Pick your three favorites, and let us know which ones they are!

http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=30" rel="nofollow - PA's top Jazz Rock/Fusion albums is mostly great as well (+ its got Arti E Mestieri & Nucleus on it:), but I love more albums on http://https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/all-time/g:jazz%2dfusion/" rel="nofollow - Rate You Music's Jazz Fusion list.

Interestingly Shibusashirazu - Shibuboshi has more than 2200 ratings on RYM, while only three at PA. Good stuff, but too much brassy noise for my tastes, preferences - or poor ears. Worth checking out for those of you who can't get enough of those wild japanese ensembles.

Only five of these albums are not on on PA. Bruno Pernadas* has been suggested - and really should be here. Both Sun Ra's in the poll are excellent and PA-relevant fusion. So is Cassiopeia's wonderful debut album (but they soon got even smoother). Taking their full discographies into consideration, I understand why none of them are the greatest fit for PA. Freddie Hubbard's (who's also been suggested) Straight Life is one of the many jazzfusion records that does not rock. My favorite kind of fusion rarely does. It's electrified and it grooves though. Like my favorite fusion often does.

*Full title and year of release year: Those Who Throw Objects at the Crocodiles Will Be Asked to Retrieve Them, 2016

Myself I voted for:

Crossings

Big Fun &

Third

-but I'm only 100% certain about my first pick. Not voting for those two top Miles-albums doesn't feel right

For me "The Break Even Point", the 1979 album by The United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, would definitely be on the list and be voted for, and since it isn't I won't vote.

Here three example tracks (two are taken from sampler albums of the band that contain tracks from the album, hence the different cover art):

Sadly the band is very little known because their albums came out on the label Mood Records, and the albums of that label were exclusively distributed via the German shop chain Zweitausendeins that had shops in several German cities, including Cologne (which is where my brother bought their albums).

It is not surprising there are no votes or reviews for albums of The United Jazz and Rock Ensemble due to the distributing exclusivity of Zweitausendeins. Hardly anyone knows of that band at all. Which is a shame; they are top notch.

Here a live video of them:

Hi,

In my book, the same group being represented more than once, simply shows the lack of care for the "artist".

If you take away the doubles you actually have a nice list, which could include a lot more folks from Europe, most of which were left behind.

I don't think that many of us do not "accept" Miles, or Frank as "jazz-fusion" in some way, despite their tastes also moving in other directions as well. Thus, the need for 2nd, 3rd and 4th album by the same artist simply hurts the choices and the talent of many musicians the world over.

I couldn't vote ... the listing was too "popularity" minded, and I think it showed how much we listen to different versions of the music, and specially a lot of European stuff ... where it's diversion was influenced by a lot more than just the blues, and some independent spirits.

My favourite jazz/fusion band is Solution, by a country mile. Divergence, Cordon Bleu and Fully Interlocking are absolutely wonderful.

Herbie Hancock ~ Thrust

Mahavishnu Orchestra ~ Birds of Fire

(Not a single RTF album...interesting. There are a few I'd knock out of there for Romantic Warrior.)

Agreed

No bands/artists from Germany or (most of) Europe either. 

There's Eberhard Weber.

my bad. 

But just one artist. 

And one artist from Portugal (I googled him, I didn't know him).

Two Japanese bands (Casiopea, never heard of the second one). 

John McLaughlin is British, but Mahavishnu  is Multi-National. 

that one is a Chick Corea album, not a Return to Forever album. RtF named themselves after this album

Beat me to it. 

I knew somebody would cite that album, haha!

How are you, BaldJean!! Seems like you were absent for a bit.

yep. we were working on the stage show for our new band Dark Goddesses that consists of Friede and me, our daughters Alice and Dorothy and my sister Beatrice and her wife Charlotte

Is the album ready or is this a completely different/new project?

it is a new project. with Charlotte we finally have a harp player (including electric harp). she also plays zither and koto

 Oh, wow. That is dope. What synths are you using?

when Charlotte uses a distortion pedal on her electric harp it becomes incredibly heavy, much heavier than a distorted electric guitar. not what you would expect from a harp at all!

I use a Yamaha DX7, a Roland JD-800 and an ancient EMS synthi A for sound effects (in my opinion still the best synthesizer for this)

Copy that! It sounds awesome.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNINWMqxQQc" rel="nofollow - I found the heaviest distortion pedal and used it on harp - YouTube

yes, that's what it sounds like. incredible, isn't it?

2. Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life

3. Eberhard Weber - The Colours of Chloe

I guess, there're different opinions about it, as RYM, PA and Wikipedia consider it to be RtF's first album. 

Mahavishnu Orchestra-The Inner Mounting Flame

Eberhard Weber-The Colours Of Chloe

Soft Machine-Third

personal top 3 

Giger Lenz Marron-Beyond

Passport-Cross Collateral

Dzyan-Time Machine

If so, that's incorrect. If this is the album in question, it's by Chick Corea, and the title is Return to Forever. It's not "an album by" Return to Forever.

https://www.discogs.com/master/123528-Chick-Corea-Return-To-Forever" rel="nofollow - Chick Corea - Return To Forever | Releases | Discogs

This is the first album attributed to Return to Forever as a group.

https://www.discogs.com/master/41925-Chick-Corea-Return-To-Forever-Light-As-A-Feather" rel="nofollow - Chick Corea, Return To Forever - Light As A Feather | Releases | Discogs

So do Stuart Nicholson, the author of the very well-researched and thorough Jazz-Rock: A History (1998).

