Best Fusion Albums?

[jerry]

+1 Big gulf between critics and the players. Leaves you scratching your head sometimes.

In a recent Jazztimes interview, Branford Marsalis had me rolling with his view of critics. He does great interviews!

 

[JimK]

I still remember the one star review of Mr Gone and Weather Report's rebuttal the next month.

I still have those issues.
The Letters to the Editor in that time frame were also classic.

 

[Roscoe East]

Something I've heard over the years about '70s high intensity Fusion (MO, Lifetime, RTF, etc).
When played in a Rock arena (i.e. a "hockey rink"), that kinda virtuosity could get lost over a PA cranked for a Rock crowd.

I read an interview with recording engineer Ken Scott about tracking Mahavishnu's Birds Of Fire, and he said that there were some takes where the guys were literally playing so fast that the recording medium (analog tape) just turned it all to mush. He said he had to convince them that the record would have more impact if they slowed down just a little!

On a similar note, I remember back in the late 70s hearing some apochryphal claim that there were recorded passages by John McLaughlin where his up/down picking was moving around 35 times per second...made me wonder if that would generate intermodulation distortion, or start heterodyning with the pitches he was playing?

 

[dougjwray]

In an over three thousand seat theater, a lot gets lost. While the sea change was happening in my listening tastes back then, I also realized instead of going to MSG and seeing musicians the size of ants, I could go downtown and be five feet from cats like Will Lee, Anthony Jackson, Ron Carter etc.

I can absolutely relate to that. Right around the time that I stopped going to big rock concerts, I moved from NYC to Boston, and I started going to a couple of tiny jazz clubs where I could be first on line to get in and end up literally resting my feet on the stage while Sonny Rollins, Elvin Jones, George Benson, Barney Kessel, Billy Cobham, Metheny/Jaco/Moses, Pat Martino, Ron Carter, etc., etc. were playing.
After that, it was something like 25 years before I went to another rock show at an arena. (It was McCartney, and THAT was justified! )

 

[Lee Moses]

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.

I know what you mean. Well, to an extent...it was released a year before I was born, so my experience came well after its release. To be honest, it is not in my personal top 10 favorites of albums classified as "fusion." But historically it has a place which cannot be denied. As someone else pointed out, maybe In a Silent Way should get the credit, but everyone remembers Brew.

 

[frisbieinstein]

There are some Mahavishnu sound board recordings available today that are tremendous. A lot better than their official recordings.

I saw the Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy band, it was great.

I like Little Feat's Tripe Face Boogie.

In the 21st century there is Gentle Hearts, who are/were just as good as the famous fusion bands. Drummer Senri Kawaguchi has got it going on too, but won't get to full strength until she graduates from high school.

 

[frisbieinstein]

Does Buddy Miles count as fusion?

Riis

Miles Davis thought Buddy was great. Buddy did an album with McLaughlin. So yeah.

 

[JimK]

IIRC, Miles liked The Electric Flag...Buddy Miles on drums w/ Harvey Brooks on bass (later to appear on Bitches Brew.

 

[VJP]

Brecker Brothers Heavy Metal Bebop

 

[BornboreD]

Off the top of me gulliver, and just in my opinion I'd go with the following:

Jean Luc Ponty - Enigmatic Ocean
Al DiMeola - Elegant Gypsy
Brand X - Unorthodox Behaviour
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Visions of the Emerald Beyond

 

[Walfretless5]

I am with BornboreD on those picks.

Jean Luc Ponty - Enigmatic Ocean
Al DiMeola - Elegant Gypsy
Brand X - Unorthodox Behaviour
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Visions of the Emerald Beyond

But would add these to make up my "Personal" Ten:

Bruford-Feels Good To Me
Weather Report-Night Passage
RTF-Romantic Warrior
Colosseum II- Electric Savage
Allan Holdsworth-Atavachron

....so many other great ones I can't settle on a 10th.

 

[BornboreD]

I just picked up RTF's No Mystery on vinyl yesterday for a couple bucks. It's not my fav RTF but still rather good. A lot more funk infused than most of their other 70's offerings.

 

[Toronto Bassist]

Jean-Luc Ponty: Enigmatic Ocean
Ohm: Amino Acid Flashback
Bill Connors: Assembler
Mahavishnu Orchestra: Birds of Fire, Inner Mounting Flame
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew, Pangeaea
Weather Report: Black Market
Jeff Beck: Blow By Blow
Allan Holdsworth: IOU, Metal Fatigue, Blues For Tony
Soft Machine: Bundles
CAB: CAB, CAB 2
Santana: Caravanserai
Chris Poland: Chasing the Sun
Larry Coryell: Spaces, Electric, the first Eleventh House album
Tribal Tech: Spears, Face First, X
Bruford: Feels Good To Me, One Of A Kind
Jonas Hellborg: Good People In Times Of Trouble, Time Is The Enemy
Frank Zappa: Hot Rats, Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar
Return To Forever: Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before
John McLaughlin/Carlos Santana: Love Devotion Surrender
Garaj Mahal: More Mr. Nice Guy, w00t
Herbie Hancock: Mwandishi, Thrust
Niacin: Organik, Time Crunch
Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay
Spectrum Road: Spectrum Road
John Abercrombie: Timeless
John McLaughlin: To The One
George Duke: Feel
Bozzio Levin Stevens: Black Light Syndrome, Situation Dangerous

 

