105-397: The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz fusion group led by drummer Tony Williams . The band was pivotal in the development of fusion and featured various noteworthy jazz and rock musicians throughout its history, including guitarists John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth , keyboardists Larry Young and Alan Pasqua , and bassists Jack Bruce and Ron Carter . The Tony Williams Lifetime
210-723: A Santana concert at the Sunrise Musical Theater in Sunrise, Florida . After being ejected from the premises, he made his way to the Midnight Bottle Club in Wilton Manors . After reportedly kicking in a glass door, having been refused entrance to the club, he became involved in a violent confrontation with Luc Havan, a club employee who was a martial arts expert. Pastorius was hospitalized for multiple facial fractures and injuries to his right eye and left arm, and fell into
315-459: A Soloist for his work on Weather Report's album Heavy Weather . Bass Player magazine gave him second place on a list of the one hundred greatest bass players of all time, behind James Jamerson . After his death in 1987, he was voted, by readers of DownBeat magazine, to its Hall of Fame , joining bassists Jimmy Blanton , Ray Brown , Ron Carter , Charles Mingus , Charlie Haden , and Milt Hinton . Marcus Miller said "Jaco's composing
420-518: A band for each: the Akoustic Band and the Elektric Band. Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter started very influential jazz fusion band Weather Report in 1970 and developed successful career along with major musicians like Alphonse Mouzon , Jaco Pastorius , Airto Moreira and Miroslav Vitouš until 1986. Tony Williams was a member of Davis's band since 1963. Williams reflected, "I wanted to create
525-609: A bootleg. In spring 1975, Williams put together a quartet he called The New Tony Williams Lifetime featuring bassist Tony Newton , pianist Alan Pasqua , and guitarist Allan Holdsworth . Prior to settling on Tony Newton as the choice for bass player, a number of bassists auditioned for the spot including Jaco Pastorius . This lineup recorded two albums for Columbia / CBS Records , Believe It in 1975 and Million Dollar Legs in 1976. These albums were reissued on one CD in 1992 as Lifetime: The Collection . After recording Million Dollar Legs , guitarist Allan Holdsworth departed and
630-513: A charge of second-degree murder . He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to twenty-two months in prison and five years' probation. After serving four months in prison, he was paroled for good behavior. The legacy of Jaco Pastorius is one of the most impactful in the world of electric bass in jazz and in general for every genre, despite his flawed and controversial latter years, although as time passed, his work began to be more appreciated by musicians. Known for his solo career with
735-619: A coma. There were encouraging signs that he would come out of the coma and recover, but they soon faded. A brain hemorrhage a few days later led to brain death . He was taken off life support and died on September 21, 1987, at the age of 35, at Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale . His funeral was held at St. Clement's Catholic Church, Wilton Manors , Florida. Pastorius was buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in North Lauderdale , Broward County , Florida . Havan faced
840-645: A combination of rock and jazz at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1966 with a quartet that included Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette . Lloyd adopted the trappings of the California psychedelic rock scene by playing at the rock venue the Fillmore West , wearing colorful clothes, and giving his albums titles like Dream Weaver and Forest Flower , which were bestselling jazz albums in 1967. Flautist Jeremy Steig experimented with jazz in his band Jeremy &
945-519: A complex but grooving sound. In the 1990s most M-Base participants turned to more conventional music, but Coleman, the most active participant, continued developing his music in accordance with the M-Base concept. M-Base changed from a loose collective to an informal "school". Afro-Cuban jazz, one of the earliest forms of Latin jazz , is a fusion of Afro-Cuban clave-based rhythms with jazz harmonies and techniques of improvisation. Afro-Cuban jazz emerged in
1050-505: A concert in Miami by the jazz fusion band Weather Report . After the concert, he approached keyboardist Joe Zawinul , who led the band. As was his habit, he introduced himself by saying, "I'm John Francis Pastorius III. I'm the greatest bass player in the world." Zawinul admired his brashness and asked for a demo tape. After listening to the tape, Zawinul realized that Pastorius had considerable skill. They corresponded, and Pastorius sent Zawinul
1155-487: A different atmosphere from the one I had been in...What better way to do it than to go electric?" He left Davis to form the Tony Williams Lifetime with English guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young . The band combined rock intensity and loudness with jazz spontaneity. The debut album Emergency! was recorded three months before Bitches Brew . Although McLaughlin had worked with Miles Davis, he
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#17328518505491260-606: A growing dissatisfaction with Zawinul's synthesized and orchestrated approach to the band's music. Warner Bros. signed Pastorius to a favorable contract in the late 1970s based on his groundbreaking skill and his star quality, which they hoped would lead to large sales. He used this contract to set up his Word of Mouth big band, which consisted of Chuck Findley on trumpet; Howard Johnson on tuba; Wayne Shorter , Michael Brecker , and Tom Scott on reeds; Toots Thielemans on harmonica; Kenwood Dennard , Peter Erskine and Jack DeJohnette on drums; and Don Alias on percussion. This
