Fusion

Jazz music community with review and forums

Rock and RnB came from jazz in the 1940s via the jump blues genre. Needless to say, over the years jazz, rock and RnB have enjoyed a close relationship and have cross-influenced each other from the beginning. In the mid to late 60s, rock and RnB under went major changes with rock becoming much louder and more experimental under the influence of artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Cream, while RnB became more syncopated and abstract with the new funk sound created by James Brown, Bootsy Collins, Sly Stone and Larry Graham. Meanwhile, Latin jazz was undergoing similar experimental changes under the guidance of artists such as Hermato Pascoal and Flora Purim.

At this point in the mid to late 60s, any intersection between jazz, rock, funk and Latin became a radically different form of music that eventually came to be called fusion. Pioneers in the world of fusion include Larry Coryell, Jermy Steig, Gary Burton, Don Ellis, Chico Hamilton, Charles Lloyd, Jack DeJohnette, John McLaughlin, Tony Williams, Soft Machine, Brian Auger, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea and Dreams (Billy Cobham and the Brecker Brothers)

fusion top albums

Showing only albums and live's | Based on members ratings & JMA custom algorithm | 24 hours caching

MILES DAVIS In a Silent Way Album Cover In a Silent Way
MILES DAVIS
4.67 | 114 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
MILES DAVIS Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time Album Cover Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time
MILES DAVIS
4.79 | 12 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
MILES DAVIS Bitches Brew Album Cover Bitches Brew
MILES DAVIS
4.58 | 103 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA The Inner Mounting Flame Album Cover The Inner Mounting Flame
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
4.57 | 80 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
HERBIE HANCOCK Crossings Album Cover Crossings
HERBIE HANCOCK
4.56 | 62 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
MILES DAVIS Dark Magus: Live at Carnegie Hall Album Cover Dark Magus: Live at Carnegie Hall
MILES DAVIS
4.59 | 30 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Birds of Fire Album Cover Birds of Fire
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
4.49 | 82 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
EDDIE HENDERSON Realization Album Cover Realization
EDDIE HENDERSON
4.57 | 17 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
PAT METHENY Pat Metheny Group : The Way Up Album Cover Pat Metheny Group : The Way Up
PAT METHENY
4.46 | 30 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
CHRIS POTTER Circuits Album Cover Circuits
CHRIS POTTER
4.92 | 4 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
MILES DAVIS Get Up With It Album Cover Get Up With It
MILES DAVIS
4.45 | 39 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
LES MCCANN Invitation to Openness Album Cover Invitation to Openness
LES MCCANN
4.58 | 11 ratings
Buy this album from MMA partners
This list is in progress since the site is new. We invite all logged in members to use the "quick rating" widget (stars bellow album covers) or post full reviews to increase the weight of your rating in the global average value (see FAQ for more details). Enjoy JMA!

