44

Iazz Lvo|ut|on After 1970

1. Introduct|on

!azz rapldly losL lLs audlence ln Lhe slxLles. lree [azz from Lhe 1960's was Loo absLracL, Loo dlssonanL
and people heard Loo llLLle rhyLhm ln lL. 1he survlval of ulxleland, swlng or bebop could noL reverse Lhls
Lrend. 1he posL-war audlence consldered Lhese Loo ouLdaLed and old fashloned. ln Lhe 1960's, only
abouL slx [azz clubs remalned ln new ?ork ClLy. 1he deslre for swlnglng, rhyLhmlc muslc was fulfllled by
laLe 1930's rhyLhm and blues as well as by Lhe genres LhaL flowed forLh from lL: rock-and-roll, rock, soul
and pop. Llvls resley, 1he 8eaLles and 1he 8olllng SLones were more appeallng Lo Lhe younger
generaLlon aL LhaL Llme. 1he momenL had come for new Lrends ln [azz. 1he modal muslc of !ohn ColLrane
and Mlles uavls was perfecL for asslmllaLlng Lhe lnfluences of rock and pop muslc. 1he album A love
5opteme flL perfecLly lnLo Lhe 60's flower power movemenL, and on Mlles uavls's lasL records ln Lhe laLe
60's, such as lllles ue klllmoojoto and Mlles lo 1be 5ky, paLLerns ln Lhe rhyLhm secLlon remlnd us more of
rock and blnary muslc Lhan of LradlLlonal [azz rhyLhms. 1hls muslc was lnlLlally called [azz rock or rock
[azz. ln Lhe elghLles, Lhe Lerm fuslon denoLed comblnaLlons of dlfferenL muslcal forms wlLh rock. luslon
was Lhe maln lnnovaLlon ln Lhe sevenLles and cerLalnly Lhe mosL popular [azz movemenL ln Lhe sevenLles
and elghLles.
Cf course noL everyone was equally exclLed abouL Lhls evoluLlon. Many conservaLlve [azz crlLlcs, along
wlLh many fans of Lhe genre, found fuslon Loo commerclal. uurlng Lhese years Lhere were also muslclans
who conLlnued playlng ln Lhe [azz LradlLlon, malnsLream [azz or posL bop. noL everyone evolved ln Lhe
rock dlrecLlon. eople llke ArL 8lakey, uon Cherry, Cecll 1aylor, Cerry Mulllgan, Lee konlLz and many
oLhers remalned Lrue Lo Lhe sLyles Lhey helped develop. ln younger generaLlons of muslclans, Loo, many
keep Lo Lhe acousLlc LradlLlon and seek Lo develop lL furLher. 1hlnk, for example, of kelLh !arreLL, 8rad
Mehldau, WynLon en 8ranford Marsalls and many oLhers.


2. recursors and 1rans|t|ona| I|gures

2.1. Char|es L|oyd (1939) Lenor sax


Charles Lloyd sLudled composlLlon ln Lhe flfLles ln Los Angeles aL Lhe unlverslLy of SouLhern Callfornla
(uSC), where he meL people llke Parold Land, Lrlc uolphy and CrneLLe Coleman. Lloyd played ln Chlco
PamllLon's and Cannonball Adderley's bands and from 1963 he led hls own groups. ln 1966 he formed a
quarLeL wlLh Lhree aL Lhe Llme compleLely unknown young muslclans: kelLh !arreLL on plano, !ack
ue!ohneLLe on drums and Cecll Mc8ee, laLer replaced by 8on McClure, on bass. 1hls band played noL
only [azz fesLlvals buL on pop and rock fesLlvals as well. 1he album lotest llowet was recorded aL Lhe
MonLery !azz lesLlval buL Lhey also played ln Lhe lllmore AudlLorlum ln San lranclsco, one of rock
muslc's mosL famous venues. 1hls band greaLly lnfluenced Lhe flrsL fuslon muslclans wlLh Lhelr more
rock-orlenLed playlng sLyle. 8lnary rhyLhms were susLalned wlLh sound effecLs on Lhe plano and
comblned wlLh solo's so compelllng LhaL a Lrance-llke effecL was creaLed.



45

2.2. Gary 8urton (1943) vlbraphone

WlLh hls albums uostet and lofty loke Aooqtom, boLh from 1967, vlbraphonlsL Cary 8urLon ploneered
an early example of fuslon. 8urLon soughL Lo mlx rock rhyLhms wlLh counLry, classlcal, and [azz
lnfluences, and added Lhese Lo Larry Coryell's dlsLorLed gulLar sound. ln 1966 Larry Coryell (also 1943)
had already founded Lhe [azz-rock band lree SplrlLs. ln 1967 Lhe band recorded lLs only and now very
hard Lo flnd album Oot Of 5lqbt AoJ 5oooJ whlch lncluded 8ob Moses on drums.


2.3. Sou| Iazz

ln Lhe slxLles Lhe soul [azz movemenL became a more popular form of [azz. lL helped push [azz more ln
Lhe dlrecLlon of rock. ln Canonball Adderley's group, lL was malnly Lhe keyboardlsL !oe Zawlnul who
lnLroduced a new sound Lo [azz wlLh hls fender rhodes elecLrlc plano. 1hls sound was comblned wlLh
funky melodles and rhyLhms from gospel, soul and rhyLhm & blues. 1he band was qulLe popular and
lnsplred Mlles uavls Lo creaLe lo A 5lleot woy. AnoLher hard-bop band, Lhe Crusaders, began ln Lhe flfLles
as Lhe Modern !azz SexLeL wlLh Lhe planlsL !oe Sample and Lhe saxophonlsL WllLon lelder. LaLer Lhe band
changed lLs name Lo Lhe !azz Crusaders buL ulLlmaLely dropped Lhe word [azz" from Lhelr name
alLogeLher ln 1971. 1hey evolved from hard bop Lo more commerclal fuslon. 1hey had a hlL wlLh Lhe
slngle 5tteet llfe whlch was played ln every dlscoLheque ln Lhe world.


2.4. Cthers

ln Lhe second half of Lhe slxLles, an lnLeresL ln mlxlng muslc sLyles arlses from a wlde varleLy of
dlfferenL angles all aL Lhe same Llme. 8ock lcon lrank Zappa mlxed rock wlLh oLher genres, lncludlng [azz.
Cn hls flrsL album, for example, Lhe experlmenLal underground classlc lteok Oot! from 1966, Zappa clLes
as hls greaLesL examples Lhe [azz muslclans Cecll 1aylor, Lrlc uolphy, and Charles Mlngus, as well as Lhe
classlcal composers Ldgard varese and karlhelnz SLockhausen. Pe goes on Lo hall many oLhers ln Lhe
blues scene and Lhe folk world. Much of Zappa's work ln Lhe second half of Lhe slxLles and early sevenLles
ls qulLe [azz-orlenLed and lL cerLalnly encouraged a loL of rock fans Lo llsLen Lo fuslon and even Lo [azz. ln
facL, many well-known and even some lesser-known [azz and fuslon muslclans llke Ceorge uuke, Mlchael
8recker, 8andy 8recker, Lhe WalL broLhers, 8ruce and 1om lowler, Lrnle WaLLs, uon resLon and !ean-
Luc onLy played ln Zappa's band.
ln Lhe slxLles, Lhe llnes separaLlng rock, pop, fuslon and [azz were raLher vague ln groups llke 8lood,
SweaL & 1ears and Chlcago. 1hls lasL band lncluded saxophonlsLs Mlchael and 8andy 8recker, gulLarlsL
!ohn Abercromble and drummer 8llly Cobham.


46

3. Character|st|cs of Ius|on

1. 1he use of elecLrlc lnsLrumenLs
ln Lhe slxLles, elecLrlc organs and gulLars were ofLen presenL, buL ln fuslon Lhls elecLrlc Lrend exLended
Lo all Lhe lnsLrumenLs. lurLhermore, elecLronlc effecLs llke chorus, phaser, dlsLorLlon and wah-wah were
used Lo dlsLorL sounds.
2. 8ock rhyLhms replace Lhe LradlLlonal swlng feel. ArL 8lakey and Max 8oach's polyryLhmlc and Afrlcan
approaches are no longer Lhe norm. urummers are lnsplred by 8llly Cobham and SLeve Cadd's work.
1he hl-haL was ofLen shuL on every beaL, as ln 1ony Wllllams' playlng lnsLead of on Lhe second and
fourLh beaL as ln LradlLlonal [azz, and we hear heavy back-beaLs on Lhe snare.
3. 1he accompanlmenL ls repeLlLlve. SyncopaLed osLlnaLo flgures lnsLead of walklng develop ln Lhe bass
llne, and plano and gulLar rlffs are used lnsLead of complng.
4. 1he lmprovlsaLlons are conslsLenL wlLh Lhe modal work done by ColLrane, Corea or Pancock.
Charlle arker's and ulzzy Clllesple's bebop ls no longer a source of lnsplraLlon for de soll.