1365-853: A guest appearance on saxophone. Prior to recording, this lineup of the Lifetime, augmented by guitarist Bob Cacciola (or possibly Caccicola) performed material from the album on July 7, 1972, at the Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, in New York. Marking yet another stylistic departure for the Lifetime and reinvention of the band's musical identity, the record is characterized by a predominantly sprightly and upbeat songwriting approach, electronic keyboard-dominated sound, and soul-jazz female vocals. Notably, keyboardist newcomer Webster Lewis turns in an organ performance which sounds remarkably like his predecessor Larry Young aka Khalid Yasin. Recorded by Williams under
1470-566: A headline that: "Jazz as We Know It Is Dead". AllMusic states that "until around 1967, the worlds of jazz and rock were nearly completely separate". Guitarist Larry Coryell , sometimes called the godfather of fusion, referred to a generation of musicians who had grown up on rock and roll when he said, "We loved Miles but we also loved the Rolling Stones ." In 1966, he started the band the Free Spirits with Bob Moses on drums and recorded
1575-583: A keyboard sound like an electric guitar. The Mahavishnu Orchestra was influenced by both psychedelic rock and Indian classical music . The band's first lineup broke up after two studio albums and one live album, but McLaughlin formed another group in 1974 under the same name with jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty , one of the first electric violinists. After leaving the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1975 Jean-Luc Ponty signed with Atlantic and released number of successful jazz fusion solo albums that entered top 5 of
1680-544: A more commercial direction in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in the form of compositions with a softer sound palette that could fit comfortably in a soft rock radio playlist. The AllMusic guide's article on fusion states that "unfortunately, as it became a money-maker and as rock declined artistically from the mid-'70s on, much of what was labeled fusion was actually a combination of jazz with easy-listening pop music and lightweight R&B." Michael and Randy Brecker produced funk-influenced jazz with soloists. David Sanborn
1785-532: A more hardcore approach. Bill Laswell produced many albums in this movement, such as Ask the Ages by avant-garde guitarist Sonny Sharrock and Arc of the Testimony with Laswell's band Arcana . Niacin (band) was formed by rock bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Dennis Chambers, and organist John Novello. In London, The Pop Group began to mix free jazz and reggae into their form of punk rock. In New York City, no wave
1890-408: A musical movement, in addition to Jimi Hendrix , Louis Armstrong , Thelonious Monk , Charlie Christian , Bud Powell , Charlie Parker , Dizzy Gillespie , John Coltrane , Sarah Vaughan , Bill Evans , Charles Mingus , and Wes Montgomery . A public park is named for, and dedicated to, Jaco in the city he grew up in, Oakland Park, Florida . On September 11, 1987, Pastorius sneaked onstage at
1995-538: A normal part of his freewheeling personality. Despite attention in the press, Word of Mouth sold poorly. Warner Bros. was unimpressed by the demo tapes from Holiday for Pans . Pastorius released a third album, Invitation (1983), a live recording from the Word of Mouth tour of Japan. As alcohol and drug problems dominated his life, he had trouble finding work and wound up becoming homeless. In 1985, while filming an instructional video ( Modern Electric Bass ), Pastorius told
2100-472: A number of Fender Jazz Basses over the years, but the most famous was a 1962 Jazz Bass that he called the Bass of Doom. When he was 21, Pastorius acquired the bass, which was modified by removing the frets . It is unclear when the frets were removed, as his recollections varied over the years. One story is that he used a common butter knife to remove the frets, and sealed the fretboard with epoxy resin. In 1986,
2205-750: A rough mix of his solo album. After bassist Alphonso Johnson left Weather Report, Zawinul asked Pastorius to join the band. Pastorius made his band debut on the album Black Market ( Columbia , 1976), in which he shared the bass chair with Johnson. Pastorius was fully established as sole band bass player for the recording of Heavy Weather (Columbia, 1977), which contained the Grammy-nominated hit " Birdland ". During his time with Weather Report, Pastorius began abusing alcohol and illegal drugs, which exacerbated existing mental problems and led to erratic behavior. He left Weather Report in 1982 because of clashes with tour commitments for his other projects, plus
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#17328518505492310-535: A set comprising original as well as Lifetime material. Live at Yoshi's , a DVD from the U.S. leg of the tour, was released in 2007 and followed by the 2-CD set Blues for Tony in 2009. In December 2008, guitarist Vernon Reid , organist John Medeski , drummer Cindy Blackman , and former Lifetime member Jack Bruce played a week of shows in Japan as the Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute Band, playing
2415-540: A set of 1969/70 Lifetime material. This was recorded in high-definition and shown on Japanese TV. Cindy Blackman released a Lifetime tribute album titled Another Lifetime in 2010. The Lifetime Tribute Band featuring Jack Bruce reformed in February 2011 to play a further ten shows in high-profile jazz clubs in North America. Unusually the dates have early & evening shows, something most rock musicians stopped doing at
2520-472: A single chord with a simple, repeated melody. Others use elaborate chord progressions , unconventional time signatures, or melodies with counter-melodies . These arrangements, whether simple or complex, typically include improvised sections that can vary in length, much like in other forms of jazz. As with jazz, jazz fusion can employ brass and woodwind instruments such as trumpet and saxophone, but other instruments often substitute for these. A jazz fusion band
