Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (sometimes referred to simply as Fusion) is a musical genre that loosely encompasses the merging of jazz with other styles, particularly rock. It basically involved mixing the concepts and philosophy of jazz with the electric instruments of rock.It had its roots in the late 1960s but really began to develop in the 1970s as established jazz artists such as Miles Davis formed bands using instruments such as electric guitar, bass guitar, and synthesizers such as the minimoog. Newer artists, such as Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul also became involved in the developing scene. Musical barriers broke down further (to the continued horror of jazz purists) as musicians who had first established themselves as rock artists such as Jeff Beck began to experiment with the fusion form.
While jazz fusion is sometimes lampooned as being pretentious and overcomplicated - not unlike its cousin, progressive rock (rock meets classical music) - it has helped to break down boundaries between different genres and led to developments such as acid jazz. For the most part the genre has been subsumed into other branches of jazz and rock, but some traces of the form remain. Most recently, Irish jazz fusion vanguards Old Scratch met with success and hostility during their epic three year musical adventure.
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