Fusion Recommendations

Okay ive got some Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pat Methany, Jaco Pastorious, Electric Miles and Return To Forever.

Give me some recommendations besides those

Allan Holdsworth - The Sixteen Men of Tain

Brand X - Unorthodox Behavior

Niacin - Time Crunch

Attention Deficit - The Idiot King

Gong - Gazeuse!, Expresso II

I know you mentioned Pat, but he has a huge discography, I will put an emphasis on getting The Way Up if you haven't yet.

There's a lot of metallic stuff on this record, but you ought to check out Planet X - MoonBabies

My suggestions:

• BILL BRUFORD's jazz works after late 90's (EARTHWORKS, B.L.U.E., with GOMEZ and TOWNER)
• TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI (Jazzy rock)
• Early WIGWAM (Winwood influences)
• RALPH TOWNER (Jazz with classical guitar)

Jazz Rock Fusion:

Mahavishnu Orchestra-- Practically all albums

Brand X-- Unorthodox Behaviour

Wigwam-- Nuclear Nightclub

Bozzio Levin Stevens--

Steve Hillage-- Fish Rising

Area, Crac, Planet X, Return To Forever...

thefalafelking wrote: I've made a list on RYM: 10 essential  fusionrecords! http://rateyourmusic.com/list/fabsolutely/introduction_to_fu sion_jazzrock   tflfkng

Interesting. Jon Newey editor Jazzwise magazine, did a guest article in Mojo Collectibles 3 or so years ago, and his  essentials included (but remember this was aimed at those collecting records):

MO's Birds Of Fire

Davis's Bitches Brew

Machine's Third

Cobham's Spectrum

RTF's Hymn To The 7th Galaxy

Weather Report: Black Market

Lifetime - either Emergency or Turn It Over (without the magazine nearby I'm relying on a faulty memory)

Early  90's recording by Tribal Tech and Scott Henderson - neither of which I recall the title.

In a poll I ran across a couple of specialist sites 10 years ago, Birds Of Fire, Hymn Of The 7th Galaxy and Bruford's Feels Good To me, were the top 3. As a rough rule it appears prog mainstreamers prefer RTF's Romantic Warrior, whilel jazz rockers prefer RTF's Hymn???!!

• SOFT MACHINE - Third; Fourth; Fifth; Six; Seven; Bundles;
• NUCLEUS - Elastic Rock; We'll Talk About It Later; Solar Plexus; Belladonna; Labyrinth; Under The Sun; In Flagrante Delicto;
• AFFINITY - Affinity (jazz prog) 1970
• LINDA HOYLE - Pieces Of Me  1971 (with Chris Spedding and 4 musicians from NUCLEUS)
• BEN - Ben (1971) - jazz rock band with SOFT MACHINE and NUCLEUS influences
• CATAPILLA - Catapilla (1971) - British jazz rock/prog band
• THE RUNNING MAN - The Running Man (1972) - jazz-rock prog
• SKIN ALLEY - Skin Alley (1969) - To Pagham And Beyond (1970) - jazz-rock prog
• ZAO - Shekina (1975) ( MAGMA, NUCLEUS and SOFT MACHINE influences)
• JEFF BECK GROUP - Blow By Blow (1975)
• COLOSSEUM - Those Who Are About To Die Salute You (1969)
• KEEF HARTLEY BAND - The Battle Of North West Six (1970)
• JOHN MAYALL - Jazz Blues Fusion (1972)
• ROY BUCHANAN - Loading Zone (1977)
• HARVEY MANDEL - Baby Batter (1971) - The Snake (1972)
• CURTIS MAYFIELD - Superfly (1972) - jazz-funk
• SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - Dance To The Music (1968) - Life (1968) - Stand! (1969) - jazz funky
• CENTIPEDE - Septober Energy (1971)
• DIXIE DREGS - Free Fall (1977) - What If (1978) - Night of the living Dregs (1979)
• PASSPORT - Second Pasport (1972) - Hand Made (1973) - Looking Thru (1974) - Doldinger Jubilee Concert (1974) - Cross-Collateral (1975) - Infinity Machine (1976)
• SOLUTION - Divergence (1973) - Cordon Bleu (1975) - Fully Interlocking (1977)
• VERTU' - Vertù (1999)
• LEE RITENOUR LARRY CARLTON - Larry & Lee (1995)
• HERBIE HANCOCK - The best of Herbie Hancock - The hits!
• TOM SCOTT - New York Connection (1975)
• ERIC GALE - Ginseng Woman (1977) - Multiplication (1978)
• JOHN McLAUGHLIN WITH THE ONE TRUTH BAND - Electric Dreams (1978)
• JOHN McLAUGHLIN - Extrapolation
• JEREMY STEIG - Firefly (1977)
• LARRY CORYELL - Spaces (1969)
• THE ELEVENTH HOUSE WITH LARRY CORYELL - s/t (1974)
• STANLEY CLARKE - s/t (1974) - live 1976/77
• BILLY COBHAM - Spectrum (1973) - Magic (1977) - Semplicity of expression depth of thought (1978)
• JING CHI ( VINNIE COLAIUTA ROBBEN FORD JIMMY HASLIP ) (2001)
• DAVID EARLE JOHNSON with JAN HAMMER - Time is Free (
• JEFF BECK WITH THE JAN HAMMER GROUP LIVE (1977)
• DEODATO - Prelude (1972)
• GABOR SZABO - MACHO (1975)
• SADAO WATANABE - Round Trip
• HUBERT LAWS - The Rite Of Spring (1971)
• YELLOWJACKETS - Dreamland (1995)
• FUSE ON ( with STANLEY CLARKE - LARRY CORYELL - PAULINHO DA COSTA - JOE FARREL - JOHN McLAUGHLIN - RONNIE FOSTER - NOUGU - LENNY WHITE - TONY WILLIAMS) 1980
• FREDDIE HUBBARD - Red Clay (1971)
• STEPS AHEAD - Magnetic (1986)
• JENS JOHANSSON - Fission  - 1997
• SPYRO GYRA - Alternative Currents - 1985
• SPYRO GYRA - Incognito - 1982
• SPYRO GYRA - Road Scholars - 1997
• SPYRO GYRA - Access All Areas - 1984
• SPYRO GYRA - Carnaval - 1980
• SPYRO GYRA - Breakout - 1986
• SPYRO GYRA - Spyro Gyra - 1977
• SPYRO GYRA - Morning Dance - 1979
• SPYRO GYRA - Stories Without Words - 1987