2625-400: A stronger feel of groove and R&B versus some of the jazz fusion production, and is more arranged and features more improvisation than soul jazz . M-Base ("macro-basic array of structured extemporization") centers on a movement started in the 1980s. It started as a group of young African-American musicians in New York which included Steve Coleman , Greg Osby , and Gary Thomas developing
2730-441: A whole new genre, Latin rock . Other rock artists such as Gary Moore , The Grateful Dead , The Doors , Jimi Hendrix , and The Allman Brothers Band have taken influences from blues, jazz, blues rock , jazz rock and incorporated it into their own music. According to AllMusic, the term jazz rock "may refer to the loudest, wildest, most electrified fusion bands from the jazz camp, but most often it describes performers coming from
2835-640: A whole new style just as Davis had. Davis's albums during this period, including In a Silent Way , Bitches Brew , A Tribute to Jack Johnson , Live-Evil and On the Corner , featured McLaughlin. Davis dropped out of music in 1975 because of problems with drugs and alcohol, but his sidemen took advantage of the creative and financial vistas that had been opened. Herbie Hancock brought elements of funk, disco, and electronic music into commercially successful albums such as Head Hunters (1973) and Feets, Don't Fail Me Now (1979). Several years after recording Miles in
2940-458: Is considered his first fusion album. Composed of two side-long improvised suites edited heavily by Teo Macero, the album was made by pioneers of jazz fusion: Corea, Hancock, Tony Williams , Wayne Shorter , Joe Zawinul and John McLaughlin . A Tribute to Jack Johnson (1971) has been cited as "the purest electric jazz record ever made" and "one of the most remarkable jazz rock discs of the era". According to music journalist Zaid Mudhaffer,
3045-526: Is extremely influenced by jazz fusion, using progressive, unexpected turns in the drum patterns and instrumental lines. The style of Uzbek prog band Fromuz is described as "prog fusion". In lengthy instrumental jams the band transitions from fusion of rock and ambient world music to jazz and progressive hard rock tones. Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius ( / ˈ dʒ ɑː k oʊ p æ ˈ s t ɔːr i ə s / ; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987)
3150-507: Is heavily influenced by jazz, especially in bassist Ryan Martinie 's playing. Puya frequently incorporates influences from American and Latin jazz music. Another, more cerebral, all-instrumental progressive jazz fusion-metal band Planet X released Universe in 2000 with Tony MacAlpine , Derek Sherinian (ex- Dream Theater ), and Virgil Donati (who has played with Scott Henderson from Tribal Tech ). The band blends fusion-style guitar solos and syncopated odd-metered drumming with
3255-437: Is less likely to use piano and double bass , and more likely to use electric guitar , electric piano , synthesizers , and bass guitar . The term "jazz rock" is sometimes used as a synonym for "jazz fusion" and for music performed by late 1960s- and 1970s-era rock bands that added jazz elements to their music. After a decade of popularity during the 1970s, fusion expanded its improvisatory and experimental approaches through
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3360-555: Is now looked upon as a fusion classic. Jack Bruce joined the group to provide bass and vocals on its second album, Turn It Over , released in 1970. McLaughlin left the group and was replaced by Ted Dunbar on its 1971 album, Ego . This album also featured Ron Carter on bass and cello, Warren Smith and Don Alias on percussion, and Larry Young on organ. Lifetime gigs around this time featured Juini Booth on bass. This lineup's performance in France on August 7, 1971 (venue unknown)
3465-399: Is pop music with jazz instruments, soft production, commercially viable, and radio-friendly. In jazz pop, the music has less improvisation, but retains the melody and swing of jazz. Robert Palmer from The New York Times cited that jazz pop should be distinguished from jazz rock . Examples of jazz-pop musicians are Kenny G , Bob James , and George Benson . By the early 1980s, much of
3570-437: Is prominent on Flora Purim 's Everyday Everynight (1978), on which he played the bass melody for a Michel Colombier composition entitled "The Hope", and performed bass and vocals on one of his own compositions, entitled "Las Olas". Other recordings included work on four Joni Mitchell albums between 1976 and 1980 ( Hejira ; Don Juan's Reckless Daughter ; Mingus ; and Shadows and Light ) and Al Di Meola 's Land of
3675-616: The Billboard jazz charts in mid '70s — '80s. During the late 1970s, Lee Ritenour , Stuff , George Benson, Spyro Gyra , the Crusaders , and Larry Carlton released fusion albums. The term " jazz-rock " (or "jazz/rock") is sometimes used as a synonym for "jazz fusion". The Free Spirits have sometimes been cited as the earliest jazz rock band. Rock bands such as Colosseum , Chicago , The Ides of March , Blood, Sweat & Tears , Chase , Santana , Soft Machine , Nucleus , Brand X ,
3780-803: The Yellowjackets . On December 2, 2007, the day after his birthday, a concert called "20th Anniversary Tribute to Jaco Pastorius" was held at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with performances by the Jaco Pastorius Big Band and appearances by Randy Brecker, Dave Bargeron , Peter Erskine, Jimmy Haslip , Bob Mintzer , Gerald Veasley , Pastorius's sons John and Julius Pastorius, Pastorius's daughter Mary Pastorius, Ira Sullivan , Bobby Thomas Jr. , and Dana Paul. Almost twenty years after his death, Fender released
3885-473: The "Variamp" EQ (equalization) controls on his two Acoustic 360 amplifiers (made by the Acoustic Control Corporation ) to boost the midrange frequencies, thus accentuating the natural growling tone of his fretless passive Fender Jazz Bass and roundwound string combination. He also controlled his tone color with a rackmount MXR digital delay unit that fed a second Acoustic amp rig. During
