Jazz Fusion

Jazz History - Jazz Fusion

"Fusion" has often been described as the melding of jazz with rock styles, although most fusion music initially drew from the rhythmic and harmonic aspects of soul music, particularly the music of James Brown and Sly Stone. Such harmonic material found in soul music was also similar to the modal improvisation developed by Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and John Coltrane in the late 1950s and '60s. Improvisations based on these modal structures rather than relying on the blues, (the main structure for rock music), created the mold for the fusion style. Other defining characteristics of fusion music include the use of funk backbeats, electric instruments, loud volumes, rock textures, and intricate ensemble compositions. During the 1960s, popular music in America began changing directions. Younger audiences often chose the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, or the politically oriented folk music of Bob Dylan over the more complex and demanding jazz styles. With rock and soul appealing to a younger generation, jazz musicians were torn between following conventional approaches to their music or pursuing the avant garde. Miles Davis chose another direction, one that incorporated the influences of rock and soul music as well as modal and contemporary approaches to jazz. This music became known as fusion. Miles's earliest experiment with fusion was documented on his 1968 recording Miles In The Sky, with the song "Stuff." Featuring Herbie Hancock on electric piano and Tony Williams playing a funky back beat, "Stuff" illustrated the genesis of this musical style. By 1969, Davis's albums In a Silent Way and the commercially successful Bitches Brew led the way for this new direction in jazz. Many musicians felt threatened by this new music, and lashed out against the direction that Miles, saxophonist Charles Lloyd, and others including began to pursue. Fusion groups led by Davis and Lloyd began performing alongside successful rock acts including Blood, Sweat and Tears, and singer Laura Nyro at major venues. The exposure from these new venues helped fusion gain new acceptance from the younger Woodstock generation of rock fans. The '70s fusion "supergroups" were led by Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul (Weather Report), Chick Corea (Return To Forever), John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Herbie Hancock, and Michael Brecker (Brecker Brothers). By no coincidence, most of the leaders of the fusion movement had spent time in the '60s or '70s Miles Davis groups. During these years, fusion became increasingly innovative and adventurous, melding the wild energy of rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix with the advanced technical proficiency of the most evolved jazz musicians. Fusion often incorporated elements of world music — Latin, African, Indian, and Caribbean influences. The fusion style with its very accessible rock-oriented textures gained widespread popularity but declined by the end of the decade. In its place rose a somewhat less aggressive form of electric music called "contemporary" jazz, as well as the "neo-classic" period of the 1980s.