Return to Forever had a pretty long run with a few different lineups, but in their most classic incarnation, they moved jazz fusion and the largely instrumental progressive rock bands like Brand X and Mahavishnu Orchestra closer together.
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1981 brought a new development to the musical landscape that was very surprising and confusing to many music fans: Robert Fripp announced the formation of a new version of King Crimson that would go on tour as well as releasing a new album. While the return of King Crimson was unexpected, it didn’t create the kind of controversy and confusion that the actual band did. Fripp, of course, was the only original member of the band, and he brought drummer Bill Bruford, a member of the group’s 1973-74 model, to the table as well.
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Jazz fusion is a pretty big category, and we’ve lumped a lot of material together here. Basically, these are the granddaddies of the marriage of jazz with electronics, rock, funk, and technology.
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Free jazz is perhaps one of the more misunderstood forms of music. Free jazz draws from other forms of improvisational music that are based on instrumentalists playing based on either a very loose thematic element or perhaps no specific starting point, and playing based on what they are hearing other musicians in the group playing at any given time. The element of playing and listening is a large part of any improvisational music, from primitive folk music to art music.
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Continue reading The Dawn of Hip-Hop DJs“The idea of a d.j. making something new out of other people’s music might seem preposterous. But there’s no question that a real d.j. can shape a night of music with his personality, style, and spirit, magically turning a string of records into a spontaneous symphony.”
–Vince Aletti– The Disco Files 1973-1978 —