3990-535: The 1960s and 1970s had a large impact on many rock groups of that era such as Santana and Frank Zappa. They took jazz phrasing and harmony and incorporated it into modern rock music, significantly changing music history and paving the way for artists that would follow in their footsteps. Carlos Santana in particular has given much credit to Miles Davis and the influence he had on his music. While Miles Davis combined jazz with modal and rock influences, Carlos Santana combined these along with Latin rhythms and feel, shaping
4095-538: The 1980s in parallel with the development of a radio-friendly style called smooth jazz . Experimentation continued in the 1990s and 2000s. Fusion albums, even those that are made by the same group or artist, may include a variety of musical styles. Rather than being a codified musical style, fusion can be viewed as a musical tradition or approach. When John Coltrane died in 1967, rock was the most popular music in America, and DownBeat magazine went so far as to declare in
4200-492: The 1995 release Destroy Erase Improve for its fusion of fast-tempo death metal, thrash metal, and progressive metal with jazz fusion elements. Cynic recorded a complex, unorthodox form of jazz fusion influenced experimental death metal with their 1993 album Focus . In 1997, Guitar Institute of Technology guitarist Jennifer Batten under the name of Jennifer Batten's Tribal Rage: Momentum released Momentum —an instrumental hybrid of rock, fusion, and exotic sounds. Mudvayne
4305-592: The Afro-Cuban jazz movement was stronger in the United States than in Cuba. According to bassist Randy Jackson , jazz fusion is a difficult genre to play. "I ... picked jazz fusion because I was trying to become the ultimate technical musician—able to play anything. Jazz fusion to me is the hardest music to play. You have to be so proficient on your instrument. Playing five tempos at the same time, for instance. I wanted to try
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4410-457: The Bass of Doom, with the Custom Shop version featuring a fretboard sealed with epoxy resin. In the 2000s Fender's budget brand Squier offered the "Squier Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz Bass" which was also reminiscent of Jaco's instrument. Since the 1980s, other companies have offered fretless basses similar to, or modelled on, the Bass of Doom, such as Tokai and Edwards. Pastorius used
4515-673: The C.C. Riders. In the early 1970s, Pastorius taught bass at the University of Miami , where he befriended jazz guitarist Pat Metheny , who was on the school's faculty. With Paul Bley and Bruce Ditmas , Pastorius and Metheny recorded an untitled album, Jaco in 1974. Pastorius then played on Metheny's debut album, Bright Size Life ( ECM , 1976). He recorded his debut solo album, Jaco Pastorius ( Epic , 1976), with Michael Brecker , Randy Brecker , Herbie Hancock , Hubert Laws , Sam & Dave , David Sanborn , and Wayne Shorter . Before recording his debut album, Pastorius attended
4620-455: The Columbia label but had no official releases and played a small number of live gigs performing material from Ego and the two New Lifetime albums Believe It and Million Dollar Legs . In July 1978 Williams toured Japan with Ronnie Montrose (guitar), Brian Auger (keyboards), Mario Cipollina (bass) and special guest Billy Cobham also on drums for a series of concerts. They were billed as
4725-453: The Corner . Although Bitches Brew gave him a gold record , the use of electric instruments and rock beats created consternation among some jazz critics, who accused Davis of betraying the essence of jazz. Music critic Kevin Fellezs commented that some members of the jazz community regarded rock music as less sophisticated and more commercial than jazz. Davis's 1969 album In a Silent Way
4830-454: The Family Stone . When Davis recorded Bitches Brew in 1969, he mostly abandoned the swing beat in favor of a rock and roll backbeat and bass guitar grooves. The album "mixed free jazz blowing by a large ensemble with electronic keyboards and guitar, plus a dense mix of percussion". Davis played his trumpet like an electric guitar—plugged in to electronic effects and pedals. By the end of
4935-471: The Jaco Pastorius Jazz Bass, a fretless instrument in its Artist Series. He has been called "arguably the most important and ground-breaking electric bassist in history" and "perhaps the most influential electric bassist today". William C. Banfield, director of Africana Studies, Music and Society at Berklee College , described Pastorius as one of the few original American virtuosos who defined
5040-660: The MXR digital delay to layer and loop a chordal figure and then soloed over it; the same technique, with a looped bass riff, can be heard during his solo on the Joni Mitchell concert video Shadows and Light . Pastorius appeared as a guest on many albums by other artists, including Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople , and recorded a solo on the title track of his album All American Alien Boy in 1976. He can be heard on Airto Moreira 's album I'm Fine, How Are You? (1977). His signature sound
5145-616: The Machine and Audioslave ), Steve Di Giorgio ( Testament , Sadus and Death ), David Ellefson ( Megadeth ), Flea ( Red Hot Chili Peppers ), Tony Franklin ( The Firm and Blue Murder ), John Myung ( Dream Theater ), Paulo Jr. ( Sepultura ), Billy Sheehan ( The Winery Dogs , David Lee Roth , Mr. Big and Sons of Apollo ), Jeroen Paul Thesseling ( Pestilence and Obscura ), Robert Trujillo ( Metallica ), Joey Vera ( Armored Saint , Fates Warning and Mercyful Fate ), and Alex Webster ( Cannibal Corpse ). His nephew
5250-489: The Midnight Sun , released in 1976. Near the end of his career, he worked often with guitarist Mike Stern , guitarist Biréli Lagrène , and drummer Brian Melvin. Pastorius received two Grammy Award nominations in 1977 for his self-titled debut album: one for Best Jazz Performance by a Group and one for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist ("Donna Lee"). In 1978, he received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Performance by
