Jazz Fusion Musicians - Essay Example

? Jazz Fusion Musicians Phone Number Email address The term Jazz fusion is a combination of two words: Jazz and fusion. Fusion vaguely refers to a catch-all which trivialized what became in the 1970s a vigorous movement in the American music. People often wonder where the term Jazz fusion came about when originally it was jazz-rock. Fusion, as a term has erroneously been expanded over the years in order to take other forms of music resembling pop and the lightweight Rhythm and Blues, for instance, the Grover Washington Jr. or Kenny G brand by use of instrumentals. Therefore, the term jazz became distorted to accommodate rock and pop groups back in the 1960s by adding horns for flavoring (Sweat and Tears, Blood and Chicago). By old definition, fusion is, therefore, a mixture of improvisations made on Jazz combined with the rhythms, energy and timbers of rock music. Jazz fusion began to take hold in the wake of the Golden Era of rock in around the late 1960s. The essay discusses; Mile Davis, John Abercombie, Don Alias, Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce and Larry Carlton contributions to jazz fusion in their life time. A number of questions commonly get asked concerning the founder of jazz fusion. In accordance to some music analysts, some say fusion might have started with the guitarist, Larry Coryell. Speculations presume that Larry Coryell brought the rock oriented tune. In addition, he also brought attack raw, edgy tones in contrast to the smooth, rounded tones which guitarist employed in many jazz sessions at that era. In addition, other analysts noted that blues and rock sensibilities which Jack DeJohnette, drummer, and Keith Jarrett, pianist, brought to the given Charles Lloyd Quartet also became wildly popular to rock audiences in 1967, despite, using acoustic instruments. Furthermore, from England, The Trinity and jazz organist Brian Auger also developed rock in the late 1960s through borrowing some pop influences plus clothing styles. The founders could even be traced way back to 1959 to the likes of Ray Charles. He pioneered the use of the given Wurlitzer electric piano in singing some of his blues, gospel and jazz hits. The same Wurlitzer electric piano became used later by Joe Zawinul and contributed in making a given gospel song a hit in 1966. In relation to some musical analysts, they claim that the first jazz and rock combination might have been truly a mixture of Dixieland Jazz plus the 50s rock. Therefore, regarding the founder of jazz fusion music, there is no impressive consensus to date on whom might have been the founder of the spectacular Jazz fusion music. Even if quite a lot of arguments exist on the true founder of the jazz fusion music, but musicians behind making it popular could be identified. These musicians played a prominent role in popularizing the jazz music and making it get a lot of audiences as years advanced. A good example of such a musician that contributed immensely to its popularity includes Miles Davis (Miles & Quincy 34). Miles Davis was an ever curious person that wished to experiment with any music. He managed to fuse rock and rhythm and blues (R&B) currents existing in the late 1960’s and created hits. Miles Davis managed to popularize jazz fusion to greater heights at that time thereby increasing the number of fans listening jazz fusion genre. Jazz itself became fused in the ‘20s, together with rock and even soul music around that time. In addition, other musicians that contributed to its popularity became the Beatles groups. From 1964, as the Beatles group invaded and rocked their music on air and other areas, they too managed to spread the jazz fusion music with them through the music they played. As the jazz scene continuously became a battle between angry avant-garde and hard boppers, many bored and alienated musicians looked to rock, which at that time had begun to develop into multifaceted imaginative art form (Miles & Quincy 36). Moreover, the introduction of the given electronic keyboards like the Wurlitzer plus the Fender-Rhodes electric pianos, Moog, the Hohner clavinet, Oberheim, synthesizers by ARP, and others contributed tremendously in popularizing jazz fusion genre. In addition, outstanding sound effects like ring modulator and the Echoplex, presented some pianists with quite a galaxy of more sounds to explore. Furthermore, electric guitars that were loud and flashy became introduced. In addition, drummers changed their styles as the dotted rhythms of the given bop gave way to a stiffer rock oriented emphasis for every beat produced. For Miles, fusing rock and jazz was quite an evolutionary process. Miles took the idea of using a given electric piano originating from Zawinul, thereby gradually adding extra keyboards plus electric guitars. Miles then added Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette to tighten the given beat, hence removing the old harmonic underpinnings, then lacing the given solo horns in the turbulent texture of his beat (Miles & Quincy 38). This evolution began more in the late 1967 though some of their songs became released years later as from the 1970s onwards thereby gaining intense popularity. Quite a lot of artists recognized Miles effort in the music industry and began emulating him. He managed to gain popularity in singing jazz fusion music speed through songs like Miles in the Sky, Filles de Kilimanjaro, till when the given first electric masterpieces sang In a Silent Way plus Bitches Brew informed