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Posted

Niacin - High Bias (Stretch, 1998)

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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.

Posted (edited)
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 by Rabshakeh
Posted (edited)

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

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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 by Rabshakeh
Posted (edited)

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

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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 by Rabshakeh
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Masayoshi Takanaka – The Rainbow Goblins (Kitty, 1981)

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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).

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

Hellborg / Lane / Sipe – PersonaeR-1557799-1228238130.jpg

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.

 

  • 10 months later...
Posted (edited)

Scott Henderson and Tribal Tech – NomadR-1264744-1204814532.jpg.3ec8ab17d3e445d575c98af9d6d2b12d.jpg

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 by Rabshakeh
Posted

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....

Posted
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.

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

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 by Guy Berger
Posted
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.

Posted
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

Posted (edited)
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 by Rabshakeh
Posted

Frank Gambale – Live!R-7266669-1439042518-9047.jpg.5230720a618a9d9a80961459819f07e9.jpg

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". 

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Henry Kaiser – Marrying For Money (1986)

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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.

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