The first of the two International Jazz Day 2016 promised to all of you I would start bringing out of the archives. #jazzday #JazzFusion #Jazz #JazzRock

Note: Biographical/historical information about each selection follows below the track listing.

Even though the seeds of what we now call the first wave of Jazz Fusion had been sewn for most of the 1960’s, it wasn’t until Bitches Brew by Jazz luminary Miles Davis was released in 1969 did the form first gain widespread notoriety. As with most immediate and radical departures of a signature sound, there were many who derided the genre, and in this instance, as pandering to rock audiences, regardless of the classic Jazz pedigree that many of the biggest names in this new music form carried. Oddly, unlike Jazz or Rock and Roll, the first wave of this hybrid was steadily developing among the Blues, Psychedelic and Progressive Rock scenes of England prior to gaining acceptance in the U.S.

To the uninitiated, the sound of Jazz Fusion is a heady mix of not just traditional Jazz and Rock and Roll, but often with elements of avant grade or Free Jazz sounds, and with some of these artists, an extension as well of R&B and the then newly emerging Funk sound. Most notably, Jazz Fusion is the sound of Jazz going completely electric; this also meant amplification and a volume at times that would rival many of the major heavy groups of the period. Additionally, Fusion brought new musical instruments into the realm of Jazz that were previously unheard of, such as the violin, the electric bass and synthesizers, sometimes at the expense of brass instruments, which had previously been a mainstay.

The Ace Of Spades PDX International Jazz Day 2016 event poster, by yours truly. Click on image to download.

Regardless of the derision by so-called “purists”, Fusion also brought Jazz music and Jazz musicians onto stages typically only reserved for the most successful Pop and Rock acts for the first time in United States.

First Part

* School Days, 1976, Stanley Clarke, School Days* Joy Ride, 1974, Eleventh House, Introducing the Eleventh House with Larry Coryell* Jadoo, 1975, Passport, Cross Collateral* Passenger In The Dark, 1976, Jean-Luc Ponty, Aurora* Yours Is The Light, 1973, Santana, Welcome

Second Part

* Meeting Of The Spirits, 1971, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Inner Mounting Flame* After The Cosmic Rain, 1973, Return To Forever, Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy

Finale

Chameleon, 1973, Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters

Biographical/Historical Info Pt. 1

First Part

* School Days, 1976, Stanley Clarke, School DaysPhiladelphia native Clarke was one of the founding members of Return to Forever, one of the original wave of Jazz Fusion groups. This song was the title track from Clarke’s fourth album was the bridge between first wave Jazz Fusion and a second wave, which incorporated more R&B and funk influences into the mix. Clarke was an innovator of the electric bass in jazz Fusion, and you can hear it’s prominence on this track.

* Joy Ride, 1974, Eleventh House, Introducing the Eleventh House with Larry CoryellThis is a track from the debut album by Eleventh House. They are considered, along with Return to Forever and The Mahavishnu Orchestra to be one of the original Jazz Fusion groups. The band has a short discography, but along with Larry Coryell, Eleventh House also launched the career of drummer Alpho...