4. 1he I|rst Generat|on of Ius|on Mus|c|ans and 1he|r 8ands

4.1. M||es Dav|s (1926-1991) trumpet

under pressure from hls record company, Columbla, Mlles lncorporaLed lnfluences of Lhe popular soul
band Sly and Lhe lamlly SLone as well as !lml Pendrlx ln hls muslc ln order Lo appeal Lo a wlder audlence.
Pe soughL new sounds and found Lhem ln elecLrlc lnsLrumenLs. 1he flrsL Llme Lhls happened was on Lhe
album Mlles lo tbe 5ky ln 1968, wlLh Perble Pancock on elecLrlc plano, 8on CarLer on elecLrlc bass and on
one Lrack Lhe gulLarlsL Ceorge 8enson was added Lo Lhe qulnLeL. AbouL Lhe use of elecLrlc lnsLrumenLs
Mlles says ln hls auLoblography:

Moslcloos bove to ploy tbe losttomeots tbot best teflect tbe tlmes wete lo, ploy tbe tecbooloqy tbot wlll
qlve yoo wbot yoo woot to beot. All tbese potlsts ote wolkloq otoooJ tolkloq oboot bow electtlcol
losttomeots wlll tolo moslc. 8oJ moslc ls wbot wlll tolo moslc, oot tbe losttomeots tbot moslcloos cboose
to ploy. l Joot see ootbloq wtooq wltb electtlcol losttomeots os looq os yoo qet qteot moslcloos wbo wlll
ploy tbem tlqbt.
1



ln 1969, Mlles made Lwo albums LhaL are cruclally lmporLanL Lo Lhe evoluLlon of modern [azz: lo A
5lleot woy and 8ltcbes 8tew, boLh of whlch mlxed [azz, funk and rock rhyLhms. 1he planlsL !oe Zawlnul,
who wroLe Lhe LlLle Lrack for Lhe album lo A 5lleot woy, and whose composlLlon lbotoob's uooce was
lncluded on Lhe album 8ltcbes 8tew, was an lmporLanL facLor ln Lhe developmenL of Lhese albums.
uurlng Lhls perlod wlLh Mlles, Zawlnul played a role comparable Lo LhaL of Cll Lvans durlng 8lttb Of 1be
cool, 8lll Lvans on kloJ of 8loe and Wayne ShorLer ln Mlles's modal perlod. new muslclans were also
recrulLed for Lhe album lo A 5lleot woy: !oe Zawlnul on organ, as prevlously menLloned, Chlck Corea on
elecLrlc plano, !ohn McLaughlln on gulLar and Lhe young uave Polland on bass. 1hey were added Lo Lhe
group whlch already conslsLed of 1ony Wllllams, Perble Pancock and Wayne ShorLer. Cn Lhe album lo A
5lleot woy, Lhe producer, 1eo Macero, added loops wlLh edlLlng Lo make Lhe record long enough Lo be a

1
M. DAVIS en Q. TROUPE, Miles. The Autobiography, New York, 1989, p. 295.
47
full-lengLh L. Mlles had been conLenL wlLh some of Lhe shorLer pleces, buL Lhere [usL wasn'L enough
maLerlal Lo flll an L. 1hls problem was solved by addlng loops, whlch lenL Lhe muslc a hypnoLlc effecL.

More muslclans were added on 8ltcbes 8tew, buL afLer Lhls recordlng Mlles would never agaln play
wlLh Lhe same members of a band for very long, aL leasL, noL for as long as he had unLll Lhen. Powever, a
selecL few muslclans dld remaln wlLh hlm for long perlods aL a Llme. 1he mosL remarkable change he
made on 8ltcbes 8tew was Lo replace 1ony Wllllams wlLh !ack ue !ohneLLe. lor 8ltcbes 8tew Mlles
worked ln Lhe much Lhe same way he had on kloJ of 8loe, uslng vague skeLches, so LhaL Lhe recordlng
lLself became a creaLlve process, a composlLlon LhaL evolved durlng producLlon. 1he producer, 1eo
Macero, had Lo record everyLhlng played and Lhen connecL Lhe pleces LogeLher ln a new sequence.
uurlng Lhls perlod, Mlles opened for rock bands llke 1he CraLefull uead and SLeve Mlller. 1hls afforded
hlm Lhe opporLunlLy Lo qulL playlng ln small [azz clubs and Lo play for blg audlences ln large venues.
1he album 8ltcbes 8tew was a huge hlL and ln 1971 uownbeaL Magazlne named Mlles !azzman of Lhe
?ear. ln 1972, he recorded Oo 1be cotoet, an album wlLh soul lnfluences lnsplred by Sly SLone and !ames
8rown, buL Lhe album also lncluded lnfluences from conLemporary classlcal muslc such as Lhe muslc of
karhelnz SLockhausen. lor Lhls purpose he worked LogeLher on Lhe album wlLh aul 8uckmasLer, a young
8rlLlsh comLemporary composer. Oo 1be cotoet even reflecLed lnfluences of CrneLLe Coleman. Mlles
declded Lo play enLlrely elecLrlc and Lo sLop playlng ln small clubs alLogeLher. WlLh lo A 5lleot woy and
8ltcbes 8tew Mlles had already reached a larger, prlmarlly, whlLe audlence. WlLh hls sound on 8lq loo
and Oo 1be cotoet Mlles aLLempLed Lo appeal more Lo Lhe black, soul audlence.
Muslclans who played wlLh Mlles ln Lhe sevenLles were Lhe drummers !ack ue!ohneLLe, 8llly Cobham,
Leon ndugu" Chandler and Al losLer, Lhe percusslonlsLs AlrLo Morelra and uon Allas, Lhe bass players
uave Polland, Mlroslav vlLous and Mlchael Penderson, Lhe keyboard players Chlck Corea and kelLh
!arreLL, Lhe gulLarlsLs !ohn McLauglln, eLe Cosey and 8eggle Lucas and Lhe saxophone players SLeve
Crossman, Cary 8arLz and uave Llebman.
lrom 1973 Lo 1981 Mlles sLopped recordlng because of poor healLh. Pe wlLhdrew Lo hls aparLmenL ln
new ?ork and became a compleLe recluse. Pe sLaged a comeback ln 1981 wlLh 1be Moo wltb 1be noto,
muslc akln Lo Lhe fuslon he played ln 1973, buL less experlmenLal. AfLer 1be Moo wltb 1be noto's
release, Mlles felL well enough Lo play llve and he Loured once agaln, subsequenLly brlnglng ouL Lhe llve
album we woot Mlles. 1here followed a serles of albums ln Lhls sLyle and Mlles was Lruly back agaln,
Lourlng consLanLly. Along wlLh hls fuslon albums Mlles collaboraLed on a few blg band-llke pro[ecLs. Pe
made Lhe album Aoto wlLh alle Mlkkelborg, uloqo wlLh Mlchel Legrand and he recorded wlLh Culncy
!ones, Loo. Cn SepLember 28
Lh
, 1991 Mlles dled [usL a few weeks afLer a reunlon concerL on !uly 17
Lh
,
wlLh sldemen from hls earller perlods.
Muslclans who played wlLh Mlles ln Lhe elghLles were Lhe drummers Al losLer, vlnce Wllburn !r. and
8lcky Wellman, Lhe percusslonlsLs Mlno Cllelu and Marylln Mazur, bass players Marcus Mlller and uarryl
!ones, Lhe keyboard players 8oberL lrvlng lll and Adam Polzman, Lhe gulLar players Mlke SLern, !ohn
Scofleld, Plram 8ullock and !oe loley as well as Lhe saxophone players 8lll Lvans, 8ob 8erg and kenny
CarreLL.


