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Jazz 101 Style
Fusion
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Though elements of jazz combine easily with a wide variety of
musical styles, the term "fusion" is generally used to refer to a combination
of jazz with rock and soul influences, a hybrid style that became enormously
popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period when avant-garde experimentation
had alienated many jazz listeners. Also frequently referred to as "jazz-rock," this
movement was given a huge boost by several Miles Davis albums in the late 1960s,
notably "Bitches Brew" (1969). Many of Davis's sidemen from this period, including Tony
Williams, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea, went on to form popular fusion outfits of
their own. In most fusion or jazz-rock, the traditional unamplified acoustic
sounds of the instruments are eschewed in favor of synthesizers, electric keyboards
and guitars, and heavily rock-influenced drumming techniques. Improvisation tends to
take a back seat to catchy rhythmic vamps and elementary chord progressions, and
though some purists may cringe, the music helped open the door for the contemporary
phenomenon of crossover jazz.
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Traditional
