Recommendations for the Jazz-Rock fusion genre?

[BigSurSpoon]

Hi guys, to further expand my already pretty expansive (imo) music collection, I am looking for some great Jazz-Rock fusion albums. My favorite album of all time, and has been for a while, is Buckethead's Population Override. If anyone has any experience with that album, or in this genre in general, I'd love some recommendations for some artists/albums. Soft or heavy, anything is welcome. Thanks a lot!

 

[DJShadow]

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame

Haven't heard that Buckethead album though.

 

[asmox]

As a fan of Buckethead, you should check out Thanatopsis.

 

[BigSurSpoon]

Thanks JDShadow, I'll check those out.

Asmox, I forgot to mention, I have almost everything that buckethead has done or callaborated on, such as Praxis and other Bill Laswell projects, Thanatopsis, Shin Terai, and others. Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm looking for something outside of Buckethead.

 

[Jubei]

Miles Davis' soundtrack to Jack Johnson. It is easier to dig than say Bitches Brew if you are coming from a rock background, as the album is very hard rocking and features loads of guitar work.

 

[BigSurSpoon]

Thanks, Jubei. Any other suggestions??

 

[Henry Flower]

I'm just getting into this myself, with a basic approach of 'follow Miles' sidemen'. In that spirit, I'd second the Mahavishnu Orchestra and nominate Weather Report, especially Heavy Weather.

 

[steviebee]

x3 on Mahavishnu & Miles

Also check out James Blood Ulmer & Sonny Sharrock, for some great guitar stuff.

Not Fusion as such, but Battles Mirrored is really worth a listen too. Kinda Rock/Art/Prog instrumental fusion.

edit/ Oh, and Can Future Days!

 

[Jubei]

Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. It is very funky, also decently accessible for a rock fan. Roy Hargrove's Hard Groove is also a possibility if you like a bit of R&B and Hip Hop flavor to your jazz.
Personally, I'm not that into jazz fusion stuff. I have most of the usual recommended albums, your Weather Report, Billy Cobham, John McLaughlin, etc. Even as a Miles fan, I can't say I prefer his electric stuff, though some are very good.

 

[stewgriff]

Head Hunters and Bitches Brew are very good, classics. Also, consider Frank Zappa's Hot Rats. Not up to the level of Miles, but it's got lots of great instrumental work. It's also one of the few Zappa albums with almost no trace of his satire and dirty jokes; the only vocals, actually, are about a minute of Captain Beefheart barking about pimps.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewgriff /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, consider Frank Zappa's Hot Rats. Not up to the level of Miles, but it's got lots of great instrumental work. It's also one of the few Zappa albums with almost no trace of his satire and dirty jokes; the only vocals, actually, are about a minute of Captain Beefheart barking about pimps.

Then I guess you've never heard The Grand Wazoo, which is indeed up to the level of Miles, and also contains no "dirty jokes" or "satire".

Actually, now that I think about it, that album is a great big-band/rock/jazz fusion release. I would highly recommend it for a more diversely-textured album.

One of my favorite "fusion" groups is John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain's Shakti (and the resulting, Remember Shakti). An extremely legitimate fusion between jazz and Indian/Hindustani music...

 

[jonnyhambone]

I prefer The Grand Wazoo too.
I'd recmd. checking out Larry Coryell. I esp. like his early stuff like 'Lady Coryell' from '68 (w/ Elvin Jones on drums, Jimmy Garrison on bass!). I've also been listening to a lot of John Fahey's 'Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick'...picked up on the great recommend of jsaliga. A stretch to fit this genre but if you're diggin' on all this other stuff, you'll be diggin' this for late night listens.

 

[sweetwilly]

If you're at all interested in metal/jazz fusion, check out Cynic's "Focus," or Sean Malone's solo album, "Cortland."

 

[I3eyond]

W

w Buckethead is good!!

 

[stewgriff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Then I guess you've never heard The Grand Wazoo, which is indeed up to the level of Miles, and also contains no "dirty jokes" or "satire". Actually, now that I think about it, that album is a great big-band/rock/jazz fusion release. I would highly recommend it for a more diversely-textured album. One of my favorite "fusion" groups is John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain's Shakti (and the resulting, Remember Shakti). An extremely legitimate fusion between jazz and Indian/Hindustani music...

Only got Hot Rats and Freak Out...I'm not inspired to collect the rest of his zillion-long discography. His dirty jokes and satire I find quite funny and biting a lot of the time, but it's also refreshing that he sometimes just put his mind to the music. I'll check out Wazoo though.