An overv|ew of the d|fferent phases |n the evo|ut|on of M||es's fus|on sty|e
date character|st|cs a|bums
re-fus|on
phase
1968 1he Mlles uavls qulnLeL wlLh occaslonal
asslsLance and a flrsL, careful use of elecLrlc
lnsLrumenLs and blnary grooves.
Mlles lo tbe 5ky
lllles Je klllmoojoto
phase 1:
|n|t|a| phase
1969 1he lnsLrumenLs are elecLrlc (plano, bass,
gulLar)
lo o 5lleot woy
8ltcbes 8tew
48
phase 2:
exper|menta|
phase
1970-1973 1he muslc grows fuller, more and more
LrumpeL effecLs (wah-wah), sLereo-effecLs
and exoLlc lnsLrumenLs.
Oo tbe cotoet
8lq loo
Iock Iobosoo
llve-vll
Aqbotto
phase 3:
come-back
1981-1986 1he muslc ls less full and less experlmenLal.
More sLralghL [azz-rock.
1be Moo wltb 1be noto
we woot Mlles
uecoy
phase 4:
Marcus M|||er
per|od
1986-1991 Marcus Mlller wrlLes en produces Lhe muslc.
Cn 1oto he also plays almosL all Lhe
lnsLrumenLs hlmself. 1he muslc becomes
more pollshed.
1oto
AmooJlo
5lesto

phase S:
!""#$"%
1991 1hls ls a posLhumous album Mlles worked on
[usL before he passed away. lL ls a
collaboraLlon wlLh rappers en u!s.





Innovat|on |n post-'68 bands

1he Instruments

1he elecLrlc plano and organ replaced Lhe sLandard plano.
Mlles ofLen used more Lhan one keyboard player.
1he elecLrlc bass replaced Lhe double bass
1he addlLlon of elecLrlc gulLar and Lhe group sound
1he Lenor saxophone was replaced by Lhe soprano saxophone
1he frequenL use of more Lhan one muslclan for Lhe beaL: a drummer and a percusslonlsL.
Afrlcan and lndlan lnsLrumenLs were added. Mlles someLlmes worked wlLh lndlan muslclans on Lhe
Labla and Lhe slLar.
1he producer, 1eo Macero was very lmporLanL Lo Lhe sound of Lhe band, he was llke anoLher
member of Lhe band.


49

1he Concept of the khythm Sect|on

1he accompanlsLs played qulLe buslly, qulLe acLlvely. 1he beaL ls qulLe clear buL surrounded by a mass
of consLanLly varylng sounds. 1he band's general sound was also loud llke a rock group's and Lhe bass
played osLlnaLo flgures.

1he Shape and the Mus|ca| Structure

1he muslc was carrled by a few repeLlLlve chords or by a repeLlLlve bass llne. 1here was a move away
from bop-llke chord changes. 1hls dld noL mean LhaL Lhe harmonlc complexlLy dlsappeared compleLely.
ColLrane and McCoy 1yner had already worked ouL concepLs where a sololsL moved harmonlcally above
modal plano accompanlmenL, as Lhough Lhere would be changes. 1he saxophonlsLs and gulLarlsLs wlLh
whom Mlles worked ln Lhe sevenLles and elghLles had Lhe same approach.
1he group sound and Lhe sLrucLure of Lhe numbers was no longer deLermlned by Lhe order of Lhe solos,
buL Lhe emphasls was on ensemble playlng and lnLeracLlon.


M||e's Innovat|ve 1rumpet Sty|e

!usL llke ln Lhe slxLles, Mlles agaln played fasL llnes ln hlgh reglsLers. Pe ampllfled Lhe LrumpeL and used
all sorLs of elecLronlc effecLs.



4.2. Ius|on 8ands Led by the Var|ous Mus|c|ans Ieatured on &' ) *+,-'. /01


Weather keport Led by Wayne Shorter (1933) and Ioe 2aw|nu| (1932-2007)

AfLer leavlng Mlles's band, Wayne ShorLer and !oe Zawlnul founded Lhe successful fuslon band
WeaLher 8eporL ln 1971. 1hey would lead Lhe band for flfLeen years, WeaLher 8eporL dlsbanded ln 1986.
uurlng lLs acLlve years Lhe band had several members, a consLanL feaLure belng Lhe presence of ShorLer
and Zawlnul. 1he orlglnal group conslsLed of, ln addlLlon Lo ShorLer and Zawlnul, Mlroslav vlLous on
double bass, Alphonse Mouzon on drums and AlrLo Morelra on percusslon. Cver Lhe years Lhere were
counLless changes ln Lhe llne-up, buL on Lhe flrsL Lhree albums ShorLer, Zawlnul and vlLous were a
consLanL. 1he bass players Alphonso !ohnson, !aco asLorlus and vlcLor 8alley followed vlLous. 1he
band's mosL successful years were Lhose wlLh !aco asLorlus. 1he band saw lLs hlgh polnL wlLh Lhe
release of Lhelr besL-selllng album neovy weotbet ln 1976.
lor Lhe flrsL Lhree albums Lhelr concepL was collecLlve lmprovlsaLlon. 1he dlsLlncLlon beLween sololsL
and accompanlsL dlsappeared and was replaced by a more collecLlve approach Lo muslc. ln laLer albums,
Lhe muslc was sLrlcLly sLrucLured and Lhe band evolved Lo a more rock-orlenLed sound. !oe Zawlnul
wroLe mosL of Lhe composlLlons buL Lhe oLher group members conLrlbuLed Loo, especlally Wayne
ShorLer and !aco asLorlus. urummers who played wlLh WeaLher 8eporL lnclude ChesLer 1hompson,
eLer Lrsklne, 1ony Wllllams, SLeve Cadd and Cmar Paklm. A few percusslonlsLs who played wlLh Lhe
band for a Llme are Alex Acuna, Manolo 8adrena and uon Allas.

50
ln 1974, ShorLer made Lhe solo album, naLlve uancer wlLh Perble Pancock on plano and Lhe 8razlllan
slnger MllLon nasclmenLo. AfLer WeaLher 8eporL, he conLlnued hls career and sporadlcally produced
fuslon albums ln Lhe WeaLher 8eporL sLyle, albums such as lbootom Novlqotot from 1986. Meanwhlle,
he worked wlLh pop arLlsLs lncludlng SLeely uan and !onl MlLchell as well. ln recenL years hls muslc
reLurned Lo a more acousLlc sLyle, more ln llne wlLh Lhe muslc of Lhe Mlles uavls qulnLeL ln Lhe '60s.
!oe Zawlnul conLlnued Lhe WeaLher 8eporL LradlLlon wlLh hls own bands, WeaLher updaLe and afLer LhaL
1he Zawlnul SyndlcaLe. 8efore [olnlng Mlles uavls's band, Lhe AusLrla-born planlsL had already played
wlLh Manyard lerguson ln 1939 and wlLh Canonball Adderley ln Lhe slxLles. Pe ls Lhe speclallsL ln Lhe use
of Lhe Cberhelm, A8 and ropheL synLheslzers ln [azz.


Mahav|shnu Crchestra led by Iohn McLaug||n (1942)

ln Lhe slxLles, Lhe 8rlLlsh gulLarlsL !ohn McLaughlln was acLlve ln Lhe London rock scene along wlLh !ack
8ruce and Lrlc ClapLon. ln 1969 he debuLed as a group leader wlLh hls album xttopolotloos. 1haL same
year he emlgraLed Lo Lhe uSA Lo play ln LlfeLlme, 1ony Wllllams's fuslon band and wlLh Mlles uavls. ln
1970 McLaughlln became a dlsclple of Lhe lndlan guru Srl Chlnmoy and from LhaL Llme on he dressed ln
whlLe as Lhe guru prescrlbed.
ln 1971 McLaughlln broughL LogeLher hls own successful fuslon band: 1he Mahavlshnu CrchesLra.
1yplcal for Lhe muslc of Lhls band ls lLs mlxLure of [azz, rock and lndlan muslc. Pe furLher elaboraLed on
Lhe lndlan lnfluence wlLh hls group ShakLl LhaL feaLured, aslde from !ohn McLauglln, excluslvely lndlan
muslclans. ln Lhe sevenLles, McLauglln became known as a hlghly Lechnlcal and vlrLuoso gulLarlsL. Pe
played speclalLy gulLars wlLh double necks or gulLars wlLh exLra resonanL sLrlngs. ln Lhe elghLles,
McLaughlln formed a Lrlo LhaL was sLrongly lnfluenced by Lhe llamenco gulLarlsLs aco de Lucla and Al dl
Meola, and from Lhen on he played acousLlc gulLar more ofLen.


