Craziest 1980s/90s fusion

[Rabshakeh]

Niacin - High Bias (Stretch, 1998)

This is the first one I've heard that I've actually really very enjoyed. It's like Dr. Lonnie Smith mixed with Gentle Giant. There's actual rhythm too, which is more than I can say for Tribal Tech.

[JSngry]

Dennis Chambers usually comes to play.

[Rabshakeh]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Dennis Chambers usually comes to play.

He's great on this. 

At the end of the day, loving jazz is all about recognising and enjoying networks of great musicians. It's a great thrill to suddenly scratch through and see a whole network whom you had never recognised. Realising that you already knew some of them and that there's more to discover yet.

Edited August 19, 2022 by Rabshakeh

[Rabshakeh]

Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm, Steve Smith – Show Me What You Can Do... (Tone Center, 1998)

For some reason, in the late nineties world of fusion, power trios became the real deal. This one could have been better than it was. Just Too Much guitar.

Edited August 23, 2022 by Rabshakeh

[Rabshakeh]

Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Diane Schuur, Dave Valentin – GRP Live In Session (GRP, 1988)

This one has one of the best write ups that Allmusic ever achieved:

Start of review:

"On this 1985 date, Diane Schur at least is interesting." 

End of review.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Rabshakeh

[Rabshakeh]

Masayoshi Takanaka – The Rainbow Goblins (Kitty, 1981)

This one is as silly as the title. The whole thing has this weird pastoral British folk vibe that sits oddly with the mixed quality 80s fusion (which could be by Casiopia or someone else).

[Rabshakeh]

Currently on this one, which has some good rhythms, including an offbeat appearance by Gerald Cleaver.

Henry Gibson – Galactic Love (Emarcy, 1992)

[Rabshakeh]

Hellborg / Lane / Sipe – Personae

Jonas Hellborg can play some bass. Too much widdly guitar but the bass is good enough to make this record for me.

As always, past 1980, widdly widdly guitar starts becoming a real issue for fusion.

 

[Rabshakeh]

Scott Henderson and Tribal Tech – Nomad

This one's towards the top of the 1980s fusion pile I guess. Still pretty stiff but not that stiff, and with an awareness of the concept of restraint. Good bass work too, and a slight sniff of late period Weather Report.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Rabshakeh

[Gheorghe]

I´m not a big connoisseur of 80/90´s fusion. 

I had to play in that period in a fusion band and maybe listened to some stuff, some sounds to enlarge my horizont. 
I think there was a Don Cherry record with more fusion instruments, and of course there was Ornette´s Prime Time", and I still liked very much the Miles of the early 80´s mostly 81 or so, when it still had more spontanious elements and was not such a "stage show" with a lotta syhthisizers how it was from the mid 80s on. 
I think I had a James Blood Ulmer thing also. 

But I was not really a listener then, I was too busy to handle my own stuff until it got worn out....

[Rabshakeh]

4 minutes ago, Gheorghe said:

I´m not a big connoisseur of 80/90´s fusion. 

I had to play in that period in a fusion band and maybe listened to some stuff, some sounds to enlarge my horizont. 
I think there was a Don Cherry record with more fusion instruments, and of course there was Ornette´s Prime Time", and I still liked very much the Miles of the early 80´s mostly 81 or so, when it still had more spontanious elements and was not such a "stage show" with a lotta syhthisizers how it was from the mid 80s on. 
I think I had a James Blood Ulmer thing also. 

But I was not really a listener then, I was too busy to handle my own stuff until it got worn out....

Those records that you mention are great, and I think any jazz fan could / should be able to enjoy them. 

This thread is perhaps more designed for the "deeper cuts" that would appeal to a hardcore fusion head who particularly likes this era.

To me, this era of fusion seems like a very arid period of music, with too much widdly guitar and complete rhythmic constipation, but I have found some gems whilst exploring, like that Niacin record.