the world of Miles succeeding in popularizing his jazz fusion music. Despite, the abstract and rock influenced rhythms the song Bitches, Brew still managed to become a hit song upon release in 1970. Bitches Brew hit song thereby received a gold record status hence launching the given jazz-rock. There are a number of fusion artists that contributed to the staggering career of Miles in ensuring certain jazz fusion music became made. An excellent example remains as Herbie Hancock, an individual who later left the band to form his own sextet which probed further for spacey electronics. Another person includes Tony Williams, which split in order to form the group Lifetime. Lifetime was a noisy, high energy group of 3 people that seriously indebted some of their songs to Jimi Hendrix, fuzz tone innovator. Furthermore, Wayne Shorter and Zawinul teamed up in 1970 in order to form Weather Report, a band that carried the rock and Jazz banner through the 1970s to the 1980s with the incorporation of electronic textures, some freewheeling improvisation, plus fondness to get to the audience a third world influence. John McLaughlin, a guitarist, first with Lifetime, then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, perfectly introduced a formula of ultra high-volume, plus rapid-fire unison playing which gained an enormous following from rock fans (Miles & Quincy 40). There remain other veteran Jazzmen that tried out the new form of music and traded ideas with Miles, for instance Cannonball Adderley records became more of the electric rock and jazz flavor some years after 1970. Other Jazzmen included Donald Byrd that gained much popularity with his album Electric Byrd, Les McCann, Ornette Coleman among others. A more revived Miles Davis also flourished from 1981 till when he succumbed to death. After his death, his legacy continued though jazz fusion music began to become less popular in the 1980s and beyond as other people began to venture into other fields. John Abercrombie is a well known American Jazz guitarist who often played songs related to jazz fusion or post bop. This great legend of jazz fusion became born in 1944. During his career as a guitarist, John Abercrombie faced quite a lot of challenges before rising to be an excellent jazz fusion star during the 1970s (Miles & Quincy 40). Met by the challenge of venturing into a new genre of music at that time, John experienced a lot of financial hardships, but eventually got sponsors that helped geared him to success (Charles 67). He also managed to make a number of collaboration during his music career with a number of musicians and leading bands. John has played with Jack DeJohnette, Billy Cobham, Randy Brecker, and Michael Brecker among others. Abercrombie often was a member of Manfred Eicher’s ECM label and managed to make his first recordings for his two albums with a band group named jazz-rock band dreams in the 1970s (Charles 69). Some of the groups John led or co-led include the duo by Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland, a trio, duo and quartet among others. In his lifetime, John managed to win Music Distinguished Alumni award by the Berklee College of Music in 1998. Don Alias was a gifted American jazz percussionist born in New York in 1939. Don commonly played jazz and jazz fusion music to his audience. In addition, he played the congas plus other hand drums. In his music career, he managed to play side by side with a number of talented musicians thereby contributed immensely in jazz fusion music that rocked the 1970s (Billboard 57). Don managed to play drum in a number of hit songs like Bitches Brew in 1969. He made a lot of friends in the music industries and played for various bands leading to his success in the music industry. He made quite a number of collaborations with many musicians like Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, Becker Brothers, Pat Metheny among many others (Billboard 60). Don majorly used drums, percussion instruments, djembe plus Conga drums in his form of music and managed to gain worldwide fame. Don later died in 2006. Geoffrey Arnold Beck later christened Jeff's date of birth was on 24 June 1944 in Wallington, England. From an unusually tender age, his interest in music was visible. Just like star musicians he was a singer in the choir as a young lad. However, his interest in guitars grew when he was in his teen years. His passion saw him grow into one of the renowned guitarists of all time. At an early age, his influences came from the likes of; Les Paul, Cliff Gallup and the Blue Caps. Their music and guitar skills, therefore, played a part in the sound of his music as he grew up (Carson 45). His sound was mostly rock however, his contributions to jazz fusion left an impact to this date. Just like many artists in the music genre, he was no exception when it came to facing a variety of problems. While working with his first band, his highly irritable nature and an explosive temper resulted in his firing. Despite, this he picked himself up and was already working on his next venture. It was not long when the universe threw another curve ball at him. His involvement in an accident led to the fracturing of his skull. Nonetheless, like the true warrior he was, he got himself together, and, back to the  studio to record more music. The final straw; made him liable to tax evasion charges. This led to his fleeing to the US. He still pursued his music (Carson78). He played with the likes of Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder. The