Editing Jazz fusion (section)

==History==
{{Update|section|reason=Does not cover other decades besides the 70s and out of touch with recent developments|date=November 2023}}

===Origins===
When [[John Coltrane]] died in 1967, rock was the most popular music in America, and ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine went so far as to declare in a headline that: "Jazz as We Know It Is Dead".<ref name="Fusions">{{cite book |last1=Nicholson |first1=Stuart |editor1-last=Cooke |editor1-first=Mervyn |editor2-last=Horn |editor2-first=David |title=The Cambridge Companion to Jazz |date=2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-66388-5 |pages=221–222 |chapter=Fusions and Crossovers}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] states that "until around 1967, the worlds of jazz and rock were nearly completely separate".<ref name="Fusion overview">{{cite web |title=Fusion Music Genre Overview |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/fusion-ma0000002607 |website=AllMusic |access-date=July 23, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Larry Coryell 1979.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|Guitarist [[Larry Coryell]]]]

Guitarist [[Larry Coryell]], sometimes called the godfather of fusion, referred to a generation of musicians who had grown up on rock and roll when he said, "We loved Miles but we also loved the [[Rolling Stones]]."<ref name="OxMilkowski">{{cite book |last1=Milkowski |first1=Bill |editor1-last=Kirchner |editor1-first=Bill |title=The Oxford Companion to Jazz |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00kirc |url-access=registration |date=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-518359-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00kirc/page/504 504]– |chapter=Fusion}}</ref> In 1966, he started the band [[the Free Spirits]] with [[Bob Moses (musician)|Bob Moses]] on drums and recorded the band's first album,<ref name="Fusions"/> ''[[Out of Sight and Sound]]'', released in 1967. That same year, ''DownBeat'' began to report on rock music.<ref name="OxMilkowski" /> After the Free Spirits, Coryell was part of a quartet led by vibraphonist [[Gary Burton]], releasing the album ''[[Duster (Gary Burton album)|Duster]]'' with its rock guitar influence.<ref name="Fusions" /> Burton produced the album ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' for Count's Jam Band, which included Coryell, [[Mike Nock]], and [[Steve Marcus]], all of them former students at Berklee College in Boston.<ref name="Fusions" />

The pioneers of fusion emphasized exploration, energy, electricity, intensity, virtuosity, and volume. [[Charles Lloyd (jazz musician)|Charles Lloyd]] played a combination of rock and jazz at the [[Monterey Jazz Festival]] in 1966 with a quartet that included [[Keith Jarrett]] and [[Jack DeJohnette]].<ref name="OxMilkowski" /> Lloyd adopted the trappings of the California [[psychedelic rock]] scene by playing at the rock venue the [[Fillmore West]], wearing colorful clothes, and giving his albums titles like ''Dream Weaver'' and ''Forest Flower'', which were bestselling jazz albums in 1967.<ref name="Fusions" /> Flautist [[Jeremy Steig]] experimented with jazz in his band Jeremy & the Satyrs with vibraphonist [[Mike Mainieri]]. The jazz label [[Verve Records|Verve]] released the first album (''Freak Out'') by rock guitarist [[Frank Zappa]] in 1966.<ref name="OxMilkowski" /> [[Rahsaan Roland Kirk]] performed with Jimi Hendrix at [[Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club]] in London.<ref name="OxMilkowski" />

According to music journalist Zaid Mudhaffer, the term "jazz fusion" was coined in a review of ''[[Song of Innocence]]'' by [[David Axelrod (musician)|David Axelrod]] when it was released in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mudhaffer |first=Zaid |date=January 20, 2014 |url=http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/david-axelrod-guide |title=Heavy Axe: A Guide to David Axelrod |publisher=Red Bull Music Academy |access-date=June 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223223403/http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/david-axelrod-guide |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Axelrod said Davis had played the album before conceiving ''Bitches Brew''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bonner |first=Michael |date=August 23, 2018 |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/david-axelrod-song-innocence |title=David Axelrod – Song Of Innocence |magazine=Uncut |access-date=October 5, 2018}}</ref>

