Jazz Fusion Standards??

[cire113]

I'm trying learn some common but good jazz fusion songs... that are played alot in Jams...

anyone have any reccomendations..

Im talking about songs like

Chameleon, Cantaloupe island, watermelon man, the chicken,school days, sunny,..

anyone have any good recommendations of songs not too difficult like the songs aforementioned?

[Throckmorten]

Weather Report's "Birdland"

[Hoover]

Add "Breezin'" by George Benson to your list. My freshman semester at Berklee (1978) I think every single jam session I went to we played "Chameleon" and "Breezin'". Every. Single. One.

Chick Corea's "Sea Journey" is a less common but equally jam-friendly tune (i.e., it's not too difficult, but it yields a fertile environment for blowing). Also Jeff Beck's "Freeway Jam". And if you want to throw something odd-metered into the fray, John McLaughlin's "Follow Your Heart".

[89JazzMan]

Herbie Hancock-Actual Proof
Pat Metheny- Bright Size Life (Jaco plays on the entire album)
Anything by spyro gyra
4 on 6-Wes Montgomery-not fusion but a great standard for jamming

[Ed Fuqua]

Originally Posted by Hoover

Add "Breezin'" by George Benson to your list. My freshman semester at Berklee (1978) I think every single jam session I went to we played "Chameleon" and "Breezin'". Every. Single. One.

That's so sad.
Not that I play this stuff, but you used to get MR. MAGIC called a lot, I'd have AFFIRMATION ready to go, the Benson arrangement of THIS MASQUERADE. I don't know if folks still call RISE (Herb Alpert) or FEELS SO GOOD. What was that Bil Withers/Dave Sanborn tune? Anytime a vocalist would sit in, that was what wasn't MISTY.

That Spyro Gyra thing, MORNING DANCE?

But take with a grain, it's been well over 30 years since I was asked to play any of this stuff....

[cire113]

It's kinda dad I'm like 40 decades too late it seems lol... Nonetheless I enjoy playing these tunes by myself to the recording if anything!!!

Thx for some suggestions

[JimK]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

...the Benson arrangement of THIS MASQUERADE.

Recently, I watched a movie (Bug w/ Ashely Judd) that used Leon Russell's version. It's pretty darn good.

...or FEELS SO GOOD.

Mangione's "Give It All You Got" would be another one

What was that Bill Withers/Dave Sanborn tune?

Grover Washington's "Just The Two Of Us"? There's some other "light" instrumental grooves on that album (Winelight). I'm thinking "Let It Flow" & "Winelight".

All of which I wouldn't call "Fusion".

[Atticus]

Depending on the instruments available, "Hot Rats" by Frank Zappa might work, although the arrangement is a bit tight for jamming over.

[funknasty]

Red Baron and Stratus by Billy Cobham. Those are easily jammable. I used to play those at jams a lot.

[gmahoog]

How about "Tune 88" by the Jeff Lorber Fusion. There are lots of versions on youtube.

[Groove Master]

Teen Town

[The Owl]

Black Napkins - FZ

Proto Cosmos, Wildlife - Tony Williams Lifetime

[funknasty]

Originally Posted by Groove Master

Teen Town

Tell me your kidding.

[funknasty]

Originally Posted by The Owl

Black Napkins - FZ

Proto Cosmos, Wildlife - Tony Williams Lifetime

I didnt realize this was a TWL tune I have only heard Greg Howe play it (and KILL on it)

[Skitch it!]

For the assessment's back in the Guitar Institute in '95 I remember,

Stevie Wonder - Contusion,
Chick Corea - Spain,
John Scofield - Techno,
Bob Berg - Snakes,
Gary Willis/Tribal Tech - The Necessary Blonde (this took some doing and no mistake).

Just a few I remember.

[onewebfoot]

The first two examples are the most modern of this Fusion Rock list, coming from the “Renegade Creation” album by Robben Ford (2010), featuring Jimmy Haslip on bass (no less). I saw them live last year. So if one were to argue that fusion, per se, is not giggable in the modern day, they’ll have to take on Ford and Haslip, for starters.

1. Brothers
2. Soft in Black Jeans (the only song in this post with vocals)

The next three examples come from an obscure album called “Where’s Henning “ (available on iTunes), by the David Becker Tribune band. I propose these as jammable, but also live-giggable.

All of these emphasize a trio (guitar, fretless bass, and drums, that’s it). The fretless bass player requires some serious chops to pull any of these off as recorded below. I've seen each of these three performed live in recent years (or past 18 months, even).
3. Footprints (saw this gigged live in Palo Alto in late 2009)
4. Here and There (last saw in live in late 90s)
5. All Blues (yes, that Miles Davis classic). I cite this because I have seen this migrated to fusion from straight-ahead jazz more times live than I can ever recall.

I could cite countless more works of fusion that I love, as I have been into it since I was a kid (70s). I love Spyro Gyra, Yellowjackets, Jean-Luc Ponty (!!!!!), Strunz and Farah ("Selva" track specifically), and a lot of the modern Latin/World influenced fusion, and more. But here are a couple more honorable mentions (all dated to late 70s, very early 80s), from a listening standpoint:

1. The first three albums Al Di Meola released in his own name. I like these in this specific sequence (and all are rock-jazz fusion rather than the other way around, perhaps): Elegant Gypsy, Casino, Land of the Midnight Sun (with emphasis on Suite Golden Dawn featuring Jaco)

2. The 11th Commandment by Chuck Mangione, featuring Charles Meeks on bass, from Live at the Hollywood Bowl album – I was there that night (as a kid).

[Roy Vogt]

A couple of Chick Corea tunes that always seem to get called:
Spain
500 Miles High
Standards kind of implies relatively easy (non-arranged tunes) that everyone tends to know-sort of like Chameleon. I'd probably second Mr. Magic, throw in Red Baron by Billy Cobham and then Some Skunk Funk because it's in The Real Book for starters.
Interestingly, there is a Monday Night "Loud Jazz" Jam in Nashville at Douglas Corner every first and third Monday and the issue of "what to play" has come up before. I tend to bring charts and keep it simple. The most out on a limb I've gotten was Havona, but I knew the guys I was playing with could hang.

[cire113]

ya im looking for songs that are relatively easy....

[Skitch it!]

Originally Posted by cire113

ya im looking for songs that are relatively easy....

YouTube - ‪BILLY COBHAM STRATUS‬‏

A few changes but mostly riff based, and a great riff at that.

[WJGreer]

+1 on the Billy Cobham answers. I was going to post those myself.

Also, check out the Herbie Hancock Headhunters albums, along with the Miles from that same period. It could just be the circles I run in, but I hear that stuff called quite a bit.