Anyone else into funky jazz fusion?

boogieman

Grangousier said:

The thing with the music in the original post is that in theory I'd like it - I love McLaughlin and Bruford/UK, that sort of thing - but this particular part of the genre sounds like it needs someone who used to be a Radio 1 DJ trying to sell you on the benefits of a timeshare over stock footage of Marbella. Or, you know, something like that. 

McLaughlin is transcendent, though - the video of McLaughlin, Coryell and de Lucia at the Royal Albert Hall blew my admittedly tiny mind when it was on Channel 4 in the early 80s.

Great concert. Apparently John and Larry didn’t hit it off, I would’ve liked to have heard more of them playing together. It’s also such a shame Paco died so young, he had so much talent. If you haven’t heard Paco’s “Zyryab” album give it a listen, he was so obviously influenced by McLaughlin’s compositions but it’s a fantastic album in its own right. 

boogieman

axisus said:

boogieman said:

Also worth checking out the fairly recent John McLaughlin/ Jimmy Herring Live in San Francisco album. 

An interesting sounding combination, I wouldn't have put the two of them together.

https://youtu.be/R5dU1y-e2Ho

Romain

boogieman said:

If you haven’t heard Paco’s “Zyryab” album give it a listen, he was so obviously influenced by McLaughlin’s compositions but it’s a fantastic album in its own right. 

Thanks this one is on my list now!

EDIT: their live at Montreux in 1987 album was superb too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fbBymrdsY8

Branshen

I absolutely love that T-square and casiopea concert. The opening tune Omens of Love is brilliant and Masahiro Andoh's solo at 2:30 is one of my favourite solos of all time. 

axisus

Branshen said:

I absolutely love that T-square and casiopea concert. The opening tune Omens of Love is brilliant and Masahiro Andoh's solo at 2:30 is one of my favourite solos of all time. 

Glad to hear that someone else appreciates it! I think it's a fabulous concert, full of energy and fun

Jalapeno

Big Snarky Puppy fan !

Also Trombone Shorty, more New Orleans than pure Funk I'd say

Four Play with or without Larry Carlton

Another Schofield fan here

Mike Stern's playing is pretty is funky (though not straight up jazz-Funk), live it is real toe-tapping stuff !

And as well as Dennis Chambers, another regular Mike Stern drummer Dave Weckl is also a monster

Redlester

Do you listen to the radio? Jeff Young's show called 'The Journey' is on Jazz FM every Sunday at 10am. I think you might like it. It's billed as a show playing jazz-funk and soul-jazz, but the emphasis is definitely on the former. 

Jalapeno

Redlester said:

Do you listen to the radio? Jeff Young's show called 'The Journey' is on Jazz FM every Sunday at 10am. I think you might like it. It's billed as a show playing jazz-funk and soul-jazz, but the emphasis is definitely on the former. 

Yep !

joeW

Snarky Puppy I do like a lot and Black Focus by Yussef Kamaal from the more recent stuff.  From the 70's Joyous Lake by Pat Martino is awesome, and Billy Cobham of that time too.   I grew up on Ronnie Jordan and Jazzmatazz, which is funky jazz, but not so much fusion ...
@redlester will check out the Journey - thanks for the pointer

blobb

Ian Carr's Nucleus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO37UatFqqo

Roland

Jalapeno said:

... Dave Weckl is also a monster 

https://youtu.be/4RS5RsSPssw

jdgm

I lived it...back in the 70s.  Up to the point when it sort of got absorbed into other genres, went commercial and disco.

To me, key figures are (for instance) Herbie Hancock, Alphonse Mouzon...possibly Roy Ayers, ther are many more too - vocals inevitably came into it.. Guitarist Wah Wah Watson was on tons of records...everyone got funky to some degree.

I liked Larry Coryell's 11th House, who got very funky on 'Level One' and 'Aspect', then there was 'Back Together Again' with Mouzon which started off great but went disco.  Hancock had a huge hit with 'Chameleon' and just got funkier and funkier. "Feets Don't Fail Me" has Mouzon on it; "Secrets" has Wah Wah Watson and there's much more of varying quality.  IMO Hancock paved the way for groups like the Yellowjackets and Casiopeia.  I would say a key album is "Spectrum" by Billy Cobham. Tommy Bolin plays on that and also on the Mouzon album "Mind Transplant", on which the guitarists are Bolin and Lee Ritenour. 

I could go on for hours about this. 

And - not just a humble brag but a boast - I was at that Albert Hall concert with Mclaughlin, De Lucia and Coryell.

I was seated up in the gods but it was just bloody fantastic, one of the best concerts I have ever seen in my life.  I always remember Coryell doing an incredible duet with Paco and at the end jumping up out of his seat like a scalded cat.  Both are gone now, alas. 

Try this -  has a very good Santana solo:

axisus

@jdgm Good post!

jdgm

  I'll carry on then!   Harvey Mason, Mtume, Lenny White, Narada Michael Walden, Al Mouzon were all jazz and fusion drummer/percussionists who went into producing other funk, soul and fusion artists.....George Duke - a giant...Marcus Miller made incredible records for Dave Sanborn...Fusion got very MOR with Benson, Bob James, Grusin and Ritenour, et al but they were all fantastic players.

When you get into it, it's like one of those rock family trees; there's always someone else to discover.

The 1st track of this is a classic Sanborn carve-up with...a familiar cadence....

Bellycaster

Yes, absolutely love this stuff.

Check out this Guy's technique, Ooooooooooooooooh!

Matteo Mancuso.



I guess that's where discipline gets yer!

Bellycaster

And in case that wasn't enough for yer!



Blimey! How much talent in one room?

Bellycaster

Can't beat a bit of Spyro Gyra.



Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!

axisus

Bellycaster said:

Yes, absolutely love this stuff.

Check out this Guy's technique, Ooooooooooooooooh!

Matteo Mancuso.



I guess that's where discipline gets yer!

Ahh yes I remember them, fabulous stuff. Three amazing young musicians. How the hell does the guitar player play so clean with his fingers like that?

axisus

As we are throwing in examples, I have to add one of my faves from recent years - Dirty Loops, Work shit out: