# The Fusion Thread



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

In this thread, please list some of your favorite Fusion albums that you find sparse and to have a somber tone with a touch of classical in it such as Sextant by Herbie Hancock and In a Silent Way by Miles Davis.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I'll start with The Black Saint and the Siner Lady by Charles Mingus.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

“Alive & Well - Recorded in Paris” by Soft Machine


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

NoCoPilot said:


> “Alive & Well - Recorded in Paris” by Soft Machine


I just put it on, I will let you know what I think of it. I'm loving it from the first note which is usually a good indication!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

What about for Weather Report?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

NoCoPilot said:


> “Alive & Well - Recorded in Paris” by Soft Machine


The guitarist got too shreddy for my tastes, and lost the sparseness of it all.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Captainnumber36 said:


> What about for Weather Report?


Best WR for "sparse and somber" is "Mysterious Traveller."


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I like the first WR album. As for the Flecktones, their 1996 double CD, Live Art, is the one I listen to these days. Very well recorded with loads of great performances. 

The first Return To Forever album is a classic. It's the one with the seagull on the cover. For something sparse I would recommend In A Silent Way by Miles. A beautiful, dreamy album to take you on a journey in your mind.


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## Nyama74 (Mar 28, 2018)

Not full-on fusion like Miles, Herbie or Weather Report but Bill Evans "From Left To Right" (1971) and "New Conversations" (1978) albums are interesting because he doubles on Fender Rhodes electric piano. More melancholic/bittersweet than somber, maybe, but you can hear the "Impressionist" influences.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Thank you so much!


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Not sure if this is sparse, but this band, across all their albums, are on the somber side.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Also, not exactly sparse, but a bit somber and also with a touch of classical.

The band usually has 7 or 8 musicians, including violin, flute, flugelhorn, sax, which may add to the touch of classical, but it's hard for a band of that size to be sparse.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)




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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Nyama74 said:


> Not full-on fusion like Miles, Herbie or Weather Report but Bill Evans "From Left To Right" (1971) and "New Conversations" (1978) albums are interesting because he doubles on Fender Rhodes electric piano. More melancholic/bittersweet than somber, maybe, but you can hear the "Impressionist" influences.



I'm really enjoying Bill Evans. Didn't he play on Kind of Blue? What are some other albums I'd enjoy, you think?


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## Nyama74 (Mar 28, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'm really enjoying Bill Evans. Didn't he play on Kind of Blue? What are some other albums I'd enjoy, you think?


Yes, he did! Most of his other albums are more traditional, acoustic jazz but if you enjoy that bittersweet/impressionistic sound, here are a few more albums & songs you might like: Everybody Digs Bill Evans (Peace Piece), Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Waltz for Debby (Waltz for Debby, Some Other Time), Undercurrent (Skating in Central Park), Moon Beams (Very Early) or New Conversations (Remembering the Rain).

If you're into vocal jazz, he did another Waltz For Debby album with Swedish vocalist Monica Zetterlund that I really love. Their styles seemed to work really well together.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

starthrower said:


> I like the first WR album. As for the Flecktones, their 1996 double CD, Live Art, is the one I listen to these days. Very well recorded with loads of great performances.
> 
> The first Return To Forever album is a classic. It's the one with the seagull on the cover. For something sparse I would recommend In A Silent Way by Miles. A beautiful, dreamy album to take you on a journey in your mind.


You would classify the first WR album as fusion? I hear no resemblance whatever to fusion. Some of Sweetnighter, maybe, but nothing earlier.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

EdwardBast said:


> You would classify the first WR album as fusion? I hear no resemblance whatever to fusion. Some of Sweetnighter, maybe, but nothing earlier.


I didn't classify anything. I simply stated that I liked the album. As the years have gone by I've come to prefer the first two albums. I wouldn't attempt to describe the music because it's certainly not traditional jazz, and it's not jazz - rock. The OP asked for something "sparse" but most fusion music is rather busy with a lot of notes, with the exception of the Miles and Shorter stuff.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Another excellent group that could be described as "sparse" is Abercrombie/ Johnson/ Erskine. I guess I would call this modern electric jazz rather than fusion but just forget the labels because it's great music. Recommended are the studio albums, Current Events, November, and Getting There with Michael Becker. And their self titled live album recorded in a Boston club in the late 80s. A superb recording. All of these are on the ECM label.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

starthrower said:


> I didn't classify anything. I simply stated that I liked the album. As the years have gone by I've come to prefer the first two albums. I wouldn't attempt to describe the music because it's certainly not traditional jazz, and it's not jazz - rock. The OP asked for something "sparse" but most fusion music is rather busy with a lot of notes, with the exception of the Miles and Shorter stuff.


Given the heading, I thought the captain was seeking sparser fusion and you were suggesting some. Anyway, I agree with all the above. The first two WR are amazing and defy classification.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

This is a classic, that meets most of what the OP is looking for.

John Abercrombie - Timeless


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Swedish band, Ragnarok seems to push many of the right buttons. Although it straddles the line between quiet fusion and prog, with some Swedish folk melodies tossed in.

Some really beautiful acoustic playing on this.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Norwegian guitarist, Terje Rypdal, has quite a few recordings in his extensive ECM catalog that may be of interest.

Rypdal's father was a classical composer and conductor, and he grew up studying classical piano and trumpet. Later, he taught himself guitar.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I think Captainnumber36 creates so many threads on the TC forum, that they forget that they opened them, and abandons them.

I am always interested in what thread starters' opinion of my recommendations in threads like this, if for no other reason than to see what others even consider fusion. 

It would be nice to know if I am close to what the OP is referring to.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

FWIW I always think your recommendations are excellent.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Simon Moon said:


> Norwegian guitarist, Terje Rypdal, has quite a few recordings in his extensive ECM catalog that may be of interest.
> 
> Rypdal's father was a classical composer and conductor, and he grew up studying classical piano and trumpet. Later, he taught himself guitar.



It started off nice and soft, but then got a bit aggressive and wasn't to my taste. So, it started off well. The reason I abandon recommendation threads, is because I tire of the genre I had initially asked for. I typically respond to a few posts, but not all in these recommendation threads.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Captain Fickle


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

starthrower said:


> Captain Fickle



I'm still quite young, 38, and getting over a mid-life crisis. I'm working towards stability of mind however.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I was 38 in 2000. That's when I started in radio. Coincidentally playing fusion and jazz music. Well the recommendations are recorded here so you can always explore at a later date depending your state of mind.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Captainnumber36 said:


> It started off nice and soft, but then got a bit aggressive and wasn't to my taste. So, it started off well. The reason I abandon recommendation threads, is because I tire of the genre I had initially asked for. I typically respond to a few posts, but not all in these recommendation threads.


Aggressive? What in the world? Have you ever heard of a climax or tension and release? If you tire of a genre this quickly, then I have ask you why in the world did you start this thread to begin with?


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'll start with The Black Saint and the Siner Lady by Charles Mingus.


This isn't a fusion album, though.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

I have a few recommendations for you and they're all on the ECM label (in no particular order):

Ralph Towner: _Solstice_










John Abercrombie: _Timeless_










Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays: _As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls_










Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vituous, Jack DeJohnette: s/t










Eberhard Weber Colours: _Silent Feet_


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

https://blog.line6.com/2022/10/28/jas-obrecht-jeff-beck-the-fusion-years-part-1-a-guitar-hero-reinvents-himself/


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