===Miles Davis plugs in===
[[Miles Davis]] wrote in his autobiography that in 1968 he had been listening to [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[James Brown]], and [[Sly and the Family Stone]].<ref name="OxMilkowski" /> As members of Davis' band, [[Chick Corea]] and [[Herbie Hancock]] played electric piano on ''[[Filles de Kilimanjaro]]''. Davis's 1969 album ''[[In a Silent Way]]'' is considered his first fusion album.<ref name="Southall">Southall, Nick. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/miles-davis-in-a-silent-way.htm Review: ''In a Silent Way''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710222208/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/miles-davis-in-a-silent-way.htm |date=July 10, 2015 }}. ''[[Stylus Magazine]]''. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.</ref> Composed of two side-long improvised suites edited heavily by Teo Macero, the album was made by pioneers of jazz fusion: Corea, Hancock, [[Tony Williams (drummer)|Tony Williams]], [[Wayne Shorter]], [[Joe Zawinul]] and [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]]. When Davis recorded ''[[Bitches Brew]]'' in 1969, he mostly abandoned the swing beat in favor of a rock and roll backbeat and bass guitar grooves. The album "mixed free jazz blowing by a large ensemble with electronic keyboards and guitar, plus a dense mix of percussion".<ref>[http://www.jazzitude.com/essential_fusion.htm Jazzitude {{pipe}} History of Jazz Part 8: Fusion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114032732/http://www.jazzitude.com/essential_fusion.htm |date=January 14, 2015 }}</ref> Davis played his trumpet like an electric guitar—plugged in to electronic effects and pedals. By the end of the first year, ''Bitches Brew'' sold 400,000 copies, four times the average for a Miles Davis album.

[[File:Miles Davis 24.jpg|thumb|right|Trumpet player [[Miles Davis]] was a key figure in the development of fusion.]]

Although ''Bitches Brew'' gave him a [[Music recording sales certification|gold record]], the use of electric instruments and rock beats created consternation among some jazz critics, who accused Davis of betraying the essence of jazz.<ref name="considine">{{cite news |last1=Considine |first1=J.D. |title=Miles Davis, plugged in Review: The jazz legend's electric albums sparked controversy. |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1997/08/27/miles-davis-plugged-in-review-the-jazz-legends-electric-albums-sparked-controversy/ |access-date=November 10, 2018 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=August 27, 1997}}</ref> Music critic Kevin Fellezs commented that some members of the jazz community regarded rock music as less sophisticated and more commercial than jazz.<ref name="Briley">{{cite journal |jstor=43264136 |title=Review of Birds of Fire: Jazz, Rock, Funk, and the Creation of Fusion |first=Ron |last=Briley |journal=The History Teacher |date=May 2013 |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=465–466}}</ref>  Over the next two years, the aloof Davis recorded more often, worked with many sidemen, appeared on television, and performed at rock venues. Just as quickly, Davis tested the loyalty of rock fans by continuing to experiment with rock, [[funk]], and electronic treatments. His producer, [[Teo Macero]], inserted previously recorded material into the [[Jack Johnson (album)|''Jack Johnson'' soundtrack]], ''[[Live-Evil (Miles Davis album)|Live-Evil]]'', and ''[[On the Corner]]''.<ref name="Gioia history">{{cite book |last1=Gioia |first1=Ted |title=The History of Jazz |date=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-539970-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofjazz00gioia/page/326 326–] |edition=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofjazz00gioia/page/326 }}</ref> ''Jack Johnson'' (1971) has been cited as "the purest electric jazz record ever made" and "one of the most remarkable jazz rock discs of the era".<ref name="tribute">{{cite web |last1=Jurek |first1=Thom |title=A Tribute to Jack Johnson|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-tribute-to-jack-johnson-mw0000311307 |website=AllMusic |access-date=July 24, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Fordham tribute">{{cite web |last1=Fordham |first1=John |title=Miles Davis, A Tribute to Jack Johnson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/apr/01/jazz.shopping |website=The Guardian |access-date=July 24, 2018|date=April 1, 2005}}</ref>

===Davis sidemen branch out===
[[File:JohnMcLaughlin.jpg|thumb|right|[[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]] performs during his [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]] period]]

[[Miles Davis]] was one of the first jazz musicians to incorporate jazz fusion into his material. He also proved to be a good judge of talented sidemen. Several of the players he chose for his early fusion work went on to success in their own bands. 