keturn 1o Iorever led by Ch|ck Corea (1941)

ln Lhe flrsL half of Lhe sevenLles, Chlck Corea founded Lhe fuslon band 8eLurn 1o lorever. 1he band was
on Lhe LCM label. 1yplcal for Lhe group's sound was lLs blend of [azz, rock and LaLln rhyLhms LhaL lenL Lhe
band an upbeaL, cheerful characLer. Muslclans who played wlLh 8eLurn 1o lorever aL one Llme or
anoLher are Lhe basslsL SLanley Clarke, Lhe slnger llora urlm and on one album Lhe gulLarlsL Al dl Meola.
8eLurn 1o lorever's besL-known recordlngs lnclude Lhe eponymous ketoto 1o lotevet and llqbt As A
leotbet, boLh from 1972, and nymo Of 1be 5eveotb Coloxy from 1973.
ln addlLlon Lo hls work wlLh 8eLurn 1o lorever, Chlck Corea formed many oLher groups wlLh whlch he
recorded. 8efore he meL Mlles, Chlck Corea released already albums wlLh modal composlLlons
lnfluenced by hard bop, free [azz, 8ela 8arLok's harmonles and LaLln Amerlcan rhyLhms: 1ooes lot Iooes
8ooes and lLs successor looet 5poce, boLh from 1966. lmporLanL muslclans on Lhese albums were Woody
Shaw on LrumpeL, SLeve Swallow on bass and !oe larrell on Lenor sax. lor LCM Chlck Corea broughL ouL
a few Lrlo albums wlLh Mlrouslav vlLous on bass and 8oy Paynes on drums. 1he flrsL came ouL ln 1968:
Now ne 5loqs, Now ne 5obs. Pe also made solo albums for LCM and duo recordlngs wlLh Cary 8urLon. A
powerful album from 1981 ls 1btee Ooottets, wlLh Mlchael 8recker on Lenor saxophone, Lddle Comez on
bass and SLeve Cadd on drums. lL ls an acousLlc quarLeL and Chlck's composlLlons are hlghly sLrucLured
[azz composlLlons, lnLerLwlnlng lnfluences of 8lll Lvans and classlcal muslc wlLh funky llnes. lrom Lhe
beglnnlng of Lhe elghLles, Chlck Corea worked on Lhe fuslon label C8 wlLh Lhe fuslon band 1he Chlck
Corea LlekLrlc 8and and 1he Chlck Corea AkousLlc 8and. lor a long Llme Lhe core of Lhe Lwo bands were
Lhe basslsL !ohn aLlLuccl and Lhe drummer uave Weckl.
51


L|fet|me led by 1ony W||||ams (1943-1997)

AfLer hls sLlnL wlLh Mlles ln Lhe '60s, Wllllams lefL Mlles's group ln lebruary of 1969 and formed
LlfeLlme, hls own fuslon Lrlo wlLh Larry ?oung on Lhe organ and !ohn McLauglln on Lhe gulLar. 1he Lrlo
was a fuslon of Lhe funky Pammond 8-3 organ sound wlLh Lhe rock sounds of Cream and !lml Pendrlx.
1he group wenL Lhrough some personnel changes ln lLs evoluLlon buL dld noL have much success and
Wllllams reLurned Lo more acousLlc [azz wlLh Perble Pancock's band vSC. Wllllams also played ln Lhe
fuslon band WeaLher 8eporL.

4.3. Cther Mus|c|ans from &' ) *+,-'. /01

nerb|e nancock (1940), plano and keyboards

ln addlLlon Lo acousLlc [azz Perble Pancock also played fuslon. AfLer hls perlod wlLh Mlles, Pancock
founded Lhe fuslon band Mwandlshl ln 1971. ln 1973, Perble Pancock had a hlL wlLh Lhe album
neoJbootets, a fuslon akln Lo Lhe muslc of Sly and Lhe lamlly SLone. lL ls one of Lhe besL selllng [azz
albums of all Llme. ln 1983 Pancock hlred Lhe producer 8lll Laswell. 1helr flrsL pro[ecL was Lhe album
kocklt LhaL won a Crammy for Lhe besL lnsLrumenLal 8&8 album. lLs successor, 5oooJ 5ystem, won a
Crammy ln Lhe same caLegory.
ln Lhe '80s Pancock conLlnued Lo move back and forLh beLween sLralghL-ahead [azz and elecLrlc fuslon
wlLh on one hand Lhe vSC albums and on Lhe oLher hand, 8lll Laswell's producLlons. ln Lhe '90s he
mlxed boLh worlds LogeLher.
ln 1996 Pancock won yeL anoLher Crammy wlLh Lhe album 1be New 5tooJotJ, an album wlLh rock &
pop Lunes played ln Lhe sLralghL-ahead, acousLlc [azz ldlom. ln 1998, hls LrlbuLe album Cetsbwlo's wotlJ
broughL many arLlsLs LogeLher, muslclans such as !onl MlLchell, SLevle Wonder, kaLhleen 8aLLle, Lhe
Crpheus Chamber CrchesLra, Wayne ShorLer and Chlck Corea. ln 1999, he recelved Lhree Crammy
Awards. Pancock conLlnued Lo produce successful albums such as losslbllltles ln 2003 wlLh as guesL
muslclans Lhe pop lcons Carlos SanLana, aul Slmon, SLlng, ChrlsLlna Agullera, !ohn Mayer and oLhers. ln
2007, he released Lhe album 8lver: 1he !onl LeLLers, wlLh [azz verslons of !onl MlLchell Lunes, for whlch
he won many Crammy Awards lncludlng Album of Lhe ?ear ln 2008.

Dave no||and (1946), double bass and elecLrlc bass

When Lhe 8rlLlsh basslsL uave Polland [olned Mlles's band he was, wlLh Lhe excepLlon of 1ony
Wllllams, a few years younger Lhan Lhe oLher members of Lhe group. Pe broughL ouL hls flrsL album as a
leader, coofeteoce Of 1be 8ltJs, ln 1972, afLer hls perlod wlLh Mlles. lL ls Lhe only album LhaL he made as
a band leader ln Lhe '70s. WlLh AnLhony 8raxLon and Sam 8lvers playlng horns, Lhls album pro[ecLed a
more free [azz aLmosphere. AnoLher album Polland made ln Lhe '70s was metolJ 1eots buL Lhls ls a solo
album. 1he albums LhaL uave Polland made ln Lhe '80s were already a reflecLlon of hls currenL work, buL
Lhey were also, aL Lhe same Llme, Lhe opposlLe of coofeteoce Of 1be 8ltJs. Pere, he composed hlghly
sLrucLured muslc wlLh brass colors ln Lhe foreground and Lhe occaslonal use of odd meLers. Muslclans
wlLh whom Polland worked ln Lhls perlod are kenny Wheeler on LrumpeL and flugelhorn, 8obln Lubanks
on Lrombone, SLeve Coleman on alLo saxophone and Marvln "SmlLLy" SmlLh on drums. All of uave
Polland's albums were released by LCM unLll he founded hls own record label ln 2003.
ln Lhe year 2000 uave Polland esLabllshed hls currenL qulnLeL wlLh muslclans wlLh whom he had already
worked ln Lhe 90's: 8obln Lubanks on Lrombone, SLeve nelson on vlbes and marlmba, 8llly kllson on
52
drums and a newcomer, Chrls oLLer, on saxophones. ln 2001, Lhey broughL ouL Lhe album Not lot
Notblo and ln 2003 Lhe L xteoJeJ lloy. 1he qulnLeL also formed Lhe basls for Lhe uave Polland 8lg
8and, and can be heard on wbot Coes AtoooJ from 2002 and on Ovettlme from 2003. lor Lhese bands,
uave Polland's composlLlons are based on modal grooves wlLh odd meLers. 1he rhyLhms are ofLen blnary
and rock-orlenLed, alLhough also more LradlLlonal Lernary swlng ls used, buL as a resulL of Lhe sololsL's
acousLlc lnsLrumenLs and [azz phraslng, Lhe band does noL sound llke a Lyplcal fuslon group buL on Lhe
conLrary, more llke a very conLemporary [azz band.


4.4. Cthers

1he 8recker 8rothers led by Lenor saxophonlsL M|chae| 8recker (1949-2007) and LrumpeL player kandy
8recker (1943)

1he 8recker 8roLhers band was led by Lwo broLhers ln Lhe '70s and '80s. ln addlLlon Lo playlng ln Lhelr
own band, Lhe Lwo broLhers dld sLudlo work for [usL abouL everybody, from 1he Average WhlLe 8and, Lo
8lood SweaL and 1ears, ulana 8oss and lrank Zappa.1hey had prevlously formed Lhe fuslon band ureams
wlLh 8llly Cobham and !ohn Abercromble, buL Lhe band broke up ln 1972, afLer whlch Lhe 8reckers
sLarLed Lhelr own band, named slmply Lhe 8recker 8roLhers, ln 1974. ln Lhe meanLlme Lhey had also
played ln Porace Sllver's band. 1he 8recker 8roLhers were one of Lhe mosL commerclally successful
bands of Lhe '70s. 8rass arrangemenLs are key Lo Lhelr parLlcular fuslon sLyle. AfLer Lhe '80s, Lhe broLhers
wenL separaLe ways. Mlchael 8recker played ln, among oLher bands, SLeps Ahead, vlbraphonlsL Mlke
Manlerl's fuslon band. ln Lhe 90s, Lhanks Lo Lhe acld [azz craze, Lhe 8recker 8roLhers sLaged a reunlon
wlLh Lhe albums ketoto Of 1be 8tecket 8totbets ln 1992 and Oot Of 1be loop ln 1994.


