Best Fusion Albums?

[Blake Bass]

Seriously; you cats consider yourselves bass players and this thread gets to post #37 before Jaco's first album is mentioned?

The question was what is your favorite fusion, not what is bucyphelus favorite fusion!

 

[abstractart06]

There are most of my favorites listed here. I have actually seen many of these groups play live.

Have to mention Alphonso Johnson's recordings and George Duke's contributions as well. I also love the group Passport, and Idris Muhammad.

 

[bucephylus]

The question was what is your favorite fusion, not what is bucyphelus favorite fusion!

No, no, that's not even my favorite fusion album. I just thought that was funny.

 

[Lee Moses]

Actually, I personally like Jaco's debut better than some of the others I listed...but I thought of the others as more landmark fusion albums. Jaco's debut would probably be best classified as "fusion," but mostly by default.

 

[bucephylus]

Sheesh, where's my brain? I feel like Curly; "I'm tryin to think, but nothin happens!"

There is the whole slew of GRP recordings.

Rippingtons - killer Kim Stone stuff
Dave Grusin - Marcus Miller and Abe Laboriel
David Sanborn - more Marcus Miller stuff.

Yellowjackets

Flim and the BB's

 

[Lee Moses]

Hey bucephylus . . . any specific albums you want to mention?

 

[bucephylus]

Hey bucephylus . . . any specific albums you want to mention?

Among those? Sure

The Jackets - their first: Yellowjackets.
Grusin - Migration & Mountain Dance
Sanborn - Close-Up and Upfront
Rippingtons - Weekend in Monaco, Curves Ahead
Flim & the BB's - the first (self titled), tricycle

 

[bucephylus]

The question was what is your favorite fusion, not what is bucyphelus favorite fusion!

BTW, bucephylus is the bass in the avatar. It likes everything, as long as its playing!

 

[seang15]

Best "Fusion?" Has to be, for me:

-Weather Report, "Heavy Weather"

-Jaco Pastorious, Solo album

-"Romantic Warrior," RTF

-School Days, Stanley

-"Electric Rendezvous," Al DiMeola

-"Inner Mounting Flame," - Mahavishnu

-"Wired" - J. Beck

-"Blow by Blow" - J. Beck

-"Head Hunters" - H. Hancock

-"Metal Fatigue" - Allan Holdsworth

Now gonna post this, and not come back!! Or I'll change my mind somehow!!

-SG

 

[bucephylus]

Heck, I can't get them all; though its fun trying. Wikipedia gives a pretty decent rundown.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_jazz
There were a few there that caught my eye that I don't think have been mentioned:
Dixie Dregs
Spyro Gyra

Also, I'll put in a vote for a record I happen to like a lot and wouldn't necessarily call Fusion, but I don't know what else to call it
Strength in Numbers
Kind of like Fusion unplugged. Way past bluegrass. Check it out.

Also, just noticed, no one mentioned the Flecktones!

 

[seang15]

No mention of Brand-X. Percy Jones was a monster.

Still is!!

 

[jerry]

A killer rhythm section that worked together in the 70's that get overlooked a bit are John Lee and Gerry Brown. Brown also worked wit Stanley a bunch, I saw them together a few times.

 

[Passinwind]

A killer rhythm section that worked together in the 70's that get overlooked a bit are John Lee and Gerry Brown.

Those guys were great with Larry Coryell back then.

 

[Basshappi]

Heck, I can't get them all; though its fun trying. Wikipedia gives a pretty decent rundown.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_jazz
There were a few there that caught my eye that I don't think have been mentioned:
Dixie Dregs
Spyro Gyra
...........
Also, just noticed, no one mentioned the Flecktones!

Post #8

 

[JimK]

Among those? Sure

The Jackets - their first: Yellowjackets.
Grusin - Migration & Mountain Dance
Sanborn - Close-Up and Upfront
Rippingtons - Weekend in Monaco, Curves Ahead
Flim & the BB's - the first (self titled), tricycle

I'm pretty sure I have all of those...none (except maybe the Yellowjackets) really struck me as a Fusion album.
I was a big fan of GRP back in its heyday, too.
Something else I really liked back then (& still do) was Tom Scott & the LA Express/NY Connection...in my mind, I would not think of those as Fusion, either.

 

[MrLenny1]

My top 10 are the ones that Lee listed.
Hmm, same taste.

 

[Mark_70]

Metheney - Bright size Life

Regards
Mark

 

[Lee Moses]

My top 10 are the ones that Lee listed.
Hmm, same taste.

Something about great minds . . .

 

[JimK]

Overall top 10:
1. Billy Cobham, Spectrum (17 points)
2. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire (14 points)
3. Jeff Beck, Wired (14 points)
4. (3-way tie w/ 13 points) Return to Forever, Romantic Warrior
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Inner Mounting Flame
Weather Report, Black Market
7. (3-way tie w/ 11 points) Miles Davis, B. Brew
Bill Bruford, One of a Kind
Herbie Hancock, Thrust
10. Return to Forever, Light as a Feather (10 points)

OK, here's your Top-10.
I have a question for all you Bitches Brew guys...when I first got into Jazz Fusion with the usual suspects (Lifetime, MO, RTF, etc)...I went out & bought BB 'cause I reaad/heard it was the 1st & best Fusion album.
Well, was I disappointed.
Did you guys like it from the jump?

Years later, in the late '90s...I bought the Complete BB & fell in love with it.
So, as I often say on these boards, listening skills change over time...just 'cause you don't like something today...give it time & effort & there may be an awakening.


The BB LP set I bought in the '70s?
Framed & hanging on my wall.

 

[Roscoe East]

A killer rhythm section that worked together in the 70's that get overlooked a bit are John Lee and Gerry Brown.

Those guys were great with Larry Coryell back then.

Gerry Brown played with Larry Coryell? I only remember the John Lee/Alphonse Mouzon team with Larry...but they were definitely hot stuff!

Whenever I hear Gerry Brown I get this weird sort of "I love what he's playing but I'm not sure I like the way he's playing it" vibe. In some ways he sounds to me like a drummer who never listened to any style of music besides fusion; unlike Cobham, Gadd, White, Mouzon, Walden et al, where you can almost hear the history of jazz and rock colliding in their influences, Gerry Brown always struck me as a guy whose influences were restricted to Cobham, Gadd, White, Mouzon, & Walden! I still enjoy his playing, but it just seems a little less deep than some other drummers.