Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 1970s Jazz Fusion

"From the earliest glimmers of America's music going electric, traditional fans accused such legends as Miles Davis and Donald Byrd of contaminating an art form so rich in history and complex in structure with the brazen commercialism and seeming simplicity of new genres like rock, soul, and funk. The accusations of selling out were only compounded by the fact that artists like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea sold far more records and reached more non-jazz fans in the 1970s with their fusion records than with their straight-ahead jazz records. Find out more about the musical hybrid that has become one of the most influential genres of music in jazz, rock, soul, and hip-hop"-- The once derided musical hybrid that is 1970s Jazz Fusion has since become one of the most influential genres of music in jazz, rock, soul, and hip-hop.The once derided musical hybrid that is 1970s Jazz Fusion has since become one of the most influential genres of music in jazz, rock, soul, and hip-hop. This book is a celebration of one of the most adventurous but unappreciated eras in popular music, wherein the traditional sounds of jazz were melded and mashed up with funk, soul, hard rock, and electronics. Even as they were accused of selling out and contaminating traditional jazz, artists like Miles Davis, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra made some of the most creative and invigorating music of the era.Full of the musicians' personal stories and anecdotes, this book provides a discussion of their albums and the cultural context for their music. That context also includes how these albums have been passed down through generations and have reverberated through the music of today, inspiring both hip-hop and electronic artists through sampling and contemporary jazz and soul artists who are less constrained by traditional genres. Though recorded decades ago, jazz fusion remains culturally vital and sonically thrilling to this very day.