Iean-Luc onty (1942), vlolln

!ean-Luc onLy was born ln lrance. Pls faLher was a vlolln Leacher and prlnclpal of a muslc school.
When he was [usL a small boy, onLy played vlolln, plano and clarlneL. Pe graduaLed from Lhe arls
conservaLory as a vlollnlsL when he was [usL 17 years old. AfLer graduaLlon he became lnLeresLed ln [azz
muslc. Pe moved Lo Los Angeles and ln 1969 he was lnvlLed Lo play wlLh lrank Zappa. Pe broughL ouL
one album on Lhe 8lue noLe label wlLh lrank Zappa's composlLlons and he played ln Lhe Ceorge uuke
1rlo. lrom 1970 Lo 1972 he reLurned Lo lrance where he led Lhe group 1he !ean-Luc onLy Lxperlence, a
free [azz group ln whlch Lhe gulLarlsL hlllp CaLherlne and Lhe planlsL !oachlm kuhn also played. ln 1973
he seLLled ln Los angeles for good and Loured wlLh lrank Zappa, as well as wlLh Lhe Mahavlshnu
CrchesLra. lrom 1973 onLy led hls own fuslon bands. Pe played Lhe flve-sLrlng elecLrlc vlolln, Lhe flfLh
sLrlng ls a low C, and he used varlous sound effecLs ln Lhe way gulLar players dld. Pe ls a very versaLlle
muslclan, comforLable playlng many dlfferenL [azz sLyles.


Dav|d Sanborn (1943), alLo saxophone

uavld Sanborn's muslc was very successful aL Lhe end of Lhe '70s and early '80's. ln hls chlldhood he
had played alLo saxophone only brlefly buL he Look lL up agaln ln order Lo sLrengLhen hls lungs when he
was recoverlng from pollo. Pe was as a sesslon muslclan for SLevle Wonder and uavld 8owle and was a
member of Lhe Cll Lvans CrchesLra and Lhe 8recker 8roLhers band. ln 1981 Sanborn won a Crammy
53
Award for besL lnsLrumenLal rhyLhm and blues album, voyeot. Pls sLyle ls rooLed ln gospel and blues and
mlxed wlLh elecLrlc fuslon.


Dave L|ebman (1946), soprao saxophone and Lenor saxophone

ln Lhe 60's, Llebman sLudled Lheory wlLh Lennle 1rlsLano and Charles Lloyd, and ln 1973 and 1974 he
played sax ln Mlles uavls's fuslon band. uurlng Lhls perlod he also led hls own fuslon band LookouL larm,
whlch lncluded, among oLhers, Lhe planlsL 8lchard 8elrach. 1he band aLLempLed Lo blend bebop wlLh
lndlan muslc. AL Lhe end of Lhe '70 he played fuslon lnfluenced funk and Loured wlLh Chlck Corea. ln Lhe
'80s, Llebman reLurned Lo more bop-orlenLed muslc.


S. Lurope |n the Sevent|es

ln Lurope, [azz rock and fuslon bands developed slmulLaneously wlLh Lhose ln Lhe u.S. ln Lngland Lhe
mosL famous of Lhese were SofL Machlne whlch feaLured Lhe gulLarlsL Alan PoldsworLh, and Lhe 8ruford
group led by 8lll 8ruford who had been Lhe drummer of Lhe rock groups ?es and klng Crlmson. 1he
8ruford band lncluded Alan PoldsworLh and basslsL !eff 8erlln as well. ln Cermany Lhere was Lhe band
assporL as well as Lhe gulLar player volker krlegel, ln Lhe neLherlands Lhe gulLarlsL !an Akkerman and ln
norway Lhe gulLar player 1er[e 8ypdal.



54
6. 1he LCM Labe|

6.1. Introduct|on

LCM ls one of Lhe ma[or labels ln Luropean [azz. LCM ls Lhe abbrevlaLlon for LdlLlons of ConLemporary
Muslc. 1he label's headquarLers are ln Munlch. numerous Luropean buL also Amerlcan muslclans, [azz
and fuslon muslclans, release Lhelr muslc on Lhls label. LCM was founded ln 1969 by Manfred Llcher,
who was orlglnally a bass player. 1he label brlngs Lhree genres: fuslon, free [azz and classlcal muslc.
LCM's fuslon has a parLlcular sound and Lhls seLs LCM aparL wlLhln Lhe [azz genre. LCM's ls a very
lnLlmaLe form of fuslon wlLh lnfluences from folk and classlcal muslc. 1he muslc ls noL rooLed ln Afrlcan-
Amerlcan rooLs, buL ls raLher a klnd of Luropean [azz. ln Lhe label's early days, a few free-[azz muslclans
called Lhe label home, among Lhem aul 8ley, !lmmy Culffre, uon Cherry and Lhe ArL Lnsemble of
Chlcago. ln Lhe '90's Llcher also became lnvolved ln classlcal muslc, brlnglng ouL more classlcal muslc
along wlLh conLemporary muslc by composers such as Lhe posLmodernlsLs Arva arL, 1er[e 8ypdal and
MeredlLh Monk.
LCM ls a small label and hopes Lo remaln so. 1haL ls why some muslclans who sLarLed wlLh LCM, or ln
any evenL who remalned wlLh LCM for a Llme, leave afLer a whlle. Llcher exLends Lhe same Lerms Lo
everyone. AL LCM, all arLlsLs are equal ln Lerms of budgeL and sLudlo Llme eLc. Muslclans formerly wlLh
LCM who lefL Lhe label for Lhese reasons lnclude aL MeLheny, Chlck Corea and more recenLly, uave
Polland.

6.2. 1he Ma|n LCM Ius|on Mus|c|ans


Ian Garbarek (1947) Lenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, fluLes.

1he norweglan saxophone player !an Carbarek ls self-LaughL and ln hls youLh he was sLrongly
lnfluenced by !ohn ColLrane. ln Lhe '60's he played ln Ceorge 8ussell's band when 8ussell llved ln
Scandlnavla. Carbarek flrsL album on LCM ls Aftlc leppet 8ltJ released ln 1970 and lL broughL LogeLher
Lhe gulLarlsL 1er[e 8ypdal, Lhe basslsL Arlld Andersen and Lhe drummer !on ChrlsLensen. ln Lhe '70's
Carbarek played ln kelLh !arreLL's Luropean quarLeL. ln Lhe '80s he formed Lhe !an Carbarek Croup. 1he
band has had many dlfferenL members buL Lhe basslsL Lberhard Weber has been a consLanL unLlll 2007,
as has been Lhe planlsL 8alner 8runlnghaus slnce Lhe '90's as well.
!an Carbarek's sound ls very represenLaLlve of LCM fuslon. Cn hls earllesL albums Lhe lnfluence of
norweglan folk muslc ls qulLe presenL, buL on laLer albums Lhe specLrum broadened Lo lnclude lnfluences
of aklsLanl folk muslc, especlally when he Leamed up wlLh usLed laLeh All khan on Lhe album koqos &
5oqos ln 1993. lnfluences of 8enalssance muslc are apparenL ln hls collaboraLlon wlLh Lhe Plllard
Lnsemble.