fusion online videos

fusion New Releases

.. Album Cover
The Defector
Album
HENRY SPENCER
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Uncle John's Band
Album
JOHN SCOFIELD
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Triple Play
Live album
OZ NOY
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Out by Midnight : Live at the Iridium
Live album
MARK LETTIERI
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Fruits Of The Midi
Album
RUSLAN SIROTA
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Sonicwonderland
Album
HIROMI
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Coffin Perlson Krauss
Album
JEFF COFFIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Tales Of Utopia
Album
SHALOSH
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Quintissime
Album
YVAN BELLEAU
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Better Days
Album
MR. CHAIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
The Drop
Album
JEFF LORBER
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Without Question
Album
PETE MCCANN
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Che Punto è La Notte
Album
ROBERTO OTTAVIANO
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Curly
Album
TERRACE MARTIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Dahab Days
Album
ROB LUFT
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Blink 6
Album
MARCUS KLOSSEK
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Out Da Box
Album
JOHNNY VIDACOVICH
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Apostolis Anthimos Trias : Come Together
Album
APOSTOLIS ANTHIMOS
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Witness to History
Album
EDDIE HENDERSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Sleight Of Hand
Album
BLUFF
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
You & Me
Album
UDI SHLOMO
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Austrian Syndicate
Album
DAVID HELBOCK
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Anthem of Unity
Album
JOEL HARRISON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Brexit Music
Album
BAPTISTE TROTIGNON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Brian McCarthy Nonet : After|Life
Album
BRIAN MCCARTHY
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Sasha Berliner & Tabula Rasa
Live album
SASHA BERLINER
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Klondike
Album
FRANCESCO FIORENZANI
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Bicoastal Collective : Chapter Six
Album
PAUL TYNAN AND AARON LINGTON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Undercover : Live at the Village Vanguard
Live album
KURT ROSENWINKEL
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Sounds Of 3 Edition 3
Album
PER MATHISEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
The Concert Of Europe
Live album
JONAS HELLBORG
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Eventually
Album
JACOB YOUNG
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Second Encouter
Album
CHRISTIAN FRENTZEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Story at Eleven
Album
SHAWN MAXWELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
XYZ
Album
JEFF RICHMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Mischief
Album
MARK GUILIANA
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Vento De Felicidade
Album
T-SQUARE
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
The Way To You
Album
SARA CASWELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
class of '88
Album
SENRI OE
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Purple / Black Vol. One
Album
DAVID PRESTON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Nuevos Aires
Album
HERNÁN CASSIBBA
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
First Light
Album
BARBARA THOMPSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Songs for Louisa
Album
LAURENT BONNOT
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Side by Side
Album
BRAD WALKER
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Lonnie Liston Smith JID017
Album
JAZZ IS DEAD (YOUNGE & MUHAMMAD)
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Ginger’s Hollow
Album
LINLEY HAMILTON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
With Love, From New York
Album
ADAM LARSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Polyphony 3
Album
JASPER BLOM
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
On The Upside
Album
DEWAYNE PATE
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Shapes and Colours
Album
TÕNU NAISSOO
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
Phil Ranelin And Wendell Harrison : JID016
Album
JAZZ IS DEAD (YOUNGE & MUHAMMAD)
Buy this album from MMA partners
.. Album Cover
For Good People
Album
TIM COLLINS
Buy this album from MMA partners

fusion Music Reviews

MR. CHAIR Better Days

Album · 2023 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Carmel
Ah, class is in session! Forget your preconceptions at the door, my sonic scholars, because what we've got here is a masterclass in musical fusion and artistic chemistry. Today's subject? The album from the fusion whizzes, Mr. Chair—aptly named "Better Days."

Let's start with the backbone: Ben Ferris on the bass. Take a spin of "Appellation Spring," and you'll hear his bass lines doing far more than merely keeping time; they're deep in conversation with the rest of the ensemble. It's like jazz and prog-rock decided to have a tête-à-tête, and the bass is the master moderator of this harmonic debate. "Fuchsia" offers two distinct versions, like flipping a two-sided coin, each showing a different facet of Ferris' mad skills.

Moving on to the six strings on a semi-box, José Guzmán. The man is a chameleon—flitting effortlessly between genres. Take "Abandoned Cities," where his guitarwork gives the piece its ethereal quality. One minute, he's grounding the melody in "Fuchsia," and the next, he's painting an intricate solo that floats above the rhythmic foundations in "Uncanny Valley."

Mark Hetzler and his trombone, one word, describes this proverbial wizard of the musical Hogwarts, tone. "March," buzzes with his warm round sound woven intricately into the piece. Hetzler's mastery lies in his ability to oscillate between structured ensemble parts and spontaneous improvisation of equal agility and brilliance as in “Britten’s Written Rhythm.”

Never underestimate the guy on the drum stool. Mike Koszewski might be in the background, but his rhythmic insights are very much in the foreground. Just listen to the polyrhythmic brilliance in "Appellation Spring" and "Uncanny Valley," where he coordinates a verdant activity of rhythmic and textural innovations.

Last but definitely not least, the maestro on the keys, Jason Kutz. "Appellation Spring" showcases his dazzling virtuosity, ranging from jazzy runs to intricate neoclassical motifs. In the track “Better Days,” the keyboards are not just an instrument; they function as a sonic Swiss Army knife.

Eddie Barbash's saxophone in "Elegy," adding a touch of tenderness, while in "Fuchsia," he sways with the joy of a Latin virtuoso. Buzz Kemper's spoken words on "Fuchsia" show he is an oracle; his words could be the stuff of an entire term paper, relax, I said "could." His eloquent, silver-tongued philosophies are like the Socratic method for your ears, inviting us to ponder as they guide us through the ensemble's rich, layered soundscapes.

