Jazz-Rock

Froth wrote: As far as jazzrock goes as a hole, some of it i like, some of it i dont. Miles Davis was really good when he first went electric but by the mid 70s, he just went too funk. I love Soft Machine and The National Health (2 of my favourite bands) and 'Tenemos Roads' is in my mind the greatest peice of music ever written although i always concidered those two to have too many classical influences as to be classed as 'jazzrock'. Infact when soft machine did become a proper jazzrock band (1973-1984) is when i loose interest with them.    Theres some weird jazz-rock stuff going on in England at the moment. 'acoustic ladyland' may well be one of the loudest jazzbands ever and Fullborn Taversham are simmilar but more avant-garde.   But at the moment the best jazzrock band around has to be 'Machine and the synergetic nuts' from Japan. they are excellent

I completely agree with you about the superior nature of National Health's albums (as well as Soft Machine's VOLUME TWO). If you really enjoy such quirky stuff, do check out these albums by Django Bates:

SUMMER FRUITS (AND UNREST)
WINTER TRUCE (AND HOMES ABLAZE)

Officially, they are classified under jazz, but they've got a lot of electronic keyboards on them, and some rock guitar, and you can just tell that these guys must have listened to the Canterbury scene quite a lot. Even the song titles proclaim as much:

Armchair March
Food for Plankton (in detail)
Sad Afrika
Three architects called Gabrielle: just what I expected
Queen of Puddings
Hyphen-
Nights at the Circus
etc.

There's something typically English about the melodies they play, very endearing, and then, two minutes later, you'll hear them go nuts! The same is true for Julian Arguelles' magnificent ESCAPADE (recorded in 1999), probably the most National Health-like album I've heard since National Health! Which doesn't mean Arguelles is an epigone. Far from it. He's a sax virtuoso! There just happens to be a strong similarity in mood...

very fun thread and good for checkin out ppl's lists too.....to keep as strictly as i possibly can to the understanding of 'jazz rock' here, i would suggest these releases to be checked out:

This is an amazing thread!

By the way, if you like Bruford, Brand X, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, National Health and similar jazz-rock bands, and perhaps even Ralph Towner, Oregon, the Mahavahisnu Orchestra and Larry Coryell...

allow me to recommend:

(1) GARY BURTON QUINTET (with Eberhard Weber): RING and PASSENGERS (similar to Gong, but jazzier)

(2) EBERHARD WEBER: YELLOW FIELDS and THE COLOURS of CHLOE (pure jazz-prog, these two!)

(3) PAT METHENY: THE WAY UP (pure prog, but mainly with jazz guitar instead of rock guitar)

(4) WEATHER REPORT: BLACK MARKET (superb! much more inspired than their HEAVY WEATHER album)

(5) HERBIE HANCOCK: HEAD HUNTERS (a must for all 1970 synths freaks)

ENJOY!!!

Austrian band Electric Outlet's On! arrived from Germany today, 4 days after ordering it via Amazon.UK - impressive response rate. And more importantly the music Electric Outlet generate is excellent - hard edged jazz rock. Elsewhere somebody spoke of the sound being Niacin with Joe Satriani playing guitar, but I would say you would be disappointed if you bought the album for this reason, since if it happens it lasts less than a few bars -  knowing some resistance to shreaders here, the Satriani comparison may be off-putting - and there is far less Hammond sound too. Strongly recommended.


Browsing the shelf of the local newsagent this moring, I read a few sentences from a interview with Stu Hamm. Anybody aware that he, Billy Sheehan and Jeff Berlin have been touring USA doing their version of (I guess)   G3 - anybody seen this show???

Oregon's latest album, Prime, is certainly worth picking up. It's amazing that after all these years they can still put out excellent releases and stay true to their roots for the most part (they have used more keyboards, but the trademark oregon sound is still there).

Yes I did miss him out,bad mistake.I believe one of the tracks on Blue Nights is a Torn piece from CAM....

....listening to Getz's Capt Marvel at the mo,not Prog though...Chick Corea on keys.

I'm currently listening to this,a live double album from Bruford Levin Upper Extremities:



Miles Davis-style trumpet (Chris Botti) layered over proggy soundscapes.Levin plays Chapman Stick.Interesting,eery stuff.
    

Edited by Tony R - October 20 2006 at 12:09

It seems I had a different version to that- the one I had doesn't mention him on the front cover. Seems there have been a few CD versions of it judging by an internet search...

Dick Heath wrote: In the last 10 years the terminology has got confused and badly corrupted - often by professional jazz writers who forget their history - take some guidance from Stuart Nicholson and his book Jazz Rock: A History     Fusion : a merger of two or more genres. My first exposure was in 1966/7 by Joe Harriott/John Mayers Indo Jazz Fusion Double Quintet - i.e. who fused raga and jazz. I'm told there is an American album using "fusion" predating the Indo-jazz Fusion group. So fusion strictly encompasses indo-jazz, arabo-jazz, Anglo-celtic folk-jazz etc. and therefore not necessarily include rock elements.   At first there was rock -jazz, rock music with briefly flirted with jazz, e.g. instrumentation (e.g. Timebox's Ollie Hassell using the vibes) or had good jazz solos (e.g. some of Nice's music - indeed Nice employed session musicians of the likes of John Surman, and definitely the brass rock bands, BST, Chicago, Satisfaction, etc). When jazz music had taken on board rock rhythms, and in particular electric, amplified instruments, then the term jazz-rock started to become common place (amongst other things superceded the short term use of rock-jazz). The loss of the word 'rock' from jazz rock fusion seemed to occur mid to late 70's as a lot of music and musicians got stale, moved out of the genre or evolved into smooth jazz/easy-going jazz suitable to American (and now British) FM radio stations.   Personally if the music is a hybrid of jazz and rock I will say jazz rock or jazz rock fusion. However, the genre of jazz fusion has expanded signifcantly over the last 10years to include nu.fusion (and nu.jazz) hiphopjazz, drum'n'bass jazz, turnatablism etc.

I make no apology transferring the following from the nonprog music section - this thread is far more valid;