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Topic ClosedJazz fusion vs Jazz rock

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jammun View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2008 at 21:16

Generally the music press referred to late '60s-early 70's bands such as Chicago and BS&T as jazz-rock.  There are lesser known bands that fit this same mold:  Ten Wheel Drive, Coliseum, Lighthouse come to mind though I'm sure I'm missing a dozen others.  These were all essentially rock bands that happened to have a horn section.

To a lesser extent perhaps Bitches Brew was considered jazz-rock, though it shouldn't be confused with any of the stuff listed above.
 
Jazz-fusion, again as generally referred to in the music press in the middle 70's, consisted of Herbie Hancock/Headhunters, Chick Corea/Return to Forever, Weather Report.  These also have nothing to do the the previously mentioned jazz-rock artists.  They are all the offspring of Miles' Bitches Brew experiementation.
 
So in my mind, jazz-rock was never really about jazz, it was just a convenient way to refer to rock bands with horn sections, whereas fusion was totally about jazz. 
 
Not to be too grumpy about it, but generally speaking fusion bands were generally competent jazz artists, whereas the same could not be said of your average jazz-rock musician.  There are of course exceptions, e.g., Dave Sanbourn's work with the Butterfield Blues Band, etc.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2008 at 07:25
Originally posted by jammun jammun wrote:

o in my mind, jazz-rock was never really about jazz, it was just a convenient way to refer to rock bands with horn sections, whereas fusion was totally about jazz. 

 
 
I wouldn't agree. If you get the chance check out the marvellous bootleg recording (lifted from the desk by Henry Kaiser) of Nels & Alex Cline with Wayne Peet playing the music of the original Tony Williams Lifetime - specifically  off the 1969 and 1970 albums. At the end of the show Nels Cline (I think) can be clearly saying "That's what they called jazz rock". Until the jazz men joined in the mix of jazz with rock, the rock musicians who had middle 8s or 16s or... as jazzy improv solos, were called 'rock jazz' (e.g. a few of  Timebox 's minor hit singles, Soft Machine's Volume 2, Tasavallan Presidentii's Lambertland)- then if brass or woodwind were added  that became 'brass rock' (e.g. as stated BST, Chicago, Dreams but also  Heaven, Satisfaction and If in the UK during the first phase - Chase, Ides Of March were examples of 2 phase brass rock). Listen to Free Spirits 1966 recording  with young jazz musicians playing what they called jazz rock - thery seriously want to marry jazz with this new fangled rock music.
 
Out%20of%20Sight%20and%20Sound
 - also Steve Marcus's Count's Rock Band or Charles Lloyd's late 60's albums.   WEA Records over the last 5 years have issued a number of compilation albums of jazz mixed with rock - and played by jazz musicians during the late 60's. These are worth sampling to give some ideas of the range of experiments/hybrids being tried  prior to Miles Davis's commitment to electric jazz.
 
Psychedelic%20Jazz%20and%20Soul:%20the%20in%20Sound%20-%20from%20the%20Atlantic%20and%20Warner%20Vaults More%20Psychedelic%20Jazz%20and%20SoulRight%20on%20Vol.2:%20Break%20Beats%20&%20Grooves%20from%20the%20Atlantic%20&%20Warner%20Vaults
 
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