This will always be one of those things where some people/publications/sites will retroactively consider the album to be the first RTF album, and others will stick to the official, literal artist attribution. I'm sure there will never be a consensus on how to consider it, despite the fact that, at the time of its release, it WAS attributed to Chick Corea. It's kind of like Roine Stolt's album The Flower King. Could it be considered the first TFK album? Sure. Is it, technically? No. But, whatever.

Incidentally, a copy of that book you just referenced is sitting on desk right in front of me (I have yet to crack it open). I got it from a used book store in North Hollywood.

-

Btw: I also count Chick Corea - Return to Forever as Return to Forever's actual debut. It's my favorite of theirs as well. Romantic Warrior however represent everything I dislike about a certain kind of later 1970's fusion. Jazz/Sport Fusion.

Never heard of this, I imagine it's a derogatory term. Can you give an example? 

-

*many of the typically popular fusion albums, performers/bands among proggers like Spectrum, Elegant Gypsy & Mahavishnu/McLaughlin, Holdsworth, Brand X, Dixie Dregs... leaves me cold more often than not.

ok, thanks for explaining. 

Btw, this book is a great read about the history of the American Jazz Rock/Fusion.

this is a beef I especially have with Al Di Meola. that man just can't play slowly

-I'm not denying anything, but I often (but not always) don't enjoy how Holdsworth plays - and the space he takes up in the music while doing it. He is one of the most popular fusion guitarists on these forums and is mentioned all the time, that's for sure. Plus everyone seem to think he saves those later Soft Machine albums - except for me who thinks he ruins them.

Grumpy is a very prolific writer; maybe it's just him who mentions Holdsworth all the time?

My votes went to:

Three of the albums I must have mentioned the most back when I listed everything here.

I did a search and since last autumn (which is the five pages that shows), Holdsworth in namechecked (positively, several times) by:

Gerinski, Manuel, Psychedelic Paul, BrufordFreak, Richardh, Jaketejas, DutchProg, Steve Wyzard, Rick1, Mellotron Storm, Yam Yam, MortSahlFan, Dick Heath, Necrotica, JazzFusionGuy, HolyMoly, disquesplusqueréel, mathman0806, altered_beast, David_D, Jacob Schoolcraft, Atavachron, Hrychu, Nogbad_The_Bad, AFlowerKingCrimson, Negoba, Mirakaze, Cristi, graysnk2, telefunk, wiz_d_kidd & of course Grumpyprogfan and Lewian + not nessecarely as "fans" by Logan, Balfriede and myself. Edit: also Sean Trane

Billy Cobham's Spectrum features Jan Hammer, Lee Sklar and Tommy Bolin (as epic a line-up as any out there) and is a bona fide classic. 

The Dixie Dregs are popular? That's a new one to me. I mean, they should be!

Well, it's hard to dislike, no? 

What!? I don't remember that. Not a fan of him in particular (although I like some of his stuff).

I think you're both SORT OF right. Holdsworth is mentioned a decent amount on this site, and usually favorably. But it's almost always in reference to his work with UK, Soft Machine, and, to a lesser extent, Bruford. It's his solo work which is often either not mentioned, or not spoken of in a very positive light. It seems like GPF and I are the biggest extollers of Allan's work overall, including his solo output.

Btw: A lot of old school jazz is more often than not one soloist taking the spotlight after the other, but rarely do I feel like it's about wanting to overshadow each other. I'm sure there's an competative element there as well, but if you got too high on yourself, you'd loose the gig and get a bad rep.

I suppose I prefer a "lyrical" approach to soloing that creates imagery, and has me responding to the music emotionally - over anything technicailly impressive. An approach I know McLaughlin and even Holdsworth have proven themselves capable of on several occasions, I might add.

Grumpyprogfan wrote: cemego wrote: For me, I'll take Freddie Hubbard ANY DAY over Miles Davis.  I always thought Miles was overrated. Praise be! Freddie is killer, but Lee Morgan is my favourite trumpet player.

If all there was to their music is their trumpet playing, I can understand. Any time I'm flicking through the jazz-section and notice Freddie or Lee are featured on the back of the album, I usually end up buying. But Miles is one of a kind, a whole institution, a school that gave birth to more sucessful careers than any actual school could + a visionary and one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His tone, the voice in his playing allowing a lot of breathing space makes him stand out. It's so unmistakable that you'll know it's either Miles or a copycat. His playing in itself may be "overrated"*, but his contributions to the history of jazz, really can't be overrated.

*but I actually think most listeners are aware that his greatness is only partly about how he blows his horn compared to other hornblowers.

                        Those guys in Dzyan were Mahavishnu Orchestra admirers, and Time Machine is a astonishingly great album. Giger Lenz Marron (GLM) are under the radar for most people in general, but are more than worth it searching for.