The nine tracks in "Better Days" offer us a journey through the musical multiverse. Mr. Chair transcends genres, achieving a synthesis of influences and styles that's nothing short of alchemical.

So, there you have it—an auditory syllabus on the boundless potential of genre-blending, and a lesson in how to be 'better' musicians and listeners. Class dismissed!

BILL CONNORS Return

Album · 2004 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Matti P
American jazz guitarist BILL CONNORS (b. 1949) played on just one RETURN TO FOREVER album, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973), before going his own way and Al Di Meola becoming RTF's guitarist. Debuting in the legendary ECM label with Theme to the Gaurdian (1975), he made a bunch of albums in the seventies and the eighties, up to Assembler (1987). Then a long break. Aptly titled Return (2004) is still his latest album. It seems he never quite received the status he definitely would have deserved, and that's underlined by the fact he's still usually referred as a one-timer Return To Forever member.

This music is very much the kind of jazz/fusion that I wholeheartedly enjoy. The guitar is sonically comparable to PAT METHENY, my fave jazz artist, and other instruments of the quintet playing on this album are acoustic piano, bass, drums and percussion. The co-musicians are no familiar names to me, but I really enjoy their fresh and mellow sound. Bill O'Connell's elegant piano fits brilliantly together with the guitar and is very equal with it, too.

Pieces such as 'On the Edge' and 'Mind Over Matter' are very charming compositions full of life. The virtuosity never becomes self-indulgent, not even in the most complex and fast moments, there's always the fluent flow in music. In the beginning of 'Mr. Cool' Lincoln Goines on bass gets the spotlight. The slightly slower piece 'McMinor' brings valuable variety in the mood, although it could have been more openly romantic. After nine pieces composed by Bill Connors the album is closed by a mellow, beautiful version of John Coltrane's 'Brasilia'.

Return is a finely written, played and produced, post-bop oriented jazz album very easy to enjoy if you like e.g. Pat Metheny. There may not be absolute superb highlights that really move you emotionally, but no weak or boring moments either. There's a perfect balance between melodic mellowness and energetic vitality and virtuosity.

UNI SONO Unisono

Album · 1975 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Matti P
Finnish jazz/fusion group UNISONO was founded in 1973. The original sextet made a tour in Poland in '73. The group's sole studio album featuring a changed line-up was recorded in Stockholm's Marcus Music studio in May 1975. Founding members Seppo "Paroni" Paakkunainen (sax, flute), keyboardist Olli Ahvenlahti and drummer Reino Laine were joined by guitarist Nono Söderberg and bassist Pekka Pohjola. A stellar line-up in which each musician already had a respectable CV in Finnish jazz and/or rock scene.

Three of the five tracks are composed by Paakkunainen who also produced the album with Ahvenlahti. The opener 'TVL' written by drummer Laine is a relatively lively piece with a jam-like atmosphere in which sax, electric piano, bass and drums (guitar stays slightly more in the background) have their spotlight moments. On 'Chorea Urbana' saxophone is taking the lead until Pohjola plays a cool bass solo, followed by a meditative slow movement for bass and keys.

Olli Ahvenlahti composition 'Boulevard Blues' is romantically charming, hurriless and laid-back, his Chick Corea -influenced electric piano in the centre. 'Jedi & Rekku' is undoubtedly named after two dogs barking at the beginning. This is the longest track (11:26) and it meanders with natural ease. Like the album as a whole, it contains first class musicianship without the feeling of self-indulgent showing-off. The Finnish title of the closing track means 'Evening Star'. This roughly 10-minute piece has a nearly hypnotic feel as saxophone, electric guitar and electric piano do their converstation against bass & drum patterns.

This is a fairly enjoyable and harmonic fusion album focusing on the airy lightness and peaceful tempos. Do not expect a fiery approach of Mahavishnu Orchestra! Actually I would have liked to hear a bit more of flute and guitar as solo instruments. Recommended for those who enjoy rather peaceful fusion. The CD re-issue was released in 2010.

(Edited from my review in ProgArchives.)

