The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    I don’t really think of 70s Miles as fusion, certainly not in the same way as the Tony Williams New Lifetime or Mahavishnu. Live/Evil is one of my favourites and it couldn’t be further from the polished shredding over vamps that is called ‘fusion’ today....

    But for those raised on the slick sounds of 80s fusion and later....
    That could be it: I was done with fusion by the 80's. 'Fusion' was getting sorta tired for me by the latest 70's. Too slick and predictable.

    In the 70's it was Miles, Mahavishnu, Weather Report, Larry Coryell, Head Hunters, Lorber, Return to Forever to name a few. Paul Horn had a quintet in the very early 70's that was fusionistic. His guitarist Art Johnson gave me some great lessons at a Jazz Camp in a place called Shawnigan Lake that Paul put on.

    We called it all fusion in the 70s. It wasn't necessarily jazz/rock fusion, though some of it was. It was jazz players fusing with other things. Lorber was living, gigging and sitting in with our band in Portland in '76 / '77. I think his band was called 'The Jeff Lorber Fusion' at that time. Miles' fusion by way of Herbie.

    Maybe 'fusion' means something different now. I'll have to check out what was happening in the 80's and beyond to see what you mean. I kinda lost track of it. By the 90's I was working backwards to the mid 60's.

    At least we agree that Weather Report is important, even without guitar :-)
    Last edited by ccroft; 09-02-2022 at 08:18 PM.

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  3. #27

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    A lot of great advice. In case it's overwhelming:

    Pick the simplest fusion tune that you like. Make or download a chart of at least the chord changes. Make or download a backing track for the tune.

    Listen to a version, or versions and try to copy just a little bit. Make sure you nail the rhythm - it's maybe even more important than the notes or the tone.

    See if you can internalize the time feel -- the attitude.

    Then, put on the backing track and see if you can play something you like.

    If you can't, come back here and post the name of the tune and ask if there are any lessons, videos or advice about how to play through it.
    If you've picked a well known tune, chances are there's lots of relevant material. So, you identify one sound or one technique and get it into your improv.

    Eventually, do the same thing for another tune.

    You'll pick up the theory you need along the way.

    After you can play around 20 tunes, you'll be too busy gigging to ask for any more advice.

  4. #28

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    I would suggest you start "simple" in the sense of song forms and harmonies that are very regular (so one less thing to worry about for now) where the guitarists' approach (at least their soloing passages) may be more clearly grasped...

    Here is an example of Holdsworth where the song itself is relatively simple with some good rhythms. Now you can hear what he does much better, for figuring things out...

    With your background you will be able to play the edgy angular head just like Alan. About 3:45 he solos... plays and plays... The thing is the song has a long section before he comes in, so you have lots of time to get what's going on and can play over that yourself to experiment with ideas. Then when Alan comes in, just let it soak in. You can do the same approach for others; find simple songs first to get the fundamental ideas and methods of the guitarists.


  5. #29

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    bobbystern.com has some very good concepts ..he posts sometime on this site

    while he uses more traditional jazz/bop oriented exercises they can be very useful applied to a "fusion" style approach

    he gives basic chord progressions to his exercises and when using substitutions and inversions of the chords..the solo lines can change instantly into

    a fusion feel

    point..many of the chords used in a fusion setting are bass note driven..so here is where knowing inversions and substitutions of chords is necessary..and when you experiment