ke|th Iarrett (1943) plano and many oLher lnsLrumenLs

ln 1970, planlsL kelLh !arreLL [olned Mlles, and ln facL aL Lhe Llme he played all sorLs of elecLrlc organs
and keyboards. 8ack Lhen Chlck Corea was also playlng ln Mlles's band. !arreLL and Corea played
LogeLher on, among oLher L's, Lhe album llve-vll ln 1970. kelLh !arreLL had already played wlLh ArL
8lakey and mosLly, as from 1966, wlLh Charles Lloyd. ln 1969, !arreLL lefL Lloyd's band Lo play wlLh Mlles.
kelLh !arreLL has recorded on LCM slnce 1971. kelLh !arreLL's work ls noLable for lLs greaL varleLy: ln Lhe
flrsL place come hls solo plano albums. Pe plays plano muslc compleLely lmprovlsed on Lhe spoL. 1he flrsL
55
such album, locloq oo, ls a sLudlo album LhaL daLes from 1971. MosL of Lhe solo albums were
recordlngs of llve concerLs, mosL noLable of Lhls ls hls famous 1be kolo coocett from 1973. 1he album
1be MeloJy At Nlqbt wltb oo from 1999, LhaL was recorded aL !arreLL's home, en[oys a raLher unlque
place ln Lhls dlscography of solo plano albums because lL ls an album of sLandards. ln second place come
!arreLL's solo pro[ecLs on whlch he plays noL only plano or even plays no plano aL all. 1hls serles began
somewhaL unhapplly wlLh Lhe lnlLlal blunder kestototloo kolo from 1968, before hls LCM perlod, on
whlch !arreLL played, aslde from Lhe sLrlng quarLeL, all Lhe lnsLrumenLs, down Lo and lncludlng Lhe vocals.
LaLer !arreLL repeaLed Lhls klnd of experlmenL wlLh more success, such as on Lhe album lovocotloos from
1980 ln whlch he played soprano saxophone and organ, as well as on Lhe album 5pltlts ln 1983 on whlch
he overdubbed all Lypes of lnsLrumenLs and vocals. A Lhlrd sallenL aspecL of !arreLL's work ls Lhe classlcal
or seml-classlcal naLure of hls composlLlons, lncludlng or excludlng lmprovlsaLlon by [azz muslclans, for
example on hls albums 2eoo Atbot ln 1973 and 1be celestlol nowk ln 1980. lourLhly, Lhere are albums
wlLh a more LradlLlonal [azz seL-up: a Lrlo or a quarLeL. lrom 1967 Lo 1976 !arreLL led a Lrlo wlLh basslsL
Charlle Paden and drummer aul MoLlan, and Lhe Lrlo was ofLen exLended Lo a quarLeL wlLh Lhe addlLlon
of uewey 8edman on Lenor sax. ln Lhls band we flnd lnfluences boLh of 8lll Lvans and CrneLLe Coleman,
ln addlLlon Lo elemenLs of world muslc, as well as Lhe use of rubaLo lmprovlsaLlon, group-based vamps
and solos. 1hese elemenLs are all Lyplcal of kelLh !arreLL's sLyle. Many of Lhls "Amerlcan" quarLeL's
albums were noL released on LCM buL on Lhe ALlanLlc or on Lhe lmpulse labels. 1he quarLeL's flrsL album
recorded for LCM, 1be 5otvlvot's 5olte from 1976, was also Lhe quarLeL's lasL sLudlo album. kelLh !arreLL
had namely already sLarLed a "Luropean" quarLeL wlLh !an Carbarek on Lenor sax, alle uanlelsson on
bass and !on ChrlsLensen on drums. 1helr flrsL album 8elooqloq was recorded ln aprll 1974. 1he quarLeL
remalned LogeLher unLll 1979.
AL Lhe Llme of Lhls wrlLlng, kelLh !arreLL leads a Lrlo wlLh !ack ue!ohneLLe on drums and Cary eacock
on bass. 1he group acLually flrsL goL LogeLher ln 1977 Lo record 1oles of Aootbet, an album by Cary
eacock, whlch aL Lhe same Llme heralded !arreLL's renewed collaboraLlon wlLh !ack ue!ohneLLe, hls
former colleague ln Charles Lloyd's band. ln 1983 Lhe Lrlo recorded Lhe album 5tooJotJs vol. 1, Lhe flrsL
ln a serles of sLandard albums. volome l was publlshed ln 1983. Around LwenLy albums of sLandards
followed, as well as a few free albums, loslJe Oot ln 2000 and ln 2002 Lhe album Alwoys let Me Co. kelLh
!arreLL conslders free an lmporLanL parL of Lhe [azz LradlLlon. MosL of Lhe Lrlo albums are llve concerL
recordlngs.
kelLh !arreLL's sLyle of plano playlng ls a mlx of dlfferenL ldloms, we noLe lnfluences of 8lll Lvans buL
also hlnLs of LwenLleLh cenLury composers such as 8arLok, 8avel and 8erg. lurLhermore, we also hear
Louches of gospel, counLry, rock and free [azz. 1he general aLmosphere of hls muslc ls ofLen more
classlcal Lhan [azzy. !arreLL's phraslng ls akln Lo a horn player's, perhaps because he also plays sax and
Lherefore Lhlnks vocal, !arreLL slngs, (or moans) more or less conLlnuously along wlLh Lhe plano, much Lo
Lhe dlsmay of many llsLeners. kelLh !arreLL lnfluenced many modern planlsLs such as: 8obo SLenson,
8lchle 8elrach, Lyle Mays, Lsb[rn Svensson and 1ord CusLavsen.


56

8obo Stenson (1944) plano

1hls Swedlsh planlsL began hls career LogeLher wlLh Lhe Swedlsh saxophonlsL 8r[e lredrlksson and he
Loured wlLh SLan CeLz ln 1968. lrom 1973 Lo 1976 he led a quarLeL wlLh !an Carbarek. 1hey recorded Lhe
album wltcbl-1ol-1o ln 1973 and Lhe album uoosete ln 1973. ln Lhe '80s SLenson developed an lnLeresL ln
LasLern muslc and, LogeLher wlLh Lhe 1urklsh drummer Ckay 1emlz, he founded Lhe group CrlenLal Wlnd.
ln Lhe '90s SLenson was parL of a Lrlo along wlLh Lhe drummer !on ChrlsLensen and Lhe basslsL Anders
!ormln. 1hey recorded Lhe album keflectloos ln 1993, wot Otpboos ln 1997 and 5etlolty ln 1999. 1helr
sLyle ls a blend of LradlLlonal [azz wlLh folk, Cuban, 20Lh cenLury avanL-garde and free [azz lnfluences.
1hey play malnly orlglnal composlLlons buL also LradlLlonal Swedlsh folk muslc and composlLlons by
CrneLLe Coleman, Pans Llsler, Charles lves, and even Alban 8erg as well. 1he Lrlo recorded CooJbye ln
2003, wlLh Lhe drummer aul MoLlan.


Lberhard Weber (1940) double bass

Weber ls a Cerman bass player. ln hls youLh he played cello buL laLer swlLched Lo bass. As of 1972
Weber plays a flve sLrlng elecLrlc bass, wlLh an addlLlonal hlgh sLrlng. 1he sound of Lhls lnsLrumenL ls
Lyplcal for hls muslc. ln 1972 he played ln a fuslon band along wlLh Lhe uave lke and Lhe gulLarlsL volker
krlegel. Weber's flrsL album, 1be coloots of cbloe ln 1973, broughL hlm lnLernaLlonal fame. Pe sLarLed hls
own band, Colours, ln 1974 and ln Lhe '70s he was a member of 1he unlLed !azz and 8ock Lnsemble and
slnce 1980 he plays ln Lhe !an Carbarek Croup. ln 1993, he released an album conslsLlng solely of
overdubbed bass leoJolom.
We noLe no Afrlcan-Amerlcan lnfluences ln Lberhard Weber's sLyle buL an aesLheLlc wlLh an emphasls
on melody and composlLlon. Pere he ls lnfluenced by SLeve 8elch who also employs osLlnaLo flgures ln
dlfferenL volces.


kenny Whee|er (1930) LrumpeL and flugelhorn

Wheeler ls Canadlan born and he sLudled aL Lhe ConservaLory of 1oronLo. ln 1932 Wheeler moved Lo
London. AL Lhe end of Lhe '60s and early '70s, he malnly played free [azz, wlLh among oLher muslclans
1ony Cxley and AnLhony 8raxLon. ln 1976 Wheeler founded Lhe Lrlo AzlmuLh LogeLher wlLh planlsL !ohn
1aylor and slnger norma WlnsLone. Wheeler's brlghL, lyrlcal and relaxed playlng sLyle ls qulLe compaLlble
wlLh Lhe LCM sound. Wheeler composes and arranges mosL of hls work hlmself. A good example of hls
sLyle of composlLlon and arrangemenL ls hls album Moslc lot lotqe AoJ 5moll osembles from 1990.


