Post 70's Jazz Rock Fusion

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I'm impressed with the high quality of young jazz rock/fusionist coming out of Austria in the last decade. Alex Machacek being the obvious candidate - since moving to California he has become much better known. His 1999 debut album, Featuring Ourselves and  calling his band McHacek (different spelling, same pronounceation) was a relvation, although a number of us suggested it sounded jazzy Zappa's Mothers of the early 80's meets Allan Holdsworth. I think being accused of being a Holdsworthian player, meant Alex has avoid that style since - however, the Zappa-elements were reinforced by the subsequent tours and album releases with Terry Bozzio.

A far more difficult to find is the tpreviously mentioned Conrad Schrenk - more into the shred metal style, he and his band Extravaganza released the Save The Robots album in 1996 - and quite a number of us who have managed to find a copy (Abstract Logix may have some at the moment) , have nominated this as the jazz rock album of the 90's - I've described it musically (but badly) as Steve Vai with jazz chords meets brass rock.

Finally, Gerald Gradwohl must be checked out . Found on a couple of 'solo' albums, and then on more albums hidden beneath a band name, e.g Threeo. The great tenor saxophonist, Bob Berg, )IMHO on par with Michael Brecker), did his last recordings with Gradwohl.

Finally and change the subject somewhat. Wwhat did folks make of Wayne Krantz's first studio album in a decade and his first for Abstract Logix, Krantz, Carlock Lefevbre? Personally I thought it was the best jazz rock album of 2009 and there were a few  other in contention. I would go a little further, I loved the vocals on those pop song openings, which provided the basis for Krantz and co's particular style of melodic improv. for the rest of a number of pieces.

Edited by Dick Heath - 14 Jul 2011 at 4:57am

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Dick Heath Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Location: Loughborough UK Status: Offline Points: 98	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dick Heath Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 2011 at 4:56am
	I'm impressed with the high quality of young jazz rock/fusionist coming out of Austria in the last decade. Alex Machacek being the obvious candidate - since moving to California he has become much better known. His 1999 debut album, *Featuring Ourselves* and calling his band McHacek (different spelling, same pronounceation) was a relvation, although a number of us suggested it sounded jazzy Zappa's Mothers of the early 80's meets Allan Holdsworth. I think being accused of being a Holdsworthian player, meant Alex has avoid that style since - however, the Zappa-elements were reinforced by the subsequent tours and album releases with Terry Bozzio. A far more difficult to find is the tpreviously mentioned Conrad Schrenk - more into the shred metal style, he and his band Extravaganza released the *Save The Robots* album in 1996 - and quite a number of us who have managed to find a copy (Abstract Logix may have some at the moment) , have nominated this as the jazz rock album of the 90's - I've described it musically (but badly) as Steve Vai with jazz chords meets brass rock. Finally, Gerald Gradwohl must be checked out . Found on a couple of 'solo' albums, and then on more albums hidden beneath a band name, e.g Threeo. The great tenor saxophonist, Bob Berg, )IMHO on par with Michael Brecker), did his last recordings with Gradwohl. Finally and change the subject somewhat. Wwhat did folks make of Wayne Krantz's first studio album in a decade and his first for Abstract Logix, Krantz, Carlock Lefevbre? Personally I thought it was the best jazz rock album of 2009 and there were a few other in contention. I would go a little further, I loved the vocals on those pop song openings, which provided the basis for Krantz and co's particular style of melodic improv. for the rest of a number of pieces. Edited by Dick Heath - 14 Jul 2011 at 4:57am

Sean Trane Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Senior Member Joined: 19 Apr 2011 Location: Brussels Status: Offline Points: 789	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sean Trane Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 2011 at 4:06am
	as one can suspect, I'm not big on post-70's JR/F, mostly because of the 80's sound and production techniques, but also these Synclavier things... also the ECM-phenomenon seem to his everyone in the business from the early 80's onwards Stuff like The Yellowjackets or Vital Informatuion never hit the spot the way 70's stuff did.
	my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones....

js Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Memphis Status: Offline Points: 34261	Post Options Post Reply Quote js Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jul 2011 at 3:51pm
	George Brooks

darkshade Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Senior Member Joined: 09 Mar 2011 Location: New Jersey Status: Offline Points: 1973	Post Options Post Reply Quote darkshade Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jul 2011 at 3:25pm
	Christian McBride Chick Corea Elektric Band Charlie Hunter Dave Weckl Band Dennis Chambers Band Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Victor Wooten (solo) Five Peace Band The Free Spirits Frogg Cafe Galactic Garage a Trois Gary Willis Tribal Tech Scott Henderson The Greyboy Allstars Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate The 4th Dimension Love: Triptych Medeski Martin & Wood Michael Shrieve Niacin OHMphrey Richard Bona Steve Jenkins John Zorn Jaga Jazzist Squarepusher Vital Tech Tones
	My Last.fm

darkshade Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Senior Member Joined: 09 Mar 2011 Location: New Jersey Status: Offline Points: 1973	Post Options Post Reply Quote darkshade Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jul 2011 at 3:18pm
	Just some off the top of my head (I know I'm going to forget many) Pat Metheny Group John Scofield Mike Stern Hiromi Jonas Hellborg Garaj Mahal Allan Holdsworth Soulive Joshua Redman Elastic Band Michael Brecker Lettuce
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Dick Heath Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Location: Loughborough UK Status: Offline Points: 98	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dick Heath Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jul 2011 at 2:28pm
	Somebody had to do it. While always digging back into some classics of the 60s and 70's (as well as searching for those I missed), I'm always looking out for fresh/modern takes on this form of jazz.. The 80's seems to be the time when Holdsworth and (I know people will argue), Pat Metheny really came to the fore whilst too many other older jazz rock musicians seem to be returning to the fold of straight jazz beit amplified but not particularly rocking - and lord help us, new age subsumed some artists (hey even Ian Carr) - John Themis being the epitomy of a guitarist who might have been a great jazz rocker a decade before....however.......... (but a young Gary Husband debuted on one of his albums). But then acid jazz and dance jazz appeared, some of which you can forgive some of the time, e.g. Level 42, Morrissey Mullens Band, Defunkt. To me jazz rock came out of the 80's dulldrums (pun!!) with an explosion of Hammond organ albums, Wayne Krantz etc. etc. I was asked to nominate some outstanding albums of the 90's by the author on an article on the top ten jazz rock albums, that appeared in Mojo's shortlived spin-off magazine Mojo Collectibles - because he didn't want a list limited to 60's and 70's act. My suggestion of Conrad Schrank Extrapolation's Save The Robots and Hellborg/Buckethead/Shrieve's Octave Of The Holy Innocents lost out to a Tribal Tech and Scott Henderson solo album. However, that long preamble, I throw out the challenge for you to dominate your top three jazz rock albums of the 80's, 90's and 00's decades - so the stick in the muds might be weaned away from the 70's.