5355-678: The Mothers of Invention and IF blended jazz and rock with electric instruments. Davis' fusion jazz was "pure melody and tonal color", while Frank Zappa's music was more "complex" and "unpredictable". Zappa released the solo album Hot Rats in 1969. The album contained long instrumental pieces with a jazz influence. Zappa released two albums, The Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka , in 1972 which were influenced by jazz. George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar played on both. 1970s band Steely Dan has been lauded by music critic Neil McCormick for their "smooth, smart jazz-rock fusion". The jazz artists of
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#17328518505495460-578: The Satyrs with vibraphonist Mike Mainieri . The jazz label Verve released the first album ( Freak Out ) by rock guitarist Frank Zappa in 1966. Rahsaan Roland Kirk performed with Jimi Hendrix at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. As members of Miles Davis ' band, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock played electric piano on Filles de Kilimanjaro . Davis wrote in his autobiography that in 1968 he had been listening to Jimi Hendrix , James Brown , and Sly and
5565-598: The Sky with Davis, guitarist George Benson became a vocalist with enough pop hits to overshadow his earlier career in jazz. While Davis was sidelined, Chick Corea gained prominence. In the early 1970s Corea combined jazz, rock, pop, and Brazilian music in Return to Forever , a band that included Stanley Clarke on bass guitar and Al Di Meola on electric guitar. Corea divided the rest of his career between acoustic and electric music, non-commercial and commercial, jazz and pop rock, with
5670-643: The Tony Williams All Stars. Later that year he released The Joy of Flying , an eclectic solo album featuring a mix of styles and collaborations with Herbie Hancock , Cecil Taylor , Tom Scott , Stanley Clarke , Michael Brecker , George Benson , and Jan Hammer . It also contains " Open Fire " recorded by the All Stars earlier that year. In 1979, Williams formed another all-new Lifetime featuring Tod Carver (guitar), Bunny Brunel (bass), Bruce Harris (keyboards), and Tom Grant (keyboards). The band's sound
5775-646: The band's first album, Out of Sight and Sound , released in 1967. That same year, DownBeat began to report on rock music. After the Free Spirits, Coryell was part of a quartet led by vibraphonist Gary Burton , releasing the album Duster with its rock guitar influence. Burton produced the album Tomorrow Never Knows for Count's Jam Band, which included Coryell, Mike Nock , and Steve Marcus , all of them former students at Berklee College in Boston. The pioneers of fusion emphasized exploration, energy, electricity, intensity, virtuosity, and volume. Charles Lloyd played
5880-608: The bass was repaired by luthiers Kevin Kaufman and Jim Hamilton, after it had been broken into many pieces. After the repair Pastorius recorded a session with Mike Stern , then the bass was stolen from a park bench in Manhattan in 1986. It was found in a guitar shop in 2006, but the shop owner refused to give it up. The Pastorius family enlisted lawyers to help but nearly went bankrupt in 2010. Robert Trujillo , bassist for Metallica , considers Pastorius to be one of his heroes, and he felt that
5985-422: The beginning of the 1970s. Reaction to the 2011 U.S. shows was so positive that the band renamed themselves Spectrum Road, after a track on 1969's first Lifetime album. The group released a self-titled album in 2012 on the U.S. jazz record label Palmetto Records . Jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock , jazz-rock fusion , or simply fusion ) is a popular music genre that developed in
6090-461: The blending of genres, and an interest in the exotic, such as Indian music. He formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra with drummer Billy Cobham , violinist Jerry Goodman , bassist Rick Laird , and keyboardist Jan Hammer . The band released its first album, The Inner Mounting Flame , in 1971. Hammer pioneered the use of the Minimoog synthesizer with distortion effects. His use of the pitch bend wheel made
6195-461: The creation of a genre whose spectrum is quite wide and ranges from strong jazz improvisation to soul, funk or disco with jazz arrangements, jazz riffs , jazz solos, and sometimes soul vocals. Jazz-funk is primarily an American genre, where it was popular throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s, but it also achieved noted appeal on the club-circuit in England during the mid-1970s. Jazz-funk retains
6300-435: The crowd. A self-described Florida beach bum, he often went barefoot and shirtless. He was tall, lean, and strong, and for someone who played sports the nickname "Jocko" fit. His thumbs were "double jointed" and his fingers were long and thin. After being taught about artificial harmonics , he added them to his technique and repertoire. Natural harmonics , also known as open string harmonics, are played by lightly touching
6405-708: The dark cloud of knowing that Polydor would not be renewing his contract, the album received poor reviews and the group was effectively dissolved. In 1974, Williams formed a new Lifetime featuring Bum's Rush holdovers Webster Lewis on keyboards and Linda/Laura 'Tequila' Logan on vocals, along with former Cream/Lifetime bassist Jack Bruce and British guitarist Allan Holdsworth . This lineup, sometimes referred to as Wildlife, recorded an album's worth of material at Europa Films Studios in Stockholm, Sweden in October 1974. This recording has never been officially released but circulates as
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#17328518505496510-483: The drums. By age 17, Pastorius began appreciating jazz and had saved enough money to buy an upright bass . Its deep, mellow tone appealed to him, though it strained his finances. He had difficulty maintaining the instrument, which he attributed to the humidity in Florida. When he woke one day to find it had cracked, he traded it for a 1962 Fender Jazz Bass . During his teens, he played bass guitar for Wayne Cochran and
