'70s electric jazz fusion - like or dislike?

5 Comments

  • Mike Wrobel Sr - 6 years ago

    I was introduced to jazz thru jazz-fusion. Being a teenager in the '70s, it was an almost natural crossover from rock. Well, in fact, it was. Weather Report, Passport, Mahavishnu Orchestra, all had elements of rock that made it ok to listen to. And then rockers like Jeff Beck & Grateful Dead put their own mark on it, gaining further acceptance that jazz was indeed cool. And it opened my eyes into a whole new world. Seeing groups perform, like Weather Report & Les McCann, gave me another appreciation of jazz. And, somewhere along the line I took a turn into bebop. And I haven't looked back since. To me, jazz has become an exploration of time and music. It has long reaching branches which interconnect both within itself & other genres. I've come full swing back into jazz fusion, and Freddie Hubbard has been in the mix with these releases on CTI. And, of course, it has led me back to my roots. Not a bad place to be. While I have not foun6a copy of "Red Clay", his other LPs, "First Light" & "Straight Life" are in my collection. Def a different sound from those sessions at Blue Note, but still a good listen for Hubbard fans. Also check out the collaborations between Freddie and Stanley Turrentine on some of the live LPs that are out there, both on Blue Note & CTI. Jazz, what an incredible journey!

  • Mr. Bryant - 6 years ago

    Yeah, I agree with Chuck. ^

    The records your talking about aren't what I associate with "fusion".

  • sam - 6 years ago

    When I first started collecting records in the early 90s, CTI stuff was cheap and plentiful. So I bought up a lot and fell in love, especially with Stanley Turrentine and Joe Farrell's albums. I grew up with my Dad listening to big band and straight-ahead jazz from the 40s, so it was nice to be introduced to something more groove oriented. I still love and listen to CTI, as well as many other funk and soul-jazz 70s releases from labels like Groove Merchant, Muse, Catalyst, etc.. "Fusion" is a big umbrella, and there are other non-trad jazz sounds from this period to which that term doesn't apply at all. It would be great to tackle as a group the vastly under-studied spiritual and avant-garde output of this time period. The Strata East catalog could be a topic unto itself, as well as folks like Horace Tapscott and Lloyd McNeil who almost defy category. Just throwing it "OUT" there...

  • steve bromley - 6 years ago

    when i was a teenager and just beginning to explore jazz, i was quite the asshole, and a snob. i disparaged latin jazz, most second-tier (by my ranking system) artists, and older moldy-fig music.
    now, at 72, my tastes have broadened and matured...latin jazz knocks me out, and gene ammons, for instance, has jumped up into the first tier. i have also found some exquisite what-some-call dixieland.
    keep up doing what you're doing, and going where you want to go. my only quibble is that there should be
    something between neither like nor dislike and quite like it, perhaps enjoy some and the chance of new discoveries.
    thanks!

  • Crocodile Chuck - 6 years ago

    F _ ck fusion. What you are measuring is exciting, professionally played adventurous music with electric instruments, that reflect the times in which it was recorded.

    The epitome of what I refer to above is 'Bitches Brew'.

    The epitome of 'Fusion'? 'Romantic Warrior'

    Ugh.

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