Jazz fusion is the term that was used to describe the hybrid music made in the late ’60s and ’70s by a generation of jazz musicians who expanded the music’s range and audience appeal by incorporating the energy and electricity of rock. Jazz fusion encompassed a diverse range of music made by an eclectic assortment of musicians, but fusion’s common thread was the use of electric and electronic instruments, as well as rock rhythms. In addition to spawning a new generation of star musicians, the rise of fusion also inspired many of jazz’s most respected innovators to reinvent their musical approaches. Fusion also greatly expanded jazz’s audience, with many leading fusion acts achieving unprecedented sales levels, thanks to their popularity with rock fans.
Much of the groundwork for fusion was laid by veteran innovator Miles Davis, who pioneered a distinctive jazz-rock vision on such landmark albums as In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, which won Davis the biggest sales of his career. Many of the musicians who worked with Davis during this period went on to become leading lights in the fusion explosion. Those players included keyboardist Herbie Hancock; John McLaughlin, who soon formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra; keyboardist Chick Corea, who led Return to Forever; and keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, who launched Weather Report. Other leading fusion musicians included bassist Jaco Pastorius, drummer Tony Williams, guitarist Larry Coryell and vibraphonist Gary Burton.
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