6615-739: The early 1940s with the Cuban musicians Mario Bauza and Frank Grillo "Machito" in the band Machito and his Afro-Cubans in New York City. In 1947 the collaborations of bebop innovator Dizzy Gillespie with Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo brought Afro-Cuban rhythms and instruments, most notably the congas and the bongos, into the East Coast jazz scene. Early combinations of jazz with Cuban music, such as Gillespie's and Pozo's "Manteca" and Charlie Parker's and Machito's "Mangó Mangüé", were commonly referred to as "Cubop", short for Cuban bebop. During its first decades,
6720-456: The end of this period Williams pared-down the lineup to a trio and played some gigs with Tom Grant on keyboards and Bunny Brunel on bass. In late May 1980, Williams and a new trio incarnation of the Lifetime featuring Patrick O'Hearn on bass (miscredited as Patrick O'Hara) and Tom Grant on keyboards recorded the little-known Play or Die album for the Swiss label PS Productions. Stylistically,
6825-402: The family ought to have the bass. Trujillo helped pay to have it returned to them, though he has used the instrument to record and perform and is its legal custodian. Fender began offering a fretless version of its standard Jazz Bass in the mid-1980s, and in 1999 began offering the "Fender Jaco Pastorius Jazz Bass" in its Artist series, and Custom Shop series. These instruments were modelled on
6930-558: The final three years of his life he used Hartke cabinets because of the character of aluminum speaker cones (as opposed to paper speaker cones). These provided a bright, clear sound. He typically used the delay in a chorus -like mode, providing a shimmering stereo doubling effect. He often used the fuzz control built into the Acoustic 360. For the bass solo "Slang/Third Stone From the Sun" on Weather Report 's live album 8:30 (1979), Pastorius used
7035-505: The first year, Bitches Brew sold 400,000 copies, four times the average for a Miles Davis album. Over the next two years, the aloof Davis recorded more often, worked with many sidemen, appeared on television, and performed at rock venues. Just as quickly, Davis tested the loyalty of rock fans by continuing to experiment. His producer, Teo Macero , inserted previously recorded material into the Jack Johnson soundtrack, Live-Evil , and On
7140-400: The heaviness of metal. Tech-prog-fusion metal band Aghora formed in 1995 and released their first album, self-titled Aghora , recorded in 1999 with Sean Malone and Sean Reinert , both former members of Cynic. Gordian Knot , another Cynic-linked experimental progressive metal band, released its debut album in 1999 which explored a range of styles from jazz fusion to metal. The Mars Volta
7245-545: The insistence of a friend, was a vital moment in expanding his musical tastes beyond conventional guitar pop and rock. Since the death of Williams in 1997, Jack DeJohnette and John Scofield formed Trio Beyond with Larry Goldings in honour of The Tony Williams Lifetime. They released one album, Saudades (2006), on the German label ECM . In 2006, former Lifetime members Allan Holdsworth and Alan Pasqua toured with drummer Chad Wackerman and bassist Jimmy Haslip performing
7350-452: The interviewer, Jerry Jemmott , that although he had been praised often for his ability, he wished that someone would give him a job. However, the same year, he gave a much praised concert in Brussels ( Belgium ) with Toots Thielemans . Until about 1970, most jazz bassists played the upright bass, also known as the double bass . At the time, with few exceptions (such as the bass players in
7455-399: The late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music , funk , and rhythm and blues . Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock began to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll. Jazz fusion arrangements vary in complexity. Some employ groove-based vamps fixed to a single key or
7560-467: The latter part of his life he had problems holding down jobs due to his unreliability. In frequent financial difficulties, he was often homeless in the mid-1980s. He died in 1987 as a result of injuries sustained in a beating outside a South Florida after-hours nightclub. Since his death in 1987, his work has continued to be widely influential. He was elected to the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 1988 and
7665-482: The likes of Cachao Lopez , with R&B to create 16th-note funk lines syncopated with ghost notes . He played these with a "movable anchor" thumb technique on the right hand, anchoring on the bridge pickup while playing on the E and A strings and muting the E string with his thumb while playing on higher strings. Examples include "Come On, Come Over" from the album Jaco Pastorius and "The Chicken" from The Birthday Concert . Another characteristic of Jaco's playing
7770-476: The nickname. It is also believed that the nickname was partially influenced by his love for sports as well as the umpire Jocko Conlan . In 1974, he began spelling it "Jaco" after it was misspelled by his neighbor, pianist Alex Darqui. His brother called him " Mowgli " after the wild boy in The Jungle Book because he was energetic and spent much of his time shirtless on the beach, climbing trees, running through
7875-638: The original fusion genre was subsumed into other branches of jazz and rock, especially smooth jazz , a radio-friendly subgenre of fusion which is influenced by R&B, funk, and pop music. Smooth jazz can be traced to at least the late 1960s, when producer Creed Taylor worked with guitarist Wes Montgomery on three popular music-oriented albums. Taylor founded CTI Records and many established jazz performers recorded for CTI, including Freddie Hubbard , Chet Baker , George Benson, and Stanley Turrentine . Albums under Taylor's guidance were aimed at both pop and jazz fans. The merging of jazz and pop/rock music took
7980-531: The recording found Williams returning to high energy keyboard-dominated instrumental fusion reminiscent of the 1975 album On the Mountain by Elvin Jones, Jan Hammer and Gene Perla. At the time of his death Williams was writing and rehearsing with guitarist Lyle Workman (who had appeared on Williams' 1996 solo release Wilderness ) to form yet another incarnation of the Lifetime. At the time of its release, Emergency!