JUKKA HAAVISTO Reflections

Album · 2022 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Matti P
Bassist and composer Jukka Haavisto is definitely among the brightest solo debutants in the Finnish jazz/fusion scene. In 2016 he graduated in jazz improvisation from the Stavanger University, Norway. He has played in numerous Finnish acts and is available as a session or live musician, and as a teacher of his instrument. Last year Eclipse Music released his solo album Reflections. It's a quartet work -- guitar, keyboards, bass, drums -- and it sounds really good! it fully deserves comparisons to the classic 70's fusion, groups such as Brecker Brothers, Return To Forever, etc. By saying this I don't mean too audible influences.

The music has energy and excellent musicianship, but in my opinion not in a self-indulgent way. Haavisto's compositions are balanced between a happy, slightly funky groove and improvisatory complexity, with enjoyable melodies and a harmonic feel despite the virtuotic vitality. The seven tracks are mostly around 5-7 minutes in length. That seems ideal for this music containing proggy edge in a relatively accessible form. Nothing is going on for too long.

The opening track 'Four Days After' has become my favourite, especially the soaring synths sound gorgeous on it, and the soloing electric guitar slightly reminiscent of Pat Metheny. The drummer is equally terrific. Haavisto plays a delicious electric bass solo with an amazing virtuosity.

'Noora' is the shortest (3:55) and the most serene piece, with an autumnally romantic atmosphere. 'Opus Nr. 8' gets rather wild and features an economic drum solo. The electric piano after it has a Chick Corea flavour. The other moodier and calmer piece 'Morning Dew' ends the album beautifully. This is hardly the most unique album of the genre, indeed it's a safe choice for an average fusion listener, but as such it offers very enjoyable 42 minutes with both excellent playing and emotional substance in the compositions.

STRANDBERG PROJECT X

Album · 2020 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Matti P
(Originally written in Finnish for colossus.fi in 2020.)

Jan-Olof Strandberg from Finland is a so called musicians' musician. For the big audience his name doesn't necessarily ring a bell, but within the scene of prog and fusion the bassist enjoys steady international respect. His excellent playing can be heard on the albums of prog act Paidarion, guitarist Ilkka Rantamäki, vocalist Timo Turpeinen and many others.

X is a logical successor to the preceding album Progressive Construction (2018) of the bassist's own unit Strandberg Project, recorded mostly by the same line-up. Whereas that album contained also one vocal track sung by Jukka Gustavson, X is entirely instrumental. The compositions are mainly by Strandberg and guitarist Sami Virtanen. The atmospheric opening track 'Anni', written by the latter, features the beatboxing master Felix Zenger, who Strandberg names in his forewords as one of the most interesting artists of the day.

Strandberg's piece 'Good News' keeps shifting between a powerful (and a bit monotonous) main phrase and more delicate sections where the bass sounds are truly enjoyable. 'Late August Nights' and the feelgood piece 'Happy Country' are crowned by maestro Juhani Aaltonen's flute. A couple of shortest pieces were born from studio jamming, and the album is closed with Aaltonen's beautiful composition 'The Finale (Thank You)'.

The album's overall mood is rather restrained, and despite the excellent musicianship the listener may miss a little wilder jazz spirit. Recommended especially for bass enthusiasts.

fusion movie reviews

WEATHER REPORT Live in Germany 1971

Movie · 2010 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Sean Trane
Well if the world still has to find some live recording from the very first studio all-star line-up (not likely, though), at least we've got now something very close to and we can even see the quintet at work with this just-as-famous version in the form of a German TV show called the Beat Club. With only Airto Moreira gone, replaced by Brazilian countryman Um Romao, the other four being Vitous, Shorter, Mouzon and Zawinul, Weather Report embarked on this TV show adventure not knowing that Alphonse Mouzon would leave the band in a while.

As you'd expect this broadcast consisted mainly of tracks from the debut album, but some are fairly different as WR always made improvisation their force. So you'll recognize 'Umbrellas generic structure, but drafted fairly differently, not just because of Romao's constant change of percussions instruments - he's one of the visual focus of the group, who otherwise remains fairly static and even blows a flute (and later some whistles) for a short while. One of the big difference between the studio album and this broadcast is that Miroslav has taken up the electric bass (his contrabass is still very present but mainly played with a bow), thus allowing even more energy to invade the quintet's shared space. The group's steaming-hot improvised fusion is simply awesome and flows naturally from your speakers like a river of fresh lave spewing out from your volcanic woofers.