Italians...

• ARTI + MESTIERI - Tilt (1974) - Giro di valzer per domani (1975)
• AREA - their first 5 albums
• AGORA' - Live in Montreaux (1975) - Agorà 2 (1976)
• VENEGONI E CO. - Rumore Rosso (1977) - Sarbanda (1979)
• PERIGEO - their first 6 works
• DEDALUS - Dedalus (1973)
• IL BARICENTRO - Sconcerto (1976) - Trusciant (1978)
• BEIA COME ABA - Beia Come Aba - 1979
• CINCINNATO - Cincinnato - 1974
• COMBO JAZZ - No Speed (1979)
• DUELLO MADRE - Duello Madre (1973)
• ESAGONO - Vicolo - 1976
• ETNA - Etna - 1875
• FREE WAVE SYSTEM - Nonostante Tutto - 1981
• GIALMA 3 - Rain's Dream (1976) - L'Isola del Tonal (1979)
• KALEIDON - Free Love - 1973
• L' ALTRO LATO - L'Altro Lato - 1985
• NOVA - Blink (1976)
• PREGHIERA DI SASSO/DIAPASON - Preghiera di sasso - 1975

ANDREW wrote:   BILLY COBHAM - Spectrum (1973) - Magic (1977) - Simplicity of expression depth of thought (1978)     SPYRO GYRA

Andrew, do you really think Magic and Simplicity etc. are comparable with Spectrum - give me Total Eclipse and the other couple recordings by Cobham with the Brecker brothers (now reissued on Atlantic Jazz Remasters). Personally, having bought the original vinyl versions,  I found Magic and Simplicity  typical of the late 70's, when Columbia & Epic Records had tied many of the great jazz rock artists of the early 70's up in contracts and seemingly were demanding more "commercial" album i.e. the advent of smooth jazz/fusak/fm radio friendly  jazz - a lot of  it very tired and forgettable jazz rock, hence well-underplayed in my houshold. George Duke output went the same way.  And this too was the period Narada Michael Walden became a  successful soul singer and many of us realised Stanley Clarke wouldn't become one. 

Note: Spyro Gyra - not to be confused with the Canterbury folk rock band with just about the same name.

ANDREW wrote: SPYRO GYRA : jazz rock band from the late seventies, eighties and nineties. SPYROGYRA : '70s folk rock, folk prog band from Canterbury. Don't worry, i know both bnds.

If you know both bands you should know that the folk band is SPIROGYRA and not SPYROGYRA.

Two other exciting fusion albums (nobody mentioned them I think) :

BORNE : 'Exprime la naranja' (1979)

Alas : 'Pinta tu aldea' (1983, with PEDRO AZNAR [Pat Metheny Group] on synths)

lucas wrote: ANDREW wrote: SPYRO GYRA : jazz rock band from the late seventies, eighties and nineties. SPYROGYRA : '70s folk rock, folk prog band from Canterbury. Don't worry, i know both bnds. If you know both bands you should know that the folk band is SPIROGYRA and not SPYROGYRA. Two other exciting fusion albums (nobody mentioned them I think) : BORNE : 'Exprime la naranja' (1979)     Alas : 'Pinta tu aldea' (1983, with PEDRO AZNAR [Pat Metheny Group] on synths)

Yes, sorry.

I pressed the wrong button.