To: K-list
Recieved: 1999/11/29 03:07
Subject: Re: [K-list] Indian music / The coordinated brain
From: Zala
On 1999/11/29 03:07, Zala posted thus to the K-list:
Jazz-Rock Fusion:The early days
The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Corea's Return to Forever, Weather Report and
any other "Miles" alums), we thought "if this music is this advanced now,
where
will it be in 10 years?" We wondered how the level of playing and
composition
could get any better, but thought it would.
Are there any records better than "Inner Mounting
Flame", "Birds of Fire", "Hymn to the 7th Galaxy" or "Heavy Weather". That
is,
the music arrived fully realised then and no one has surpassed
those heady first days and those incredible bands.
The classic pioneering fusion bands are
still the kings of the fusion hill. However, there have been some
equally killer fusioneers since 1976.
Check out Iceberg, a band from Spain which released 5 fantastic albums
in the mid to late '70s, most of which have a strong vintage RTF feel to
them. The guitar and keyboard work easily rivals that of DiMeola and
Corea. Their CDs are available from prog music vendors such as
Syn-Phonic http://www.execpc.com/~billbish/synphonic/
An absolute must is The Electromagnets, an obscure privately released
album from 1975 which recently was finally released on CD on the Rhino
label. The band featured a young Eric Johnson on guitar, who does
his very best playing on this album. It's a classic '70s fusion vibe all
the way. Awesome.
Definitely explore Colosseum II, a late '70s fusion group from England,
with Gary Moore on guitar, Don Airey on keys, Jon Hiseman on drums and a
couple different bassists. Moore absolutely wails on their 3 albums.
It's his finest playing -- hot fusion -- before he went on to become
just another hard rock shredder.
You gotta hear the Shawn Lane/Jonas Hellborg collaborations -- Abstract
Logic, Two Doors (actually a Michael Shrieve CD), Time Is The Enemy and
Temporal Analogues Of Paradise. Shawn Lane is simply the most gifted
fusion guitarist on the planet today. The latter 2 albums are filled
with long, complex improvisational jams where the interplay between
Lane, Hellborg and drummer Jeff Sipe is telepathic. While you're at it,
get Hellborg's "e" CD, with Jens Johansson on keys and Anders Johansson
on drums -- it kicks!
A modern-day group worth checking out is Boud Deun from Virginia. They
play extremely aggressive fusion in the '70s vein, with breathtaking
guitar/violin interplay backed by a kickin' complex rhythm section -- no
keyboards here! The band mixes vintage Mahavishnu influences with Dregs
and King Crimson flavors. They've released 4 CDs, get all of them.
Syn-Phonic is also a good source for these.
Speaking of the Dregs, their best work came after '76, especially on
their final 3 albums, Dregs Of The Earth, Unsung Heroes and Industry
Standard ('80 through '82).
Of course, if you haven't heard Tribal Tech already, check them out too
(especially their latest "Reality Check" CD) and the recent
Henderson/Smith/Wooten CD is Scott Henderson's finest hour,
featuring blistering live-in-the-studio improvisational wildness.
In the late '80s, Frank Gambale released his "Live" CD which is
balls-out smoking fusion from start to finish -- a must have.
Brand X released what is their best album, X Communication" in 1992,
with a lineup of Godsall, Jones and drummer Frank Katz. Goodsall gets
the spotlight, and takes full advantage of the opportunity! Also, check
out Percy Jones "Tunnels" (released 1993 I think), another all-out
fusion fest with excellent contributions from Jones and all his
bandmates (guitar, midi-vibes, drums).
Have you heard Jean-Luc Ponty's 1977 and 1978 albums, Enigmatic Ocean
and Cosmic Messenger? Both are fusion classics.
And then there are Holdsworth's all-time classics, IOU and Road Games
(1982 and '83). Also in the Holdsworth "IOU" vein are Bill Connors'
mid-'80s albums, Step It, Double Up and Assembler -- all on CD. These
feature a guitar/bass/drums trio (in fact Dave Weckl is the drummer on
"Step It"), and the compositions and guitar soloing are astounding.
Also in this vein is Scott McGill's "The Hand Farm", a recently released
CD packed with vintage Holdsworth-style wildness.
Definitely get some Brand X, but get the older albums, not that newer:
Brand X- Missing Period (rec. in '75) this is really amazing
fusion-everybody
should get this!
Brand X- Unorthodox Behaviour ('76)
Brand X- Product ('79)
also, though not just Fusion, you should get Frank Zappa/Mothers album ONE
SIZE
FITS ALL (rec in '74)--this has some of the best playing of all time on it
from
George Duke, Chester Thompson, etc.
John Mcglaughlin 'The heart of things' is one of the best jazz-oriented
fusion records in a long
time. It has a lot of Weather Report influence. McLaughlin's
solos are a bit short and choppy, but the compositions and arrangements
are very strong!
If you liked this, check out Pat Martino's "Stone Blue". A bit more on
the funky jazz fusion side, but in a pretty similar vein and Pat's
playing is incredible. Great compositions and blowing in the "old"
fusion sense.
ncounter - Flora Purim:
(with Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, George Duke, Ron Carter, Byron Miller,
Alphonso Johnson, Ndugu Leon Chancler, Airto)
Butterfly Dreams - Flora Purim:
(with Airto, Joe Henderson, G. Duke, Stanley Clarke)
Jaco - Jaco and Pat:
(J. Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Bruce Ditmas, Paul Bley)
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