two artists were at that time hugely popular and extraordinarily influential. Through his music life he has also been credited by receiving several awards and honors, for example, he is a 7-time Grammy Winner. He played in a variety of venues all around the world. They include; Japan, US and the UK. Wherever he went, the music he wrote, people loved it and appreciated it. There could be no denying that Beck was and will always be a talented musician (Carson 54). Jack Bruce's place of birth was in Glasgow, Scotland on 14 May 1943. He grew up listening to music because his parents were musicians, as well. Despite this, he had to leave his homeland at an exceptionally tender age. He came from a poor family and despite his winning a scholarship, his radical ideas made his professors dismiss him (Carson & Jeff 78). He rose against all odds and managed to find himself in Italy, and, England playing with a variety of bands until he caught his successful break with the band Alexis. His contributions to the jazz fusion music genre still receive credit to this date because of the talented way in which he played the electric bass. His vocalist prowess also gained him recognition among many (Shapiro 34). He was a member of many bands throughout his entire career. Some ended well, whereas, some ended with the tragic death of a loved band member, for example, the band Lifetime. This latter experience saw Jack return to his roots (Harry & Bruce 38). He started playing the music which he had first loved and that his earlier professors disregarded. This brought him some sense of peace and closure. Difficulties in his personal life also affected him, for example, separating from his wife. This made him turn down some opportunities which would have catapulted him to greater heights (Shapiro 45). Throughout his life, he worked with many influential musicians while turning down some, for example, Marvin Gaye. They included; Mitch Mitchell and Larry Young. He toured Europe, US and UK. His tours proving successful in all the places he visited. He has also received many awards appreciating his talent and the mark he has left so far in the music industry. This is especially so in the jazz fusion genre. For example, he received a doctorate in Music from his old college where he frequently contributes as alumni (Shapiro 32). Larry Carlton's date of birth was on March 2, 1948 in Torrance, California. He is most known for his raw talent and the contributions he made in jazz and all its sub-genres. Just like most renowned musicians he discovered his love for music when still at a remarkably young age. In his autobiography, he listed his influences as being from music performed by Joe Pass. He toured all around the US and in other countries outside of US, for example, Japan. He mostly performed live during his tours (Carson & Jeff 88). This serves to showcase how talented he was a vocalist and a musician in general. Nowadays, the invention of auto tune and the discovery of lip syncing during live performances, has robbed the people of exceptional, legit music. Therefore, finding performers like Carlton who give authentic live performances is refreshing (Carlton 77). Throughout his career, Carlton kept a low profile in the media spotlight, therefore, a lot about his life remained personal. His influential work and the positive behavior he portrayed saw him receive many credits from various people (Harry & Bruce 34). However, the media were in frenzy when he was short outside of his studio. This almost brought his music career to an end. This is because the bullet fractured his vocal cord. Luckily Carlton was able to heal in time and resume working on the album he was working on before the whole incident (Carlton 88). Throughout his life, he has either performed in a band or as a solo artist. This has boosted his versatility allowing him to work with many influential artists like; Michael Jackson, Terry McMillan and Robben Ford. All of whom he either featured in their songs or worked in them in the capacity of a composer. Carlton is a four-time Grammy Winner for his composition skills and breathtaking performances. To this date, he still receives credit for being a role model in the music industry. His significant contribution to the jazz genre from the large volume of recordings has been used in different ventures like motion pictures (Carlton 45). In conclusion, Mile Davis, John Abercombie, Don Alias, Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce and Larry Carlton were among the principal the famed jazz fusion musicians that lived to make jazz music celebrated in the 1970s. As the music changed from the 1960s and inventions and additions to the existing genres of music continued, quite a lot of discoveries also became made leading to the popularization of jazz fusion music in the 1970s. Works Cited Chapman, Charles H. Mel Bay Presents Interviews with the Jazz Greats-John abercrombie. New York: Mel Bay Publications, 2000. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carlton, Larry. Larry Carlton, Volume 2. Carlifornia: Hal Leonard Corp, 2005. Print. Carson, Annette. Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers. New York: Backbeat Books, 2001. Print. Limited, Billboard. "Don Alias." Jazz journal international (1997): 56-67. Miles Davis, Quincy Troupe. Miles, the autobiography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990. Print. Shapiro, Harry. Jack Bruce: Composing Himself The Authorised Biography. London: Jawbone Press, 2010. Print. Read More