[Rabshakeh]

I guess that this belongs here:

Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien

Apparently he trained with Lennie Tristano and Billie Bauer. Can't say that would have necessarily occured to me unprompted. 

[Rooster_Ties]

6 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Joe Satriani… Apparently he trained with Lennie Tristano and Billie Bauer.

I was (but only recently) aware of the Satriani/Tristano connection — but until just now, I had no idea he’d studied with Billie Bauer too.  Some good info here, on both…

https://www.jazzweekly.com/2020/04/joe-satriani-interview/

[Guy Berger]

I'm actually interested in recommendations owhich music from this genre+era people think has held up well!

Some positive recommendations:

1. Early Ozric Tentacles (Pungent Effulgent, Erpland, Jurassic Shift)
2. Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (w/David Torn & Chris Botti)
3. The King Crimson "ProjeKcts" (esp the ProjeKct Two studio album Space Groove, and the live recording of ProjeKct One)

 

Also, I wouldn't call it good, it's far too ridiculous, but I find that I enjoy the first Liquid Tension Experiment album.  A recording that's definitely unencumbered by excessive worries about "would this be in good taste?"

Edited September 14, 2023 by Guy Berger

[Rabshakeh]

13 minutes ago, Guy Berger said:

I'm actually interested in recommendations owhich music from this genre+era people think has held up well!

Some positive recommendations:

1. Early Ozric Tentacles (Pungent Effulgent, Erpland, Jurassic Shift)
2. Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (w/David Torn & Chris Botti)
3. The King Crimson "ProjeKcts" (esp the ProjeKct Two studio album Space Groove, and the live recording of ProjeKct One)

 

Also, I wouldn't call it good, it's far too ridiculous, but I find that I enjoy the first Liquid Tension Experiment album.  A recording that's definitely unencumbered by excessive worries about "would this be in good taste?"

The boundaries between prog, metal and fusion are pretty blurry in this period. These are some fun records.

I haven't listened to Ozric Tentacles in many years but I'm having fun doing it now.

[Guy Berger]

3 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

The boundaries between prog, metal and fusion are pretty blurry in this period. These are some fun records.

I haven't listened to Ozric Tentacles in many years but I'm having fun doing it now.

My entryway into jazz was via prog rock in the mid/late 90s.  Rush -> 70s Genesis -> Brand X -> Mahavishnu -> Miles Davis & John Coltrane

[Rabshakeh]

9 minutes ago, Guy Berger said:

My entryway into jazz was via prog rock in the mid/late 90s.  Rush -> 70s Genesis -> Brand X -> Mahavishnu -> Miles Davis & John Coltrane

That's quite a trek.

I crossed via the John Zorn landbridge from an extreme metal entry point at around the same time. 

28 minutes ago, Guy Berger said:

I'm actually interested in recommendations owhich music from this genre+era people think has held up well!

In terms of recommendations, the one that I really do recommend is Niacin, probably starting with the record upthread.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Rabshakeh

[Rabshakeh]

Frank Gambale – Live!

This record cover is basically what I had in mind when I started this thread. 

Great AllMusic review, in its entirety: "You can't live without this intense live guitar album with over 64 minutes of blazing guitar virtuosity". 

[Rabshakeh]

Greg Howe – Introspection

This one is pretty good. There's something actually at its heart, which isn't always the case with this music.

[Rabshakeh]

I'm surprised at the extent to which this 2019 record, with Brandon Ross and Melvin Gibbs, falls into this category:

Harriet Tubman – The Terror End Of Beauty

[Rabshakeh]

Henry Kaiser – Marrying For Money (1986)

This belongs here, even if it is quite creative. 

Nothing like as avant garde as Kaiser normally is. It sounds quite a lot like F Zero shredding metal fusion at points, but it is really interesting.

[unitstructures]

So this isn't exactly a match but it fits tangentially I think. 

Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

[Rabshakeh]

24 minutes ago, unitstructures said:

So this isn't exactly a match but it fits tangentially I think. 

Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

Definitely. Chuck in Pestilence and Cynic too.