    with voice movement under the bass line many melodic and harmonic ideas develop

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    ox3x29, one thing to keep in mind, as a genre, fusion came from different places than mainstream jazz, so right from the beginning, even the first examples were created by restless young players well steeped in the traditions you might not hear the evidence, but it's down there and that was essential to the toolset they were working from. So in a big way, fusion's inception hit the ground running.
    It helps to know what it was in rock music that they found valuable to throw into the first cauldron. Electric guitars with fast action that allowed them to play horn type speed lines over the harmony that they wanted to build upon. At the point that John McLaughlin (arguably the father of jazz fusion) recorded Inner Mounting Flame, there really wasn't anything like that. But he was a well seasoned jazz player who was steeped in the Miles Davis group, who's leader's musical identity went to the very earliest days of bebop, so McLaughlin pulled fusion out of a long tradition, even before his first note.
    There are odd meters, modal scales derived from harmonic minor and exotic scales, driving rhythms from one of the most aggressive drummers to play with Miles and out of that, you can get an idea of what McLaughlin was jumping off from.
    In a Silent Way and Jack Johnson had melodic and thematic material that showed up in Inner Mounting Flame. It'd be to your benefit to know those sessions. Columbia issued box sets of these complete sessions and the other very revealing studio time that didn't get released.
    If you really want to know fusion, I highly recommend you familiarizing yourself with this period of Miles' carreer. Bitches Brew of course is a must. When you can somewhat understand McLaughlin, Corea, Clarke, Cobham, Herbie Hancock, all these seminal figures in fusion and what changed them, compelled them to create a new music and language out of this restless time in history, you can listen to Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire and the Trident Sessions of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and I think you'll have an intelligent knowledge from which you can make valid opinions of what IS or ISN'T fusion, and more importantly, what you need to do to play it.

    John McLaughlin Mahavishnu Orchestra
    Chick Corea Return to Forever
    Larry Coryell's Eleventh House
    John Abercrombie Timeless
    Tony Williams Lifetime
    Weather Report
    Billy Cobham's Spectrum with John Abercrombie and later with John Scofield
    Gary Burton's recordings with Mick Goodrick and or Pat Metheny (to understand the incorporation of more complex harmonies into the soundscape).

    All good sounds to immerse yourself in.
    And ask questions. There's a lot of good knowledge here in a genre that isn't written about a lot but a lot of us here have lived through it and understand it in insightful ways.
    Great post, though I think even McLaughlin would be more likely to say if anyone was Chief of Fusion it would be Miles. And I would have to add Allan Holdsworth to your list.

    'Fusion' is quite an umbrella term that incorporates a great variety of different subgenres. But as alluded in the message I've quoted above, it always helps if you (and when I say 'you', I am of course referring to the OP) know where the music came from, even if you don't plan on playing that kind of music, it just helps to be able to know how to negotiate chord changes that you find in standards, so for example check out 'None Too Soon' by Allan Holdsworth or 'After The Rain' by John McLaughlin or 'Standards and Other Songs' by Mike Stern.

    Not that I think you should wait until you become as scary as those guys over traditional harmony before moving onto fusion stuff, just learning it alongside will help.

    But, as with any kind of jazz, it involves some aesthetic soul-searching to develop your own concept. Questions of technique and phrasing will be connected to the kind of songs you want to play. I always think of two guitarists from the North of England, Holdsworth and McLaughlin, who were/are very different in their concepts but were obviously so impressive that they became part of history in Tony Williams' band.

    Finally, I would give a shout out to the underrated, perhaps even cult album - John McLaughlin's 'Devotion'. It's sublime and full of raunchy Lydian-mode riffs way before Satriani and Vai made that more popular.

  7. #31

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    The Free Spirits had no path.

    What is the path to learning jazz fusion?-free-spirits-copy-jpg

  8. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by James W

    Finally, I would give a shout out to the underrated, perhaps even cult album - John McLaughlin's 'Devotion'. It's sublime and full of raunchy Lydian-mode riffs way before Satriani and Vai made that more popular.
    Although it sounds nothing like the fusion that is associated with that label, the historic fusion that broke from traditional guitar took many forms. McLaughlin's My Goals Beyond informed my soundscape of the music which went beyond traditions, and in some way, paved the way for me to hear and play in a broader way. That was fusion when they didn't have a name for it but the spirit was stronger than ever.
    What he does in terms of phrasing, articulation, speed and musicality is 100% what he brought to his Les Paul, but on an acoustic guitar.
    Not for everyone, but one of the most important fusion albums historically, My Goals Beyond.
    I always loved the little acoustic gems McLaughlin closed his records with. Good stuff!

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
    Although it sounds nothing like the fusion that is associated with that label, the historic fusion that broke from traditional guitar took many forms. McLaughlin's My Goals Beyond informed my soundscape of the music which went beyond traditions, and in some way, paved the way for me to hear and play in a broader way. That was fusion when they didn't have a name for it but the spirit was stronger than ever.
    What he does in terms of phrasing, articulation, speed and musicality is 100% what he brought to his Les Paul, but on an acoustic guitar.
    Not for everyone, but one of the most important fusion albums historically, My Goals Beyond.
    I always loved the little acoustic gems McLaughlin closed his records with. Good stuff!
    MGB influenced my playing and listening ..Good Bye Pork Pie Hat.played on an Ovation acoustic with Johnny playing on his own pre recorded progression

  10. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by James W
    Great post, though I think even McLaughlin would be more likely to say if anyone was Chief of Fusion it would be Miles. And I would have to add Allan Holdsworth to your list.

    'Fusion' is quite an umbrella term that incorporates a great variety of different subgenres. But as alluded in the message I've quoted above, it always helps if you (and when I say 'you', I am of course referring to the OP) know where the music came from, even if you don't plan on playing that kind of music, it just helps to be able to know how to negotiate chord changes that you find in standards, so for example check out 'None Too Soon' by Allan Holdsworth or 'After The Rain' by John McLaughlin or 'Standards and Other Songs' by Mike Stern.

    Not that I think you should wait until you become as scary as those guys over traditional harmony before moving onto fusion stuff, just learning it alongside will help.

    But, as with any kind of jazz, it involves some aesthetic soul-searching to develop your own concept. Questions of technique and phrasing will be connected to the kind of songs you want to play. I always think of two guitarists from the North of England, Holdsworth and McLaughlin, who were/are very different in their concepts but were obviously so impressive that they became part of history in Tony Williams' band.

    Finally, I would give a shout out to the underrated, perhaps even cult album - John McLaughlin's 'Devotion'. It's sublime and full of raunchy Lydian-mode riffs way before Satriani and Vai made that more popular.
    Well, this is where I think Satch got it from. In fact; I know he did cos he said so


  11. #35

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    I was listening to this yesterday - another example of Allan in a more conventional harmonic climate (although I don’t think anyone told Allan.)

    Dont Didier and Allan sound like peas in a pod here? The trading is great.



    Ripper solo from Allan. i would say this is more in a straight up jazz category with the double bass. This one’s a bit rough and fiery. Loving Gordon Beck atm, what a unique voice he was. He’s amazing on that Bill Evan’s tribute thing with Kenny Wheeler I got the other day.. of course he’s one quite a few of Allan’s things

  12. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    Well, this is where I think Satch got it from. In fact; I know he did cos he said so

    Got it from - yes.

    All I said was that McLaughlin was doing it before those guys - not that he influenced them.

    I still think 'Devotion' was a seminal and highly original album - I don't know of anything comparable around the same time, other than McLaughlin's other albums and contributions on other albums. It's a potent mix of Hendrix-esque guitar tones (soaked in wah and distortion from his Fender Mustang!) with a use of modes, phrasing and chops that is more jazz - but these things elements sound 'as one' so to speak.

    Anyway I'm currently listening to 'Flight' by Holdsworth and Gordon Beck et al. cheers for posting it.

  13. #37

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    I wrote a long post and then realized that all music is fusion... if I find an musical idea I like, I am going to try and make it work in what I do. I think at best genres are a way of codifying music, and at worst just a labeling system to sell music. Maybe we should just play what we love, (when we can), and let other people decide how to market it.

  14. #38

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    It's paved with good intentions...

  15. #39

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    Playing any music requires listening and understanding the rules that govern that style of music. Fusion was just a coined term to meld Jazz Harmony with more contemporary Rock and R&B music of the current times.
    So there’s the CTI Fusion records, Miles Davis and his players Fusion, even more diverse styles as well.

    You just need to have an a understanding of your instrument, and be able to groove,swing, etc If you don’t play in a band setting then you will limit your ability as well.