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Jazz-Rock Italian Style

Jazz in the Italian peninsula was not quite as popular in the 1960s as it was in the countries to its north but the Progressive Rock mania carried with it a component of Jazz that many of the classically- and blues-rock-trained musicians appreciated. Some even latched onto the progressive events and waves occurring within the Jazz circles--especially the fiery Power Rock and power Jazz-Rock Fusion that was coming out of the Anglo-American world. Bands like the The Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Band of Gypsies, Cream and, later, Tony Williams Lifetime, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Return To Forever definitely sparked some imitation and inspiration from Italian musicians.      The list that follows mentions some of the bands, artists, and their albums that expressed some of Italy's most Jazz-Rock and Jazz-Rock Fusion-oriented experiments and passions--all of which followed the explosion that occurred in August 1971 when John McLaughlin's first incarnation of The Mahavish...
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The Women in Jazz & Jazz-Rock Fusion

I'm not sure why female artists are so few in both the Prog World as well as that of Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion: I'm not sure if it's due to lack of interest, cultural discrepancies in education and societal norms, or mysogynistic behaviors from men, but there are definitely fewer women in the non-classical musical genres than population demographics would predict. I am compiling a list of the women who managed to make a name for themselves in the bloom of classic Jazz-Rock Fusion (and Prog). (Names printed in red connote Jazz and/or Jazz-Rock Fusion artists.) Patti Austin   / vocalist  (Bob James et al.)  Mireille Bauer   / percussionist  (Gong, Édition Spéciale, John Greaves, Art Zoyd)  Madeleine Bland / cello, piano, harmonium, backing vocals (Fuschia) Carla Bley / composer Angela Bofil / vocalist, bandleader Máire Brennan / vocalist, harpist Dee Dee Bridgewater / vocalist Valéry Btesh / vocalist (Tangerine, solo, Pollen) Jill Child /  vocalist ...
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Brand X

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A relative late-comer to the Jazz-Rock game, Brand X came together in the wake of the tumult and tremors that the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever had created. The brainchild of bassist Percy Jones and keyboard specialist Robin Lumley, the band started out as a practice band, jamming for long hours whenever the members had the time or need or desire to get their willies out. M uch of their efforts were stylized after the most recent incarnation of the American Fusion band Return To Forever. ATOMIC ROOSTER guitarist John Goodsall was an occasional member of these jam sessions.  Things took a more serious turn when ISLAND RECORDS expressed interest in recording their material. With this new impetus, Lumley and Jones got more serious about creating a stable ensemble of committed musicians in order to fulfill the Island Records' hope for an in-house band. Though Lumley and Jones had been actively trying to recruit drummer Bill Bruford for the band, Percy had recently befriend...
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Freddie Hubbard

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Prolific and highly energetic, Freddie Hubbard is one of the jazz musicians whose boundless energy seemed to serve his career well: consequently he was always aware and curious about the latest developments in music, his own niche in jazz as well as the ever-changing and expanding styles and sounds "out there" in music's the other genres and sub-genres. Jazz-Rock Fusion and, in particular, funk and Smooth Jazz are two sub-genres of Jazz and Popular music that seemed to serve Freddie particularly well as his 1970s discography not only stands up supremely well with the passage of time but fit in well, even in an imaginative leadership capacity, contributing to the growth and deepening of the burgeoning sub-genres. I do not know whether his albums of the 1970s proved commercially successful for him--I hope they did--because they are eminently enjoyable--but I think he commanded a respect from his peers that hopefully paid off in other ways. Also, there are very few trumpeter...
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