Remedy du Jour -- February 25, 2012

I discovered jazz at the University of Chicago in the early 1970s when jazz-rock "fusion" was all the rage. Electric piano was in, traditional sounds out. Leading the way were Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Miraslav Vitous and many, many other great musicians too numerous to list here. I loved this music and still do. I don't think there's been enough of it over the years. This "genre" was relatively short-lived. Maybe it had to be that way, I don't know. Today I present an all-too-brief fusion sampler of music from that time. There's not much to look at today, just a lot to listen to. This music has lots of long build-ups and theme changes, so if you're going to listen, listen all the way through.

• Boogie Woogie Waltz (Weather Report, from their 3rd album Sweetnighter, 1973)
• Also Sprach Zarathrustra (Deodato, from Prelude, 1972)
• In A Silent Way/It's About That Time/In A Silent Way (part 2, Miles Davis, from In A Silent Way, 1969)
• Pharaoh's Dance (part 1, Miles Davis, from Bitches Brew, 1970)

 

 

 

 

Comments

[adam]

I agree that fusion was too short-lived. When I think about it, part of that may be that fusion was often more structured (Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra) and at the same time Free Jazz was still at work, so there developed an odd split between electric and acoustic... Though Miles defied both of these things, with some of his freest music being fusion.

Perhaps one of the greatest little-known tragedies in music history is that Gil Evans planned to meet Jimi Hendrix and hoped to create an album with him. Such a collaboration may have opened up a third way... Then again, it may have been so-so.

There are still people playing on the margins between rock and jazz. Medeski, Martin and Wood have been working in that space for a while and made a few albums with John Scofield. I think it's pretty good, but not earth-shattering by any means. Jazz historically has been dominated by big artists but they seem to have faded from the scene, leaving room for a lot of very good work by many good artists but no new revelations.