Davis dropped out of music in 1975 because of problems with drugs and alcohol, but his sidemen took advantage of the creative and financial vistas that had been opened. Herbie Hancock brought elements of funk, disco, and electronic music into commercially successful albums such as ''[[Head Hunters]]'' (1973) and ''[[Feets, Don't Fail Me Now]]'' (1979). Several years after recording ''[[Miles in the Sky]]'' with Davis, guitarist [[George Benson]] became a vocalist with enough pop hits to overshadow his earlier career in jazz.<ref name="Gioia history" />

While Davis was sidelined, Chick Corea gained prominence. In the early 1970s Corea combined jazz, rock, pop, and Brazilian music in [[Return to Forever]], a band that included [[Stanley Clarke]] on bass guitar and [[Al Di Meola]] on electric guitar. Corea divided the rest of his career between acoustic and electric music, non-commercial and commercial, jazz and pop rock, with a band for each: the Akoustic Band and the Elektric Band.<ref name="Gioia history" />

Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter started the influential jazz fusion band [[Weather Report]] in December 1970.<ref name="BKGrove">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |first=Barry |last=Kernfeld |title=Weather Report |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.45699 |url-access=subscription |access-date=29 March 2025 |language=en |date=20 January 2001 |publisher=Oxford}}</ref> They had a successful career along with major musicians like [[Alphonse Mouzon]], [[Jaco Pastorius]], [[Airto Moreira]] and [[Miroslav Vitouš]] until 1986.<ref name="BKGrove"/>

Tony Williams was a member of Davis's band since 1963. Williams reflected, "I wanted to create a different atmosphere from the one I had been in...What better way to do it than to go electric?" He left Davis to form [[the Tony Williams Lifetime]] with English guitarist John McLaughlin and organist [[Larry Young (musician)|Larry Young]]. The band combined rock intensity and loudness with jazz spontaneity. The debut album [[Emergency! (album)|''Emergency!'']] was recorded three months before ''Bitches Brew''.<ref name="OxMilkowski" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-tony-williams-lifetime-emergency-tony-williams-by-trevor-maclaren.php |title=Tony Williams: The Tony Williams Lifetime: Emergency! |last=Maclaren |first=Trevor |date=November 16, 2005 |work=AllAboutJazz |access-date=August 1, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Nicholson|first=Stuart|editor=Mervyn Cooke, David Horn|title=The Cambridge Companion to Jazz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYl1_KVoSY0C&pg=PA226 |year=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-66388-5|page=226}}</ref>

Although McLaughlin had worked with Miles Davis, he was influenced more by Jimi Hendrix and had played with English rock musicians [[Eric Clapton]] and [[Mick Jagger]] before creating the Mahavishnu Orchestra around the same time that Corea started Return to Forever. McLaughlin had been a member of Tony Williams's Lifetime. He brought to his music many of the elements that interested other musicians in the 1960s and early 1970s: counterculture, rock and roll, electronic instruments, solo virtuosity, experimentation, the blending of genres, and an interest in the exotic, such as Indian music.<ref name="Gioia history" /> He formed the [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]] with drummer [[Billy Cobham]], violinist [[Jerry Goodman]], bassist [[Rick Laird]], and keyboardist [[Jan Hammer]]. The band released its first album, ''[[The Inner Mounting Flame]]'', in 1971. Hammer pioneered the use of the [[Minimoog]] synthesizer with distortion effects. His use of the pitch bend wheel made a keyboard sound like an electric guitar. The Mahavishnu Orchestra was influenced by both psychedelic rock and [[Indian classical music]]. The band's first lineup broke up after two studio albums and one live album, but McLaughlin formed another group in 1974 under the same name with jazz violinist [[Jean-Luc Ponty]], one of the first electric violinists.

After leaving the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1975 Jean-Luc Ponty signed with [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] and released number of successful jazz fusion solo albums that entered top 5 of the [[Top Jazz Albums|''Billboard'' jazz charts]] in mid '70s — '80s.

During the late 1970s, [[Lee Ritenour]], [[Stuff (band)|Stuff]], George Benson, [[Spyro Gyra]], [[The Crusaders (jazz fusion group)|the Crusaders]], and [[Larry Carlton]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rockportmusic.org/larry-carlton/|title=Larry Carlton|access-date=April 22, 2019|archive-date=April 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422093005/https://rockportmusic.org/larry-carlton/|url-status=dead}}</ref> released fusion albums.