the most triumphant display of Davis’s unmatched ability to command and shape a band.
Settling into indelible funk grooves and heavily improvised jams alongside a who’s who of jazz greats, On the Corner is an effortlessly cool album that flows for nearly an hour, serving as a celebration of the freedom jazz gives its performers. Compare it to something like Workin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet, and you’d find few stylistic similarities—but the common thread is clear: spontaneity and the freedom to explore ideas, something Davis consistently granted his bandmates. On the Corner embraces funk, early electronic experimentation, psychedelic rock, and more—a towering achievement that proves nothing is off-limits in jazz fusion.
