fusion Archives - JAZZ IMPRESSIONS

Routes: A Jazz Impressions Podcast – Episode 9

We take flight in Episode 9 with two classic live cuts: Joe Henderson’s ‘Junk Blues’ and Don Pullen & George Adams’ ‘Saturday Night In The Cosmos’. But what’s the best route? Via Italy and Japan? Or as the crow flies? Ornithophobics need not apply. Thanks for all your support in this first year of the podcast and stay tuned for more Routes in the new year. Keep watching the skies!

Also available on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tracklists below (SPOILERS!)

David Axelrod – Holy Thursday

It seems fitting that our 50th post should cover a landmark album: Song of Innocence (1968) by David Axelrod – as in the producer of Cannonball Adderley’s The Black Messiah (1971), not the political strategist behind two Barack Obama victories and zero Ed Miliband ones.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers – Blessed Relief

In between stints with jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and fusion drummer Billy Cobham, keyboard visionary George Duke joined Frank Zappa and The Mothers for some of their most ambitious studio recordings.

George Duke – Peace

Our last post looked at Billy Cobham’s fusion classic ‘Heather’ from his album Crosswinds (1974) which featured the mellow tones of keyboardist George Duke. Flashing back a couple of years earlier to January 1971, a young George Duke had just left Frank Zappa’s group The Mothers Of Invention and joined saxophonist Cannonball Adderley’s new quintet, replacing pianist Joe Zawinul. The months that followed would prove formative for this young pianist and in this year he recorded two albums: Solus and The Inner Source, originally intended to be two separate albums but were later merged, released on German jazz label MPS in 1973.

Billy Cobham – Heather

From John Abercrombie’s Timeless classic on ECM, we follow the guitarist to another proto-ambient wonder of the fusion world: Billy Cobham’s ‘Heather’ from the Atlantic album Crosswinds (1974).

John Abercrombie – Timeless

‘Changeless’ and ‘endless’ were the defining terms of our last post on virtuoso pianist Keith Jarrett. Continuing this theme, we follow with ‘Timeless’, the beautiful final track on guitarist John Abercrombie’s 1975 album of the same name, which like Jarrett’s Changeless, was also released on ECM and featured Jack DeJohnette on drums.

Freddie Hubbard – Red Clay

Holding the world record for the most recording sessions of any jazz bassist in history (2,221 as of 2015), Ron Carter has provided some of the world’s greatest bass lines: Joe Henderson’s ‘Power to the People’ (1969), Alice Coltrane’s ‘Blue Nile’ (1970) and Freddie Hubbard’s ‘Red Clay’ (1970).

Joe Henderson – Power To The People

From two great tenor sax players to another, today’s post focusses on Joe Henderson’s politically titled track ‘Power To The People’ from his album of the same name, released on Milestone in 1969. Mainly compromised of Henderson originals, this album was the first in a string of political albums Henderson released in the late 60s and early 70s which were inspired by an increased awareness of black issues and the Black Power movement which reached its peak at the beginning of the 70s.

Mahavishnu Orchestra – Vital Transformation

Category is: skull-crushing breakbeats. Enter the Mahavishnu Orchestra, whose high-intensity fusion of psychedelia, prog and jazz took the rock world by storm with its explosive debut The Inner Mounting Flame in 1971, which according to critic Richard S. Ginell “may have been the cause of more blown-out home amplifiers than any other record this side of Deep Purple.”

Miles Davis – Black Satin

Following on from Herbie Hancock’s jazz-robotics on ‘Rain Dance‘, we turn to another album that was Miles ahead of its time, and features three of the musicians who would go on to appear on Sextant: Herbie Hancock (keys), Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet) and Billy Hart (drums).