Iohn Abercromb|e (1944) gulLar

Abercromble sLudled aL Lhe 8erklee College of Muslc, and seLLled ln new ?ork ln 1969, playlng flrsL
wlLh Chlco PamllLon and Lhen ln SpecLrum, 8llly Cobham's fuslon band. Slnce 1973 he has led Lhe band
CaLeway, a Lrlo wlLh uave Polland and !ack ue!ohneLLe. ln addlLlon, Abercromble has released many
oLher LCM albums under hls own name as well as duo albums wlLh 8alph 1owner.


57

ka|ph 1owner (1940) acousLlc gulLar

1owner ls one of Lhe few acousLlc gulLar players ln fuslon. Pe sLarred as a guesL on l 5loq 1be 8oJy
lecttlc by WeaLher 8eporL and he laLer became one of Lhe founders of Lhe fuslon group Cregon, wlLh
Clen Moore, aul McCandless and Colln WalcoLL, a group LhaL performed a blend of classlcal muslc wlLh
[azz, rock, folk and lndlan muslc. 1owner's own composlLlons are lmpresslonlsLlc synLheses of folk and
[azz.


au| Mot|an (1931) drums

aul MoLlan ls one of Lhe mosL lnfluenLlal modern drummers. Pls career flrsL peaked very early when
he became drummer for Lhe legendary 8lll Lvans 1rlo wlLh ScoLL Lalaro on bass. As of 1974 MoLlan
began Lo compose and Lo record albums under hls own name for Lhe LCM label, where he developed a
more aLmospherlc, very complex personal sLyle. Cn some of hls albums, MoLlon leads a Lrlo wlLh
saxophonlsL !oe Lovano and gulLarlsL 8lll lrlsell. ln hls muslc, we flnd a mlxLure of old and new, lncludlng
modern lnLerpreLaLlons of sLandards, composlLlons by Monk or 8lll Lvans as well as orlglnal work.


6.3. Watt

WaLL ls a label wlLhln LCM LhaL prlmarlly brlngs ouL Lhe muslc of planlsL Carla 8ley and her husband,
bass player SLeve Swallow.


Car|a 8|ey (1938) plano and keyboards

Carla 8ley ls one of a very small, selecL group of female bandleaders. 8ley ofLen leads larger
ensembles for whlch she composes, arranges and plays keyboards. She ls one of Lhe mosL orlglnal and
creaLlve composers ln conLemporary [azz. Per ldlom ls a mlxLure of old fllm muslc, gospel, blues, kurL
Welll and Pans Llsler. ln addlLlon, she composes for oLher bands, Loo, for example for Cary 8urLon, aul
8ley, Mlke ManLler, Ceorge 8ussell and !lmmy Cluffre. 8ley also records dueLs wlLh her currenL husband
SLeve Swallow.


Steve Swa||ow (1940) bass gulLar

SLeve Swallow began hls career as a bass player wlLh !lmmy Culffre, SLan CeLz and Cary 8urLon. AfLer
LhaL he swlLched Lo elecLrlc bass. Swallow ls one of Lhe key flgures ln developlng a vocabulary for Lhe
elecLrlc bass ln [azz. nowadays he plays malnly as sldeman wlLh Carla 8ley, !ohn Scofleld and aul 8ley.
Pe also records hls own albums under hls own name. Swallow ls a prollflc composer and some of hls
composlLlons have become sLandards of modern [azz, mosL noLably lollloq Ctoce and lJetJowo.

6.4. Cthers

Cf course Lhls llsL ls Loo shorL Lo lnclude many arLlsLs on Lhe LCM label, many have only been
menLloned ln Lhe marglns as sldemen. CLhers were dlscussed ln oLher conLexLs. CLher lmporLanL arLlsLs
58
who made LCM recordlngs lnclude Lhe vlbraphonlsL Cary 8urLon, planlsLs Chlck Corea and !ohn 1aylor,
drummers !ack ue!ohneLLe, eLer Lrsklne, gulLarlsLs LgberLo ClsmonLl, aL MeLheny and 1er[e 8ypdal,
saxophonlsLs aul McCandless and uave Llebman, Lhe slnger norma WlnsLone, and Lhe basslsLs Cary
eacock, Arlld Anderson, Anders !ormln and uave Polland.


7. 1he Next Generat|on of Ius|on Mus|c|ans

Iaco astor|us (1931-1987) elecLrlc bass

asLorlus played wlLh 8lood SweaL and 1ears, he played on aL MeLheny's debuL album and up unLll
1982, asLorlus played wlLh Lhe fuslon band WeaLher 8eporL. ln addlLlon Lo hls acLlvlLles as a sldeman, he
also released hls own album. Pls debuL album from 1973 ls enLlLled slmply Ioco lostotlos. lL's sequel,
wotJ of Mootb, was released ln 1980. Many blg names ln [azz and fuslon, names llke Perble Pancock,
1ooLs 1hlelemans, Mlchael 8recker and 8andy 8recker appear on hls albums. !aco asLorlus ls a much
lmlLaLed basslsL and he lnfluenced a whole generaLlon of elecLrlc bass players, [usL as ScoLL Lalaro had
done for Lhe acousLlc bass. 1yplcal of asLorlus's sLyle ls Lhe sound of Lhe freLless bass and rapld, vlrLuoso
bass llnes ln, lmprovlsed or noL, ln slxLeenLh noLes paLLerns. asLorlus's sound ls hallmarked by broad,
slnglng melodlc passages as well. WlLh lLs mlx of dlfferenL sLyles, asLorlus's approach ls as lL were Lhe
lncarnaLlon of fuslon. Cn hls albums we hear lotple noze by !lml Pendrlx, Lhe 8eaLles' 8lockbltJ, Cloot
5teps by ColLrane, uoooo lee by Charlle arker as well as lnsplraLlon from uuke LlllngLon, reggae and
soul, and, mosL noLably, we hear all of Lhese lnfluences lnLerLwlned wlLh one anoLher. asLorlus dled as a
resulL of ln[urles susLalned ln a brawl. AfLer hls deaLh, many albums were broughL ouL LhaL may noL have
been released had hls premaLure deaLh noL rendered asLorlus a legend. 1hese albums lnclude some
solo albums and a few albums ln Lrlo, among Lhese ls one wlLh Lhe gulLarlsL Plram 8ullock, whlch was
recorded llve wlLh a very dublous sound quallLy.

Iohn Scof|e|d (1931) gulLar

Scofleld sLudled aL Lhe renowned 8erklee College of Muslc wlLh Cary 8urLon and Mlck Coodrlck. ln hls
muslc, we noLe a mlxLure of [azz LradlLlon wlLh elecLrlc blues, gospel, soul and rock. Scofleld Loured wlLh
8llly Cobham and Ceorge uuke ln Lhe '70s as a replacemenL for !ohn Abercromble. Pe worked wlLh many
dlfferenL muslclans, lncludlng Cary 8urLon, Charles Mlngus, 8lchle 8elrach and uave Llebman. lrom 1982
Lo 1983 Scofleld played ln Mlles uavls's fuslon bands. AfLer LhaL he made a serles of records under hls
own name.
Scofleld sLarLed hls flrsL band ln 1977 Lo do a Luropean Lour, whlch led Lo Lhe creaLlon of Lhe album
Iobo 5coflelJ llve. 1he band feaLured planlsL 8lchle 8elrach, basslsL Ceorge Mraz and drummer !oe
La8arbera. Scofleld made several albums ln Lrlo: wlLh basslsL SLeve Swallow and drummer Adam
nussbaum 5bloolo and Oot llke A llqbt ln 1981 ooJ ln 2003 Iobo 5coflelJ 1tlo llve o koote wlLh SLeve
Swallow and drummer 8lll SLewarL. ln Lhe '80s Scofleld released a whole serles of fuslon albums LhaL
were malnly funk, rock and pop lnsplred. 1hese lnclude looJ Iozz and llck nlts llve on Lhe Cramma
vlslon label ln 1987. Scofleld Lransfered Lo Lhe 8lue noLe label ln 1989 and made Lhe album 1lme Oo My
nooJs, LhaL slgnaled a new dlrecLlon ln hls muslc. WlLh saxophonlsL !oe Lovano, basslsL Charlle Paden
and drummer !ack ue!ohneLLe, he reLurned Lo enLlrely acousLlc sounds. When Scofleld changed labels
agaln ln 1996, hls muslc regressed back Lo more elecLrlc and more rock-orlenLed fuslon. Lxamples of Lhls
are Lhe albums he broughL ouL wlLh hls band 1he !ohn Scofleld 8and: 1be Iobo 5coflelJ 8ooJ. ubetjom ln
2002 and up All Nlqbt ln 2003.
59

!ohn Scofleld's muslc comblnes blues, counLry, soul and funky grooves, ofLen wlLh complex harmonlc
chords.


