Jaco's Self-titled... What makes that "fusion"?

[powellmacaque]

Sorry if I offend any of the jazz lovers on this board, but what makes Jaco's self titled album "fusion"?

To my non-jazz trained ears, it sounds every bit as traditional jazz as Miles or Dizzy, but with bass in the forefront.


What makes something "fusion" or did I just mistake Jaco's first album as being labeled fusion?

[line6man]

It's not fusion in my book.

I've never really been big on genre labels. It's too difficult to classify most things.

[Jazzomaniac]

Maybe not typical fusion, but certainly
not only traditonal jazz. The only pure jazz tunes
there are "Donna Lee", "Kuru/Speak Like A Child",
and "(Used To Be A) Cha-Cha". The rest are
obviously influenced by many other genres, though
still jazz-oriented of course. I love the diversity
of that album, Jaco's openness to all styles in
music is among the things that made him so special.

[Roy Vogt]

Jaco maintained that he was not a "Fusion" musician, he was a Jazz and R and B player. The term "fusion" annoyed him.
BTW, Ray Peterson's "The Jaco Pastorius Bass Method" is an amazing book! A student of mine brought it in this evening and it's definitely on my "must buy" list.

[Jazzomaniac]

I've never been a fan of the fusion-term
either. Essentially, all styles of music are
fused together with different influences.
In my opinion the branch of music known as
fusion should be labeled as electronic jazz
or something.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

Sorry if I offend any of the jazz lovers on this board, but what makes Jaco's self titled album "fusion"?

To my non-jazz trained ears, it sounds every bit as traditional jazz as Miles or Dizzy, but with bass in the forefront.


What makes something "fusion" or did I just mistake Jaco's first album as being labeled fusion?

I bought that disc when it was first released. At that time, 'fusion' was the common term for that style of music. Electric instruments, 'rock' production techniques, and a bit of improvisation and jazz 'harmonies'. IMO, except for Donna Lee (and even that has a bit of 'funk' in the phrasing and feel to me), that is a CLASSIC example from the glory era of 'fusion' in the 70's.

The term has lost a bit of its meaning at this point, but back then, when this whole idea was still very fresh (remember, Chick and Weather Report were selling out mid size concert halls at the time, and the audience was, well, a fusion of rock and jazz fans, there were very few who did not call this 'fusion'. Yes, some of the guys who were playing this sort of music were already moving away from that title/label, since the straight ahead guys were very down on it.

[cnltb]

Not a fan of that fusion label but...
Jaco-an R'n B bass player,
Herbie Hancock-A Jazz pianist
a couple soul singers(forgot their names...those on come on, come over) and more...
all that makes for an interesting fusion of styles and obvious influences and since all converge on this album, make this a fusion album.

[pygmygrizzly]

call it what you want, its one of the greatest, best, most kick ass albums of all time, and it was done for something like $5000 dollars. for how much its sold, its got to be one of the most profitable albums ever. jaco said "first cut on this album your dead, you won't believe it, this is the claim to fame, I play donna lee"
have you ever seen that show "the mighty boosh"

[JimK]

Originally Posted by cnltb

a couple soul singers(forgot their names...those on come on, come over) and more...

Sam & Dave...c'mon.

...all that makes for an interesting fusion of styles and obvious influences and since all converge on this album, make this a fusion album.

Agreed. Jaco's debut was designed to showcase his eclecticism: R&B, Jazz, Latin/Afro-Cuban Jazz, Funk/Soul, Orchestral, etc.
IMO, that makes for fusion...not Fusion, but Jaco was a member of Weather Report & that time they were marketed as Jazz Fusion, etc.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by KJung

Yes, some of the guys who were playing this sort of music were already moving away from that title/label, since the straight ahead guys were very down on it.

I read many a Downbeat Blindfold Test.
As soon as Leonard Feather played a Fusion tune for an older/Trad guy it was "...stop playing that Fuzak".

[JimK]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

To my non-jazz trained ears, it sounds every bit as traditional jazz as Miles or Dizzy, but with bass in the forefront.

Miles was not always "traditional" Jazz, either.
Bitches Brew is often considered to be one of the first Fusion albums...& then there's his whole late '60s/'70s electric period....and the '80s electric Funk period.
Not much "traditional" goin' on after his 2nd Great 5-tet w/ Herbie, Shorter, Carter, & Tony (all who went on to Fusion except Ron Carter...the bassist!).

[Shakin-Slim]

Originally Posted by pygmygrizzly

have you ever seen that show "the mighty boosh"

I have seen every Boosh episode about one thousand times. What's the relevance?

[bassbrad]

It's all about time perspective, you have to see it in the ears of the music fan of 1976, it was very much a fusion of many styles; jazz, R&B, ethnic; plus it was a showcase for musical talent w/o concerns for commercial success. That it has been a success is a show of just how important Jaco is as an artist.

[colcifer]

Fusion is what you call something that hasn't been done before.

[amosjones]

'Fusion' is a combination or Union of 2 or more things.

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by colcifer

Fusion is what you call something that hasn't been done before.

No it isn't.

[crow01]

people call fusion when it sounds modern, out of the way of cool jazz. So an electric bass, with some synth, electric guitar can be tagged as fusion.
Cool jazz, say dave brubeck is usually not tagged as fusion.
You dig?

[groooooove]

electric bass makes the oldschool jazzers refuse to call a lot of stuff jazz.

im not saying the self titled album is traditional jazz by any means, but if someone were to call it fusion, thatd be my guess why.

[buddyro57]

and a valid one- I think Jaco was lumped into the fusion movement (if you will permit that term) simply by association. Certainly now, that description doesn't wear well, especially with the Jaco's solo efforts. The closest thing to a fusion cut on the Jaco album might be Continuum (because of the electronics and processing), but even that might be a stretch.
JS

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by crow01

So an electric bass, with some synth, electric guitar can be tagged as fusion.

...except there's no synth or electric guitar on this particular Jaco album.

Originally Posted by buddyro57

I think Jaco was lumped into the fusion movement (if you will permit that term) simply by association.

Right. In addition to everyone's point that the album displays a literal "fusion" of styles, it got called Fusion because he was the new bassist in Weather Report and Weather Report was known as a Fusion band

(...despite the fact that Weather Report rarely sounded anything like Mahavishnu, or RTF, or 11th House, or Lifetime, or any of the other archetypal Fusion bands.)