Jazz Rock Fusion Masterpieces

Another crucial album that seems to be overlooked here is the first Tony Williams Lifetime album "Emergency", with McLaughlin and Larry Young (organ)...this fired the first shot of jazz-rock fusion (after Bitches Brew anyway)...it's repurcussions were inestimable, and even Fripp cites it as his primary inspiration forthe concept of King Crimson.

I agree about Colosseum's live DVD- it's one of the best in my collection, as the band are truly inspired. The version of 'Valentyne Suite' is jaw dropping, as Clem Clempson plays his best ever solo, imo.

Frank Zappa is the only real jazz rock fusion band that I know...Captain Beyond did some if I'm not mistaken...I probably know more but I don't really know if they are or not...

     A little known masterpiece is one called "Arc of the Testimony" by Arcana, a project of Bill Laswell, with the great drummer Tony Williams, recorded shortly before his tragic death of a heart attack. It also features Laswell on bass, Pharoah Sanders on sax, and Buckethead on guitar. It's hard to describe...something like a mix of Crimson and Coltraine, with a deep existential melancholy...truly a monumental, if overlooked gem.

Other additions to the list that I just can't recommend too highly:

Bill Bruford - Feels good to me
Gong - Expresso II
Pat Metheny Band - Travels   

I am surprised no one mentioned 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' first album (1968).  Talk about a fusion of jazz and rock!

Ithink THE fusion Group is he mahavishnu Orchestra. And their albums with the first line-p are absolutely essential: Inner mounting Flame and Birds of fire. The albums with Ponty are good as well, but the ones cited are terrific!

I have some concerns about Weather Report. Too jazzy for my tastes. Black Market and Heavy Weather are good.

Return to Forever: from Hymn to the 7th galaxy (brilliant) to No mystery you have only winners! I'll listen to Romantic warrio one of these days, but my expectations are very high base on DiMeola's work in his Return to Forever previous albums and solo career.

talking about DiMeola: someone above cited his initial 4 solo albums as masterpieces, and I must agree. Land of the Midnight Sun, Elegant gypsy, Casino and Splendido Hotel are fantastic.

Jean-luc Ponty has one fantastic live album from 1979 that is a wonderful collection of his best pioeces till that day.

Miles' Bitches brew is the stone that sustains the fusion genre. Absolutely essential.

Esperanto's Danse Macabre is a good album too. The vocal aren't really necessary, but they don't dstroy the album like in its imediate sucessor, Last Tango. What an awful voice!

Shakti: some people doesn't consider this group as fusion, and the term world music is more apropriate really. But the jazz spirit is present in all its works. I consider ALL their albums brilliant, and add the Remeber Shakti albums to the same level of excellence.

Santana: his album with John MacLaughlin - Love Devtion Surrender - is totally fusion, and is a true masterpiece. Santana's trip into jazz rock is represented in his albums after his Buddy Miles album and before Amigos. Lotus is a good representant of Santana's live work in the seventies, and it has a free spirit in its versions of early classics of Latin Rock.

 

As I said before, jazs isn't my fav style. So this is my experience with the fusion genre till now. Thanks for your recomendations. I hope mine could be useful for any of you. 

 

I agree with Blood Sweat and Tear's first album as being a commonly overlooked high caliber album in this genre.