at Metheny (1934) gulLar

Lven when [usL a Leenager, MeLheny occaslonally played ln Cary 8urLon's band. ln 1974 8urLon lnvlLed
hlm Lo [oln hls quarLeL. AL Lhls Llme MeLheny also began Leachlng aL Lhe 8erklee College of Muslc. Pls
debuL album as leader, 8tlqbt 5lze llfe ln 1976, was recorded wlLh drummer 8ob Moses and basslsL !aco
asLorlus. 8tlqbt 5lze llfe ls an album wlLh MeLheny's orlglnal composlLlons. 1hereafLer MeLheny
released an album almosL every year. lor hls second album ln 1977 MeLheny called upon a sLar bass
player yeL agaln, Lhls Llme Lhe basslsL Lberhard Weber who aL LhaL Llme was on Lhe LCM label. ln 1978
MeLheny sLarLed hls very successful band: 1he aL MeLheny Croup. Slnce lLs lncepLlon Lhe band has
known nearly LhlrLy dlfferenL formaLlons, buL Lyle Mays on keyboards has been a consLanL LhroughouL.
Mays has also co-wrlLLen several numbers.
MeLheny ls one of Lhe few [azz muslclans who has been masslvely successful wlLh a young audlence.
Pls muslc ls accesslble Lo a wlde specLrum of llsLeners, Lhanks Lo lLs focus on melody as well as lLs
dreamy aLmosphere. Pls gulLar playlng ls more lyrlcal Lhan LhaL of, for example, Lhe gulLarlsL !ohn
McLaughlln or oLher fuslon gulLar players. MeLheny menLlons !lm Pall and Wes MonLgomery as hls maln
lnfluences. ln hls muslc MeLheny mlxes LradlLlonal [azz language wlLh very Amerlcan-soundlng counLry
elemenLs LhaL recall hls MldwesLern rooLs. Many crlLlcs and [azz purlsLs flnd Lhe muslc of aL MeLheny
Loo sofL and Loo llghL. 1he aL MeLheny Croup's fuslon composlLlons, wlLh Lhelr 8razlllan lnfluence,
vocallzaLlons wlLhouL words, coupled wlLh Mays's synLheslzer sounds LhaL creaLe aLmospherlc carpeL of
sound, do lndeed sound aL Llmes raLher superflclal and poppy. 8uL one musL noL forgeL LhaL aL MeLheny
ls also one of Lhe besL and mosL lnnovaLlve conLemporary gulLarlsLs and LhaL he ls hlghly respecLed by hls
colleagues. roof of Lhe hlgh esLeem ln whlch MeLheny ls held may be found on Lhe numerous Cus by
oLher muslclans LhaL feaLure MeLheny as a sldeman. MeLheny may be heard on Cus by uave Llebman,
Mlchael 8recker and 8lll lrlsell, among oLhers.
ln addlLlon Lo hls albums wlLh 1he aL MeLheny Croup, MeLheny also recorded albums ln Lrlo, albums
such as Ooestloo AoJ Aoswet ln 1990, wlLh uave Polland on bass and 8oy Paynes on drums, as well as
1tlo 99-00 and 1tlo llve ln 2000 wlLh Larry Crenadler on bass and 8lll SLewarL on drums. MeLheny also
broughL ouL many solo, duo, quarLeL and fllm pro[ecLs. ln hls [azz pro[ecLs MeLheny does noL shy away
from Lhe free [azz lnfluence. ln 1983 MeLheny even made an album wlLh CrneLLe Coleman, 5ooq \, whlch
shows clearly LhaL MeLheny ls equal Lo Coleman, and LhaL hls playlng flLs perfecLly ln Lhe genre. lree [azz
even appears on a few albums broughL ouL by Lhe aL MeLheny Croup, for example such composlLlons as
Offtomp from Lhe eponymous album recorded ln 1981.

60

at Metheny's Innovat|on

Lxamp|es
1. Pe lnLroduced Lhe chorus sound (gulLar effecL) ln [azz
wlLh hls use of dlglLal delay and mulLlple ampllflers.

2. Pe uses several Lypes of acousLlc gulLars, someLlmes wlLh
speclal Lunlng such as Lhe so-called nashvllle" Lunlng
sLyle.

Lxamples of nashvllle Lunlng: 5oeoo
coo Mexlco (album: New cbootoopoo
1978)
lbose uooce (album: lot Metbeoy
Ctoop 1978)
3. Pe lnLroduced Lhe counLry sLyle of gulLar sLrummlng Lo
[azz.
New cbootoopoo
(album: New cbootoopoo 1978)

4. Pe ls Lhe flrsL Lo use open Lunlng on an elecLrlc 12-sLrlng
gulLar ln a [azz conLexL.

lceflte (album: wotetcolots 1977)
5oo loteozo (album: lot Metbeoy
Ctoop 1978)
3. Pe ls Lhe flrsL Lo begln Lo use speclal acousLlc gulLars
wlLhln a [azz conLexL. Pe owns a gulLar wlLh 42-sLrlngs, a
slLar gulLar, soprano gulLar, a barlLone gulLar, and so on.
ln cooperaLlon wlLh Lhe Candese luLhler Llnda Manzer, he
developed new concepLs.
SlLar gulLar: 1eots of kolo (album:
8eyooJ 1be Mlssootl 5ky)
42-sLrlng lkasso gulLar: loto 1be
uteom (album: lmoqlooty uoy 1997)
barlLone gulLar: Lhe soloalbum for Lhls
lnsLrumenL: Ooe Oolet Nlqbt (2003)
6. Pe also develops speclal elecLrlc gulLars such as Lhe mlnl-
soprano gulLar and Lhe elecLrlc slLar gulLar.

mlnl soprano gulLar: lettet ltom nome
(album lettet ftom nome 1989)
elecLrlc slLar gulLar: lost 1tolo nome
(album: 5tlll llve (1olkloq) 1987)
7. MeLheny lnLroduces Lhe gulLar synLheslzer Lo [azz. Ate oo Coloq wltb Me (album
Offtomp 1981)
8. lnLroduced Lhe freLless classlcal gulLar Lo [azz lmoqlooty uoy (album: lmoqlooty uoy
1997)
9. MeLheny ls Lhe flrsL Lo use more Lhan one gulLar on sLage,
employlng gulLar sLands whlch enable hlm Lo play several
dlfferenL gulLars ln one slngle Lune.





M|ke Stern (1934) gulLar

AnoLher former Mlles gulLarlsL from Lhe '80s ls Mlke SLern, who played ln Mlles uavls's band from
1981 Lo 1983. SLern can be heard on Lhe albums 1be Moo wltb 1be noto and we woot Mlles, among
oLhers. SLern lefL a sLrong mark on Lhls lasL album especlally. Pe was lnfluenced by 8. 8. klng and !lml
Pendrlx, and developed an lnLeresL ln [azz durlng hls sLudles aL 8erklee College of Muslc wlLh aL
MeLheny and Mlck Coodrlck. ln 1976 SLern [olned Lhe group 8lood SweaL And 1ears upon aL MeLheny's
recommendaLlon. Pe has also played wlLh 8llly Cobham, !aco asLorlus, 1he 8recker 8roLhers and SLeps
Ahead. SLern's rock sound and hls sLyle of playlng remlnlscenL of !lml Pendrlx formed a new sound ln
fuslon muslc ln hls day. uurlng Lhls perlod SLern began maklng albums as a leader.
61


Steps Ahead, led by vlbraphonlsL M|ke Ma|n|er| (1938)

AL Lhe end of Lhe 70s Lhe vlbraphonlsL Mlke Manlerl founded Lhe fuslon band SLeps Ahead. 1he group
was lnlLlally concelved ln 1979 as a regularly scheduled [am aLLended by several muslclans ln a 7Lh
Avenue club ln new ?ork ClLy. 1he group's orlglnal llneup was: Mlchael 8recker on Lenor saxophone, uon
Crolnlck on plano, eLer Lrsklne on drums, Lddle Comez on bass and Lhe leader, Mlke Manlerl, on vlbes.
AfLer Lourlng !apan, Lhey declded Lo record an album. Lllane Lllas played plano on Lhe flrsL album and
Warren 8ernhardL played plano on Lhe second. Crolnlck saL ln durlng llve performances. 1he llneup
changed on Lhe albums LhaL followed buL Lhe band was a launch pad for young LalenL such as eLer
Lrsklne, Lllane Lllas, vlcLor 8alley, Warren 8ernhardL, Chuck Loeb, uarryl !ones, Mlke SLern and !lml
1unnel.