Electric Jazz

10 Top Jazz Fusion Albums For a Jazz-Rock Music Collection

Is it Rock? Is it Jazz? Or is it something in-between?

Jazz-Rock (or Jazz Fusion) slammed on the music scene in the late 1960s and early 70s, combining elements of progressive rock music with the improvisational elements of jazz.

This was the time when many musical artists from Miles Davis to Frank Zappa were using amplified and electronic instruments with which to create complex rhythmic patterns, odd time signatures, and very long tracks which included seemingly endless solo improvisations.

Looking back, it would be easy to refer to jazz fusion as an “era” rather than a genre. This is because during the late 60s and early 70s, fusion was extremely popular, producing a mind-boggling litany of bands and musicians who were blazing new trails and pushing jazz-rock to extreme limits.

Here is a list of 10 Top Jazz Fusion Albums which have been critically acclaimed:

1. Bitches Brew – Miles Davis
Primary Instrument: Keyboards/Ensemble
Year: 1969
Tracks: Pharaoh’s Dance, Bitches Brew, Spanish Key, John McLaughlin, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down, Sanctuary

2. Third – Soft Machine
Year: 1970
Primary Instrument: Keyboards/Ensemble
Tracks: Face Lift (Live), Slightly All The Time, Moon In June, Out-Bloody-Rageous, Out-Bloody-Rageous (Live), Facelift, Esther’s Nosejob

3. The Inner Mounting Flame – Mahavishnu Orchestra
Primary Instrument: Electric Guitar
Year: 1971
Tracks: Meeting of the Spirits, Dawn, The Noonward Race, A Lotus on Irish Streams, Vital Transformation, The Dance of Maya, You Know You Know, Awakening

4. Caravanserai – Santana
Primary Instrument: Electric Guitar
Year: 1972
Tracks: Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation, Waves Within, Look Up (To See What’s Coming Down), Just in Time to See the Sun, Song of the Wind, All the Love of the Universe, Future Primitive, Stone Flower, La Fuente del Ritmo, Every Step of the Way

5. Where Have I Known You Before – Return To Forever
Primary Instrument: Keyboards/Ensemble
Year: 1974
Tracks: Vulcan Worlds, Where Have I Loved You Before, The Shadow Of Love, Where Have I Danced With You Before, Beyond The Seventh Galaxy, Earth Juice, Where Have I Known You Before, Song To The Pharoah Kings

6. School Days – Stanley Clarke
Primary Instrument: Electric Bass
Year: 1976
Tracks: School Days, Quiet Afternoon, The Dancer, Desert Song, Hot Fun, Life Is Just A Game

7. Jaco Pastorius – Jaco Pastorius
Primary Instrument: Electric Bass
Year: 1976
Tracks: Donna Lee, Come On, Come Over, Continuum, Kuru / Speak Like A Child, Portrait of Tracy, Opus Pocus, Okonkole y Trompa, (Used To Be A) Cha-Cha, Forgotten Love, (Used To Be A) Cha-Cha, 6/4 Jam

8. Romantic Warrior – Return to Forever
Primary Instrument: Keyboards/Ensemble
Year: 1976
Tracks: Medieval Overture, Sorceress, The Romantic Warrior, Majestic Dance, The Magician, Duel Of The Jester And The Tyrant

9. Heavy Weather – Weather Report
Year: 1977
Primary Instrument: Ensemble
Tracks: Birdland, A Remark You Made, Teen Town, Harlequin, Rumba Mama, Palladium, The Juggler, Havona

10. Elegant Gypsy – Al Di Meola
Primary Instrument: Electric Guitar
Year: 1977
Tracks: Flight Over Rio, Midnight Tango, Mediterranean Sundance, Race With Devil on Spanish Highway, Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil, Elegant Gypsy Suite

About the Author

Want to see a bigger list of top jazz fusion albums? Visit www.nujazzacid.com for more information on jazz fusion music and artists.

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