8085-590: The release of the Spy vs Spy album in 1986. The album was a collection of Ornette Coleman tunes played in the thrashcore style. In the same year, Sonny Sharrock , Peter Brötzmann , Bill Laswell, and Ronald Shannon Jackson recorded the first album under the name Last Exit , a blend of thrash and free jazz. Jazz-funk is characterized by a strong back beat ( groove ), electrified sounds, and an early prevalence of analog synthesizers . The integration of funk , soul , and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in
8190-414: The rock side of the equation...jazz rock first emerged during the late '60s as an attempt to fuse the visceral power of rock with the musical complexity and improvisational fireworks of jazz. Since rock often emphasized directness and simplicity over virtuosity, jazz rock generally grew out of the most artistically ambitious rock subgenres of the late '60s and early '70s: psychedelia , progressive rock , and
8295-600: The self titled album Jaco Pastorius , the track " Donna Lee " is remembered as showcasing his incredible feel and speed on the electric bass , a level of skill which had not been seen before. In his contributions to Weather Report , he is remembered for his incredibly precise and fast bass lines, played with flash and gusto. The fact that he entered the music scene at the age of only 16 has inspired future musicians such as Victor Wooten and Kinga Głyk. Jaco's legacy, while having some aspects that many find to be negative, overwhelmingly shows his unmatched skill and trailblazing in
8400-500: The singer-songwriter movement." According to jazz writer Stuart Nicholson, jazz rock paralleled free jazz by being "on the verge of creating a whole new musical language in the 1960s". He said the albums Emergency! (1969) by the Tony Williams Lifetime and Agharta (1975) by Miles Davis "suggested the potential of evolving into something that might eventually define itself as a wholly independent genre quite apart from
8505-568: The sound and conventions of anything that had gone before". This development was stifled by commercialism, Nicholson said, as the genre "mutated into a peculiar species of jazz-inflected pop music that eventually took up residence on FM radio" at the end of the 1970s. In the 1970s, American fusion was being combined in the U.K. with progressive rock and psychedelic music. Bands who were part of this movement included Brand X (with Phil Collins of Genesis), Bruford ( Bill Bruford of Yes), Nucleus (led by Ian Carr ), and Soft Machine. Throughout Europe and
8610-461: The string at a fret while plucking the string, resulting in a note that rings somewhat like a bell. Artificial harmonics, also called false harmonics, involve fretting with the left hand as usual while using a finger or thumb of the right hand at the fret an octave higher, simultaneously playing and stopping the note. ) An often cited example is the introduction to "Birdland". He used virtuosic bass lines which combined Afro-Cuban rhythms, inspired by
8715-523: The technically focused progressive metal genre by the late 1980s. Watchtower 's 1989 album Control and Resistance is one of the earliest progressive/ thrash metal albums to experiment with a jazz fusion-influenced sound. The death metal band Atheist produced albums Unquestionable Presence in 1991 and Elements in 1993 containing heavily syncopated drumming, changing time signatures, instrumental parts, acoustic interludes, and Latin rhythms. Meshuggah first attracted international attention with
8820-620: The term "jazz fusion" was coined in a review of Song of Innocence by David Axelrod when it was released in 1968. Axelrod said Davis had played the album before conceiving Bitches Brew . Miles Davis was one of the first jazz musicians to incorporate jazz fusion into his material. He also proved to be a good judge of talented sidemen. Several of the players he chose for his early fusion work went on to success in their own bands. His guitar player John McLaughlin branched out, forming his own fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra . Blending Indian classical music, jazz, and psychedelic rock, they created
8925-553: The toughest music because I knew if I could do that, I could do anything." Progressive rock , with its affinity for long solos, diverse influences, non-standard time signatures, and complex music had very similar musical values as jazz fusion. Some prominent examples of progressive rock mixed with elements of fusion is the music of Gong , King Crimson , Ozric Tentacles , and Emerson, Lake & Palmer . Jazz rock fusion's technically challenging guitar solos, bass solos, and odd-metered, syncopated drumming started to be incorporated in
9030-461: The trios Bill Evans led), bassists typically remained in the background with the drummer, forming the rhythm section, while the saxophonist, trumpeter, or vocalist handled the melody and led the band. Pastorius had other ideas for the bass player. He played an electric bass from which he had removed the frets . He played fast and loud, sang, and did flips. He spread powder on the stage so he could dance like James Brown . He joked around and talked to
9135-446: The woods, and swimming in the ocean. He attended St. Clement's Catholic School in Wilton Manors, Florida and was an altar boy at St. Clement's Church. His confirmation name was Anthony. He was intensely competitive and excelled at baseball, basketball, and football. He played drums until he injured his wrist playing football when he was thirteen. The damage was severe enough to warrant corrective surgery and inhibited his ability to play
9240-545: The world of jazz and electric bass performance. Many rock and metal bassists have expressed their admiration for Pastorius, or have cited him as an influence or inspiration to their playing. These bass players include Jeff Ament ( Pearl Jam ), Michael Anthony ( Van Halen , Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and the Circle ), Frank Bello ( Anthrax ), Rex Brown ( Pantera and Down ), Chris Chaney ( AC/DC , Jane's Addiction and Slash ), Tim Commerford ( Rage Against
9345-766: The world this movement grew due to bands like Magma in France, Passport in Germany, Time , Leb i Sol and September in Yugoslavia, and guitarists Jan Akkerman (The Netherlands), Volker Kriegel (Germany), Terje Rypdal (Norway), Jukka Tolonen (Finland), Ryo Kawasaki (Japan), and Kazumi Watanabe (Japan). Jazz metal is the fusion of jazz fusion and jazz rock with heavy metal . Animals as Leaders ' albums The Joy of Motion (2014) and The Madness of Many (2016) have been described as progressive metal combined with jazz fusion. Panzerballett blends jazz with heavy metal. Jazz pop (or pop-jazz, also called jazzy pop )
9450-404: Was a major departure from the former New Lifetime's classic fusion, with the high-energy shredding heard on Believe It and Million Dollar Legs largely abandoned in favor of a cerebral and groove-laden approach that emphasized mood and melody over technical virtuosity. As with the 1977 band the 1979-era Lifetime played a small number of live gigs and no studio recordings are known to exist. Toward