Clearly the gravitational centre of the band is Zawinul's Rhodes, but it is clear that it is the group's tightness its main force. Morning Lake is much needed breathing space, starting out slowly with Shorter's sax signalling the dawn for Romao's birdsongs. Just past that Dom pulls an Brazilian berimbau . Drummer Alphonse sings funkilly (rather well, too) a rare sung track in the closing medley, but it's will veer into the Dr Honoris Causa - later on the Body Electric album.

A while later, Mouzon would leave the band and be replaced by drummer Erik Gravatt and this line-up would go on to record Body Electric and the Tokyo concert (released in 77, but part of it in the ISTBE album) and in the process become the definitive line-up of the Vitous- era Weather Report But for now, this German TV broadcast is an inestimable witness of the group's almost original line-up, and is just as essential as their debut album, the Tokyo concert or Body Electric.Too bad it's relatively short, though. Run for this baby...

DIXIE DREGS Live At The Montreaux Jazz Festival

Movie · 2005 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Slartibartfast
This was the Dixie Dregs lineup that I first come to know live and otherwise. The Montreaux Jazz Festival performance was used for side two of the LP Night of the Living Dregs. I had no idea the concert was filmed. This represents the band at their prime. Keyboardist Mark Parrish, would soon be replaced by T Lavitz, who is a better keyboard player, but this as this performance testifies, he was no slouch either. Oddly enough, the back cover of this DVD shows a band picture with the original keyboardist from Freefall, Steve Davidowski (guess there was only room for one Steve in this band). Steve Morse was at his most inspired around this time, even though he has certainly grown in skill over the years.

The set list is a little disappointing as it lacks some of the prime cuts from What If (Night Meets Light, Odyssey, Travel Tunes, What If), but I'm not complaining. Now I have something more than just memories of the many Dregs shows I saw back then. It is more of a forward looking set which includes Attila The Hun, that didn't show up on an album until three years later. Also of note, but of less interest to progressive rock fans, is the bluegrass style ditty, Kathreen, never released on a regular album, but only showed up on their demo album, The Great Spectacular, from 1975. If you have a copy of that album, you have something rare, indeed.

Thrown in for bonus are two live TV appearances, one on American Can'tstand (Bandstand) and one on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert. On the former, you get to see them both try out a vocalist, in an attempt to appeal to a more mainstream audience, and with Mark O'Connor, who only played with them for one album, but a few great live shows before the band disbanded for a few years.

As great as the band studio albums were, the live shows took things to an even higher level. Now you can see what you missed, unless you didn't.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN Abstract Logix Live! / The New Universe Music Festival 2010

Movie · 2011 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
js
Abstract Logix’s New Universe Festival of 2010 was probably one of the more significant fusion concerts in recent history, and it is all captured in excellent form on this concert video. Many of the top names in current fusion are here and what a great varied and colorful approach they all bring to this music that will always be associated with its 70s roots. Ranjit Barot fuses fusion with Indian flavors and orchestral music, Human Element bring back the beautiful noise and chaos that has been absent since the early days of jazz-rock, Wayne Krantz takes on the modern NYC flavor with his harsh jarring free funk, Jimmy Herring plays sentimental, sometimes delicate, progressive rock flavored fusion, and of course the great John McLaughlin rounds it all up with high speed post bop mixed with funk and contemporary fusion. Every single performance is top notch and very convincing in letting us know that there is still plenty of life left in this sometimes maligned genre.

The music on here is great, but the video itself is even better. Its amazing how far concert videos have come over the years. This one is clear as a bell and features lots of accurate close-ups of the musicians as they display their virtuoso skills. They say that fusion is a musician’s music, if that is the case, then this video is a great learning tool for the aspiring player. Much of the footage on here goes right to the source and features the musician’s hands as they work their scales and fret boards. Any aspiring fusionist can pick up a lifetime of high speed licks and extended technique by studying this video and even stop-starting it it frame by frame. Long gone are the days of vague camera angles from way far away and pointless shots of musicians grimacing while they play, this video is all about accuracy and showing you exactly how this music goes down. This is a spirited and enthusiastic concert and highly recommended for fans of modern fusion.

