Back in the late sixties, when rock musicians started to explore more complex things, the music became at the same time more interesting and, well, complicated at the same time. It was the advent of progressive rock, but then, the regular jazz musicians got involved in it too, and we saw the birth of jazz rock and fusion.
These genres had, and still do, some, not just great, but brilliant moments, and as these genres developed further, as was the case with all others, there were musical excesses along the way.
Still, jazz-rock/fusion turned out to be a heady mix of musical elements, which in most cases required instrumental excellence and a sense of innovation that jazz musicians brought into the rock world.
These jazz-rock albums are must-haves for your collection
It was a blend of complex harmonic structures combined with rhythmic sensibilities of both jazz and rock, as well as a combination of musical structure and improvisation, with most of the acoustic instruments supplemented with electric ones.
Now, the fans of the genre all have their personal favorites, and their lists often include Billy Cobham’s Spectrum, Chick Corea &Return To Forever’s Romantic Warrior, Weather, Jaco Pastorius' self-titled album, Stanley Clark’s School Days, and quite a few others. All of those deserve a very honorable mention here, even though some of them have aged a bit better than others.
The seventeen albums below were surely among the key ones in the development of the genre; others possibly didn’t get the recognition they deserve.
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (1970)
Between the first two electric albums Miles Davis recorded, this one and In A Silent Way (1969), for many jazz rock fans, it is hard to distinguish which one had more influence on the genre as such, but for many, this one takes the edge and turns out to be more influential. Roaming from structure to full improvisation, it remains one of the most imaginative albums to this day.
Soft Machine - Third (1970)
When Soft Machine started out, their first two albums already included jazz elements, but were shrouded in the excellent psychedelia of Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers. By their third album, with Wyatt and Ayers gone, jazz heads Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, and Elton Dean employ all they learned about rock as a base to their leanings, bridging a gap with prog rock.
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)
Essentially a jazz/prog/rock supergroup led by Bitches Brew alumni John McLaughlin, with this, their initial album set something of a jazz rock standard - play as complex as you can, and often as fast as you can, all with dazzling instrumental skills. Maybe on their later efforts, they went a bit too far with it.
Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo (1972)
Even when he started, Frank Zappa proved that he is one of the innovators who knows so much about any kind of music, including elements from classical, jazz, and other kinds of music. Here, in a sort of big band (all instrumental) setting, he presents his full knowledge of jazz on a bed of rock.
Santana - Caravanserai (1972)
Carlos Santana, even in the early stages, showed that he knew more about Latin jazz than many other artists would learn in a lifetime. On this album, though, to his Latin jazz/rock combination, he adds big wallops of spiritual jazz, which was a bit underestimated by the critics at the time, but proved to be one of his best overall.
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (1973)
If you can pinpoint one of the pivotal albums within the jazz-rock/fusion genre, this would be it. Coming into it directly from the world of standard jazz, Hancock was one of those innovators who brought in all that funk could give, whether it was James Brown, Sly Stone, or Curtis Mayfield, making this one of the most influential albums around.
Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973)
Trumpeter Donald Byrd was yet another jazz innovator who got a lot of flak from jazz purists when he brought in R&B rhythms with this album, making his music something you could easily dance to. Obviously, those purists seemed to forget that all the genres Byrd combined were initially meant to be danced to - jazz, R&B, and rock.
Can - Future Days (1973)
Can were one of the true progenitors of krautrock, a genre that always included elements of both classical and jazz music, and can always went to the edge with those, with this, their fifth album, closing the band’s first phase, and its improvisational leanings setting the stage for modern ambient music.
Weather Report - Mysterious Traveller (1974)
Heavy Weather is possibly the Weather Report's most renowned album, and is certainly one of jazz rock’s classics, but this, the band's fourth album is where Joe Zawinul take full control of the band setting the stage for the band's signature sound, with a full balance between the jazz and electronic side of things.
Wayne Shorter – Native Dancer (1974)
With a somewhat declining role in Weather Report, Shorter here presents his vision of what jazz rock/fusion should sound like, relying a lot on the Brazilian/Latin rhythms, and yes, contrary to the wishes of jazz purists, all that modern rock and electronics can offer at the time
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow (1975)
If you look at the complete output of this late rock guitar legend’s solo career, it would be hard to pinpoint what he really liked, as it seemed he liked everything. This album is where he puts his incredible guitar histrionics into a true fusion setting, setting a mark for all rockers who wanted to dip their hands into the genre.
Lonnie Liston Smith - Expansions (1975)
Keyboardist Liston Smith played with so many jazz greats, from Roland Kirk to Miles Davis. When he started out as a band leader, he leaned heavily on his experiences with the electric side of Miles Davis and the spiritual jazz of Pharaoh Sanders. Here, he not only combines these but also brings in a hefty dose of Bill Withers-style soul.
Garry Bartz - Music Is My Sanctuary (1977)
Another standard jazz alumnus, here, Bartz decided to add another element to the hefty jazz-rock fusion brew - disco. On paper, many critics considered it as such. It sounded like an inevitable disaster, but Bartz turns the tables on skeptics and comes up with a jazz disco album that actually works.
Sun Ra - Lanquidity (1978)
Even the biggest Sun Ra fans probably wouldn’t be able to tell you how many recordings the late jazz experimentalist made, but his catalog was a box of delightful surprises, including doo wop and interpretations of the Batman TV theme. Here, he shows the growing jazz-rock artist base how things should be done by balancing jazz, R&B, and rock.
Astor Piazzola - Tango: Zero Hour (1986)
Astor Piazzolla was a true musical innovator who always included elements of jazz, classical, and other musical genres into his tango base. Never on the middle ground, his music had either ardent fans or ardent critics (particularly among tango purists). Here, under the helm of Kip Hanrahan, one of the latter-day jazz-rock innovators, he comes with something that could easily bear the title of world jazz-rock.
Miles Davis/Bill Laswell - Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974 (1998)
With his strong base in jazz, bassist/producer Bill Laswell was probably the best qualified (and knowledgeable) so to be able to come up with sampled, souped-up versions of key works Miles Davis created in his prime electric phase. What promised to be a possible disaster turned out to be a jazz-rock triumph.
Shibusashirazu - Shibu-Hata (2002)
Possibly a hidden treasure for many, Japanese orchestra (rather than a band) Shibusashirazu actually brings in everything (literally everything) into their music, particularly that from the jazz-rock spectrum - from Miles Davis and Sun Ra to Frank Zappa, psych rock, or anything else.
They often employ anywhere between 30 to 50 musicians on their recordings and go-go dancers, kibuki theater, and visual artists for their stage shows. Here, preparing for their first Glastonbury performance, they bring it all they’ve got (live in the studio).