9555-400: Was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, Pastorius recorded albums as a solo artist, band leader, and as a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. He also collaborated with numerous artists, including Herbie Hancock , Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell . His bass style
9660-469: Was as unique as his playing." Many musicians have composed songs in his honour, such as Pat Metheny's "Jaco" on the album Pat Metheny Group (1978), "Mr. Pastorius" by Marcus Miller on Miles Davis 's album Amandla , and Rod Argent's "Pastorius Mentioned" on his 1978 album Moving Home . Others who have dedicated compositions to him include Randy Brecker , Eliane Elias , Chuck Loeb , John McLaughlin , Bob Moses , Ana Popović , Dave Samuels , and
9765-468: Was captured on film in black & white. The fourth and last Lifetime album for Polydor/PolyGram, 1973's The Old Bum's Rush , was recorded in Boston and features entirely new personnel consisting of female vocalist and guitarist Linda/Laura 'Tequila' Logan (Williams' love interest at the time), Webster Lewis on organ & clavinet, David Horowitz on piano, vibes, and ARP synthesizer, and Herb Bushler on bass. Tony Williams' father Tillmon Williams makes
9870-435: Was considered a "soulful" and "influential" voice. However, Kenny G was criticized by both fusion and jazz fans, and some musicians, while having become a huge commercial success. Music reviewer George Graham argues that the "so-called 'smooth jazz' sound of people like Kenny G has none of the fire and creativity that marked the best of the fusion scene during its heyday in the 1970s." In the 1990s, another kind of fusion took
9975-598: Was eight. Early American abolitionist Francis Daniel Pastorius is his ancestor. The origin of Pastorius' nickname, "Jaco", is disputed. There is an interview with Jaco's father, Jack Pastorius, that took place in 2001 hosted by Bob Miles. Jack says that he was given the nickname during his service in the Navy. He later began calling Pastorius by this nickname in his early childhood. In the Robert Trujillo documentary Jaco , Pastorius' brother said that their mother came up with
10080-604: Was filmed in color and broadcast on the French television program Pop2. Following Larry Young's departure from the band sometime after July 1972, Tony Williams was the only original member remaining. Williams performed in August 1972 with a new short-lived trio called Life Time Experience, featuring bassist Stanley Clarke and violinist Jean Luc-Ponty . Their performance at the Festival de Chateauvallon, Chateauvallon, France, on August 23, 1972,
10185-439: Was founded in 1969 as a power trio with John McLaughlin on electric guitar and Larry Young on organ. The band was possibly named for Williams' debut album as a bandleader, Life Time , released on Blue Note in 1965. Its debut album was Emergency! , a double album released on Polydor / PolyGram Records in 1969. It was largely rejected by jazz listeners at the time of its release because of its heavy rock influences, but it
10290-645: Was his use of the octave technique which is very often used with slap bass . Jaco's use of the technique with fingerstyle was revolutionary at the time, since previously it had only really been used on guitars . This technique is demonstrated on the tracks " Portrait of Tracy " from Jaco Pastorius and on " Birdland " from Heavy Weather . Another aspect of his playing was the heavy use of chromatic runs; these were played with immense speed and precision and became very characteristic of his style. These can be heard on " Opus Pocus " from Jaco Pastorius , and " Port of Entry " from Night Passage . Pastorius played
10395-519: Was influenced by funk and employed the use of fretless bass , lyrical solos, bass chords and innovative use of harmonics . As of 2017, he was the only one of seven bassists inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame to have been known for their work on the electric bass, and he has been lauded as among the best bassists of all time. Pastorius suffered from drug addiction and mental health issues and, despite his widespread acclaim, over
10500-465: Was influenced more by Jimi Hendrix and had played with English rock musicians Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger before creating the Mahavishnu Orchestra around the same time that Corea started Return to Forever. McLaughlin had been a member of Tony Williams's Lifetime. He brought to his music many of the elements that interested other musicians in the 1960s and early 1970s: counterculture, rock and roll, electronic instruments, solo virtuosity, experimentation,
10605-520: Was inspired by free jazz and punk. Examples of this style include Lydia Lunch 's Queen of Siam , James Chance and the Contortions , who mixed soul music with free jazz and punk rock, and the Lounge Lizards , the first group to call themselves punk jazz . John Zorn took note of the emphasis on speed and dissonance that was becoming prevalent in punk rock and incorporated them into free jazz with
10710-523: Was notably influential on the then-emerging genre of jazz fusion. It was also one of several albums that the members of The Allman Brothers Band listened to regularly early in their career. John Zorn named the Tony Williams Lifetime as a specific musical inspiration in the liner notes of the Naked City album Radio . British singer-songwriter Andy Partridge of XTC calls Emergency! his all-time favourite album, and says that hearing it in 1969, at
10815-429: Was replaced first by Larry Herzberg (in the summer of 1976) and then by Marlon Graves for the subsequent tour undertaken to support the album. In 1977, Williams parted ways with Graves, Pasqua, and Newton and formed another Lifetime lineup with entirely new personnel consisting of Mike Hoffmann (lead guitar), Gerry Mule′ (second guitar), Paul Potyen (keyboards), and Michael Formanek (bass). This lineup recorded demos for
10920-543: Was the group that recorded his second solo album, Word of Mouth ( Warner Bros. , 1981). In 1982, Pastorius toured with Word of Mouth as a 21-piece big band. While in Japan, to the alarm of his band members, he shaved his head, painted his face black, and threw his bass guitar into Hiroshima Bay . He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in late 1982 after the tour. Pastorius had shown signs of bipolar disorder before his diagnosis, but these signs were dismissed as eccentricities, character flaws, and by Pastorius himself as
11025-506: Was the subject of the 2014 documentary film Jaco . Pastorius was born December 1, 1951, in Norristown, Pennsylvania , the oldest of three boys born to Stephanie Catherine ( née Haapala; 1925-2001), who was of Finnish descent, and musician John Francis Pastorius Jr. (1922-2004), a singer and jazz drummer of Italian and German descent, who spent much of his time on the road. His family moved to Oakland Park near Fort Lauderdale when he
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