The word "fusion" has been so liberally used during the past quarter-century as to become almost meaningless. Fusion's original definition was best: a mixture of jazz improvisation with the power and rhythms of rock. Up until around 1967 the worlds of jazz and rock were nearly completely separate. But as rock became more creative and its musicianship improved, and as some in the jazz world became bored with hard bop and did not want to play strictly avant-garde music, the two different idioms began to trade ideas and occasionally combine forces. By the early 1970's, fusion had its own separate identity as a creative jazz style (although sneered upon by many purists) and such major groups as Return To Forever, Weather Report, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles Davis' various bands were playing high-quality fusion that mixed together some of the best qualities of both jazz and rock. Unfortunately as it became a moneymaker, much of what was labelled fusion was actually a combination of jazz with easy-listening pop music and lightweight R&B. This style of commercially-oriented, melodic, crossover jazz became the dominant style of fusion in the '80s, and by the beginning of the '90s, it had earned a new name - smooth jazz - which further separated from the risk-taking fusion that was its forefather.

(Scott Yanow)

fusiona01

Miles Davis - In A Silent Way

Listen to: In A Silent Way-It's About Tha

Davis, Miles (tp); Hancock, Herbie (elp); Corea, Chick (elp); Shorter, Wayne (ts); Holland, Dave (b); Zawinul, Joe (elp, org); McLaughlin, John (g); Williams, Tony (dr)

Recorded: 18-02-1969

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona02

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Listen to: Miles Runs The Voodoo Down

Davis, Miles (tp); Shorter, Wayne (ss); Maupin, Bennie (bcl); Zawinul, Joe (elp); Corea, Chick (elp); McLaughlin, John (g); Holland, Dave (elb); Brooks, Harvey (elb); Alias, Don (dr); DeJohnette, Jack (dr); Santos, Jumma (perc)

Recorded: 20-08-1969

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona04

John McLaughlin - Extrapolation

Listen to: Extrapolation

McLaughlin, John (g); Surman, John (bs, ss); Odges, Brian (b); Oxley, Tony (dr)

Recorded: 1969

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona03

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame

Listen to: Vital Transformation

McLaughlin, John (g); Cobham, Billy (dr); Laird, Rick (b); Hammer, Jan (elp); Goodman, Jerry (viol)

Recorded: 14-08-1971

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona05

Chick Corea - Return To Forever

Listen to: Return To Forever

Corea, Chick (elp); Farrell, Joe (fl, ss); Purim, Flora (voc, perv); Clarke, Stanley (elb, b); Moreira, Airto (dr, perc)

Recorded: February 1972

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona06

Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi

Listen to: Ostinato (Suite For Angela)

Hancock, Herbie (elp); Williams, Buster (b); Hart, Billy (dr); Henderson, Eddie (tp, flh); Maupin, Bennie (bcl, afl); Priester, Julian (tb)

Recorded: 31-12-1970

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona17

Herbie Hancock - Headhunters

Listen to: Chameleon

Hancock, Herbie (elp, clavinet, synth, pipes); Maupin, Bennie (ss, ts, saxello, bcl, afl); Jackson, Paul (bg, marimbula); Mason, Harvey (dr); Summers, Bill (cga, shekere, Balafon, agogo, cabasa, hindewho, tamb, l og drum, surdo, gankoqui, beer bottle)

Recorded: 1973

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona18

Weather Report - Heavy Weather

Listen to: Birdland

Zawinul, Joe (synth, keyb, p, voice, melodica); Shorter, Wayne (ss, ts); Pastorius, Jaco (bg, mandocello, voice); Acuña, Alex (dr); Badrena, Manolo (tamb)

Recorded: 1977

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona07

Weather Report - Wheater Report

Listen to: Umbrellas

Zawinul, Joe, (keyb); Shorter, Wayne (ss); Vitous, Miroslav (b); Moreira, Airto (perc); Mouzon, Alphonze (dr)

Recorded: 16-02-1971

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona08

Weather Report - Live 8:30

Listen to: Black Market

Zawinul, Joe, (keyb); Shorter, Wayne (ts, ss);Pastorius, Jaco (elb, dr); Zawinul, Erich (perc); Erskine, Peter (dr, perc)

Recorded: January and February 1979

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona09

Les McCann - Invitation to Openness

Listen to: The Lovers

McCann, Les (keyb); Lateef, Yusef (ts, oboe, fl, perc); Spinozza, David (g); Dupree, Cornell (g); Hale, Corky (harp); Christian, Jodie (elp); Salter, Bill (elb); Rowser, Jimmy (b); Purdie, Bernard (dr, perc); Mouzon, Al (dr, perc); Dean, Donals (dr, perc); Clarke, Buck (perc); McDonald, Ralph (perc)

Recorded: 1971

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona10

Herbie Mann - Memphis Underground

Listen to: Memphis Underground

Mann, Herbie (fl); Ayers, Roy (vib); Coryell, Larry (g); Sharrock, Sonny (g); Young, Reggie (g); Emmons, Bobby (org); Wood, Bobby (elp, p); Cogbill, Tommy (elb); Christman, Gene (dr)

Recorded: 1969

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona11

Jeremy Steig - This Is Jeremy Steig

Listen to: Flute Diddley

Steig, Jeremy (fl); McDonald, Donald (dr); Moore, Glen (b, elb); Bernhardt, Warren (elp)

Recorded: 1969

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona12

Barney Wilen - Dear Prof. Leary

Listen to: Dear Prof. Leary

Wilen, Barney (ts, ss); Kühn, Joachim (p, org); Lorenzini, Mimi (g); Lenz, Günter (elb); Romano, Aldo (dr); Paap, Wolfgang (dr)

Recorded: 27/28-06-1968

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona13

Larry Coryell - Barefoot Boy

Listen to: Gypsy Queen

Coryell, Larry (g); Marcus, Steve (ss); Killian, Lawrence (cga); Haynes, Roy (dr); Wilkinson, Harry (perc)

Recorded: 1971

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona14

Gato Barbieri - Fenix

Listen to: Tupac Amaru

Barbieri, Gato (ts); Vasconcelos, Naná (berimbau, cga); Golden, Gene (cga); White, Lenny (dr); Beck, Joe (elg); Carter, Ron (b); Smith, Lonnie Liston (p, elp)

Recorded: 28-04-1971

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona15

Gary Burton - Duster

Listen to: Ballet

Burton, Gary (vib); Coryell, Larry (g); Swallow, Steve (b); Haynes, Roy (dr)

Recorded: 18-04-1967

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona16

Crusaders - Crusaders One

Listen to: That's How I Feel

Hooper, Stix (dr); Sample, Joe (keyb); Felder, Wilton (ts, elb); Henderson, Wayne (tb); plus: Carlton, Larry (g); Adams, Arthur (g); Walker, David T. (g); Rainey, Chuck (elb)

Recorded: N.N

[...Wikipedia]

fusiona19

Pat Martino - Stone Blue

Listen to: Uptown Down

Martino, Pat (g); Brown, Delmar (voc, keyb); Alexander, Eric (ts); Genus, James (elb); Dennard, Kenwood (dr, perc)

Recorded: 14-02-1998

[...Wikipedia]