[Lee Moses]

This has turned out to be some kind of thread, with some great side discussions and 153 different albums mentioned on bassists' favorites lists--and that's not counting several other fusion albums that have been mentioned along the way in some of the discussions. As of now, here's where the rankings stand:

1. Jean-Luc Ponty, Enigmatic Ocean (22 points)
2. Return to Forever, Romantic Warrior (21 points)
3. Weather Report, Heavy Weather (18 points)
4. Billy Cobham, Spectrum (17 points)
4. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Inner Mounting Flame (17 points)
6. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire (16 points)
7. Jeff Beck, Wired (15 points)
7. Miles Davis, B. Brew (15 points)
9. Weather Report, Black Market (14 points)
10. Bill Bruford, One of a Kind (12 points)
10. Herbie Hancock, Thrust (12 points)

 

[Brad Johnson]

I

OK, I'll admit it-
Loved '70s Fusion (way beyond whatever skill set I had)...did NOT like Jazz violin, though.
For that reason, I did not buy any Ponty albums in the day.
Recently, though, I picked up King Kong...Ponty's "Zappa" album. It's pretty damn bad, though, probably not as intense as his '70s-era Fusion albums.

Same here. Violin in that context has always left me cold. I have no idea why. Ponty, Karen Briggs, Noel Pointer, etc.

My list...

"Mysterious Traveller". My first WR album is still my favorite. The bass work is amazing but so is everything else. There's a Shorter/Zawinul duet that's so damned pretty... if you like that sort of thing. I figured out a long time ago that most bass centric projects don't hold my interest. Composition matters.

Any of Alphonso Johnson's solo efforts. Like I said, most don't. These do.
Any RTF right up to and including "Romantic Warrior"
Lots of Brecker Brothers projects
Any Herbie with PJ & Mike. "Headhunters" was great but ish got real when Mike came on board . Just ridiculously funky.

Just about any Yellowjackets involving Will Kennedy. A finesse beast.
Bill Bruford - I came to his fusion work because I'm a huge early Yes fan. I love his approach. Bassist wasn't bad either I bought David Sancious' album because of Jeff Berlin.
Stanley's brown album.
Any Brand X featuring Percy. The definition of a free player.
Jeff Lorber - Wizard Island. A clinic in not so smooth jazz. Danny Wilson/Dennis Bradford, killer pocket rhythm section
Zappa.

Most of these have stood the test of time. That's a key to good music.

 

[JimK]

"Mysterious Traveller". My first WR album is still my favorite. The bass work is amazing but so is everything else. There's a Shorter/Zawinul duet that's so damned pretty... if you like that sort of thing. I figured out a long time ago that most bass centric projects don't hold my interest. Composition matters.

MT was my 1st WR album...because I had just become a Downbeat subscriber &, IIRC, it was voted "Jazz Album of the Year" (our NEX had it. Very cool Record section at that time on a Naval Base).
Must say, though, it far more subdued than my 1st RTF album, No Mystery & my 1st MO album, Birds Of Fire. It really grew on me, though & I have zero issues spinning it today.
BTW, I have been giving Sweetnighter a re-visit these past couple of weeks.
Not one of my favourites when I 1st bought it, but...
I guess the Bitches Brew album is now part of my DNA...anything remotely like it & I love it.

Just about any Yellowjackets involving Will Kennedy. A finesse beast.

Agreed! He will make any bassist into a better player. The Four Corners album (his 1st with YJs) was a big step up, IMO, from their previous albums.

I bought David Sancious' album because of Jeff Berlin.

Sancious is another bad ass...the 4-tet with Sancious & Vinnie is one of Sting's best bands. Hit youtube & check them out on "Ain't No Sunshine".

Stanley's brown album.

Bought this (also at the NEX) in the same time frame as Mysterious Traveller. Threw me for a 'Lopsy Lu'. WTH?!?!
Oh, bought this 'cause-
a) Wanted an electric bass "Jazz" album
& more imortant-
b) The guy on the cover just looked cool.

Jeff Lorber - Wizard Island. A clinic in not so smooth jazz. Danny Wilson/Dennis Bradford, killer pocket rhythm section.

Kenny Gorelick!

Zappa.

Zappa is another one of those guys that took me a while...again, reading up on guys like this (Coltrane, Sun Ra) helped me get into their music.

 

[Roscoe East]

I bought David Sancious' album because of Jeff Berlin.

Whoa, wait... which David Sancious album? I had no idea!

 

[JimK]

David Sancious & Tone

• Forest of Feelings (1975)
• Transformation (The Speed of Love) (1976)
• Dance of the Age of Enlightenment (1977)
• True Stories (1978)

David Sancious

• David Sancious - The Chelsea Demos (1977) (unauthorized bootleg)
• Just as I Thought (1979)
• The Bridge (1980) (1981, according to davidsancious.com)
• Nine Piano Improvisations (2000)
• Cinema (2005)
• LIVE in the now (2007)

From Wiki...and happy hunting.

 

[jerry]

Whoa, wait... which David Sancious album? I had no idea!

It was the 'Just What I Though' album. TM Stevens was also on there. I loved David Sancious guitar playing, very overlooked. His playing with Stanley Clarke was molten!

 

[Konza]

Hellborg, Lane & Sipe - Temporal Analogues of Paradise
Hellborg, Lane & Sipe - Time Is The Enemy
Hellborg, Lane & Sipe - Personae