Fusion Jazz CDs

Herbie Hancock, who rose to prominence as the pianist with the Miles Davis Quintet of 1964-68, led an adventurous sextet during 1969-72 that incorporated aspects of funk and subtle rock rhythms in abstract ways. Although he loved the band, by 1973 he was frustrated at its lack of commercial...

This is the album that made John McLaughlin a semi-household name, a furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and ock a year after Miles Davis' Bitches Brew breakthrough. It also inadvertently led to...

Always tied to a confusing time line, the first released recording from the original configuration of Return to Forever was actually their second session. An initial studio date from the ECM label done in February of 1972 wasn't issued until after the band had changed in 1975. The...

Ever since his emergence in the mid-1970s, Pat Metheny has been one of the most vital and consistently inventive guitarists in jazz. Although he has achieved his greatest commercial success leading the Pat Metheny Group with keyboardist Lyle Mays, Metheny has never rested on his laurels and is...

Thankfully, there is finally a definitive Jaco Pastorius anthology that offers an accurate portrait of the breadth and depth of his innovative artistry beyond what his contributions to Weather Report and his own Word of Mouth and Trio of Doom (which many would argue are sufficient in and of...

It took the guitar some time to be accepted as a jazz instrument. Although mastered by Eddie Lang, Lonnie Johnson, Carl Kress, Dick McDonough and the immortal Django Reinhardt during the 1920s and '30s, the low volume of the acoustic guitar led to its being utilized primarily as part of the...

Recorded live in New York, this explosive set of jazz, funk, and ock material was without question ahead of its time. Michael and Randy's use of electronically altered saxophone and trumpet sounds is amazing. ~ Paul Kohler, All Music Guide

Literally thousands of jazz records are released each year, but only a select few can be said to have permanently changed the music. Miles Davis' Bitches Brew is one of those. A very significant force in jazz since the late 1940s and a major bandleader since 1955, Davis had already been at...

In the late 1960s when Miles Davis recorded In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, jazz and rock were coming together in a big way. The music, which would soon be called fusion, combined together the sophistication of jazz improvisations and musicianship with the sound, rhythms and grooves of rock....

Every pro electric-bass player and their mothers wore out the grooves of this record when it first came out, trying to cop Clarke's speedy, thundering, slapped-thumb bass licks. Yet ultimately, it was Clarke's rapidly developing compositional skills that made this album so listenable...

The Tony Williams Lifetime was one of the first pioneering fusion bands, combining together the power and sound of rock with the sophisticated improvisations of jazz. Williams was Miles Davis' drummer during 1963-68 and had just left Davis when he put together this remarkable trio. Featured...

England's Beat Goes On Label does two-fers better than almost anyone else. They remaster the music, pop the CDs into durable, slim-line jewel cases, and offer authoritative liner notes as well as a tidy, if not overly attractive, paper slipcase. This double-disc includes the two middle...