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA Live At Montreux 74/84

Movie · 2007 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Slartibartfast
The 1984 appearance of the MO was a lineup that didn't have any of the previous MO lineup of musicians except for John. Still there was a pretty impressive roster. Jonas Hellborg, on bass, steals the show. I suspect he's been rather influenced by Jaco at this point. Also, we also have Bill Evans, fairly fresh out of his stint saxing with Miles Davis. There's also a fine drummer, Danny Gottlieb, who'd played with Pat Metheny prior. Don't know much about Mitchell Forman. With John experimenting with the Synclavier Guitar so much, the keyboards are almost redundant in this ensemble. I had a hard time sitting through this at first. It definitely has that '80's taint, if you know what I mean. But I've warmed up to it. It's a bit like an attempt to return to the magic of the original lineup that doesn't quite get there. Still, if you judge it in the context of the time, it's not too bad.

I got this for one reason and one reason only, it was the two video bits from the Apocalypse lineup of Mahavishu Orchestra. Actually calling them bits isn't quite accurate. Wings of Karma and Hymn to Him are actually decently long pieces. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had some actual orchestra musicians with them there at Montreaux. The first inkling I got that there was some live footage from this MO lineup was a poor quality video of Smile of the Beyond on a certain video clip web site many of us know of. It's very disappointing that we only get two clips from the show with video and the rest are audio only. I'm guessing the rest of the original footage has been lost. One can only hope that it will resurface. The performance is a bit more structured than the more compact MO's could be live, but that's to be expected due to the larger number of musician's involved. Still the core band does get to work in some improvisation, McLaughlin in particular.

This release is all in all a pleasant surprise for 2007, but there's more video out there from the older Mahavishu Orchestras, and I hope to see that material surface soon. It gets a four on the round up.

JEFF BECK Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scott's

Movie · 2008 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
Slartibartfast
Holy crap, there's a new Jeff Beck live DVD out there!.

...I thought as I saw this at the record store. This is why it's important to keep those local independent brick and mortar record stores open: you'll never know what you'll find browsing.

As near as I've been able to find out, Jeff Beck (THE Beck, not that other guy) hadn't been touring in a long time, but rather was sticking to special performances. To make up for it, sort of, he did a week's worth of shows at London's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in late November 2007. I've never been there, but it looks a little large as some jazz clubs go but still reasonably intimate. I'm pretty sure you don't need binoculars to observe any performances there.

Jeff has assembled an interesting set of musicians, the oldest being Jeff himself (b. 1944), Vinnie Colaiuta (1956) on drums, Jason Rebello (1969) on keys, and Tal Wilkenfeld (1986) on bass. Vinnie I know best from association with Zappa, Jason's new to me but I found out has worked with Sting, Tal (new to the music scene) hails from Australia and judging from her performance she is someone to really keep your eye on. Guests appearances by Joss Stone, Imogen Heap, and Eric Clapton, heyyy.

The set list, not really the proper term as it must have been culled from all the shows, is an impressive collection of material spanning Jeff's career so far. Original stuff includes Beck's Bolero {is this not actually a cover?}, Led Boots, Scatterbrain, Angel, Blast From The East, Rollin' And Tumblin'. Also some nice covers thrown in for good measure including Eternity's Breath!, Cause We've Ended As Lovers {never really seemed like a cover to me}, People Get Ready, A Day In The Life, You Need Love). You also get some interviews as bonus material and the DVD booklet is a nice read. 21 tracks altogether, mixed in Dolby 5.1 and DTS surround sounds with a 16:9 video format, I might add.

Wish I was there but this is the next best thing. It's one hell of a way to experience one hell of a guitarist. It's a live assortment, but due the quality and quantity I am rounding this one up.

Artists with Fusion release(s)

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Raja Yoga World Fusion
LENNY MAC DOWELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facing Now World Fusion
JOHN SUND
Buy this album from MMA partners
Weight Of The World RnB
JOE LOUIS WALKER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The John Irvine Band : Scanning The Dark Horizon Jazz Related Rock
JOHN IRVINE
Buy this album from MMA partners
D​é​rive Third Stream
FLYGMASKIN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Urano (Gomide / Fideles)
CAIXA CUBO
tupan· 2 days ago
Eladorayda
ARTBEATERS
js· 2 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us