COMMON GROUND: THE SHARED INFLUENCES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF JAZZ FUSION AND PROGRESSIVE ROCK by JOSEPH BLUNK B.M.E., Illinois State University, 2014 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy Department of Music 2020 Abstract Blunk, Joseph Michael (M.M., Jazz Performance and Pedagogy) Common Ground: The Shared Influences and Characteristics of Jazz Fusion and Progressive Rock Thesis directed by Dr. John Gunther In the late 1960s through the 1970s, two new genres of music emerged: jazz fusion and progressive rock. Though typically thought of as two distinct styles, both share common influences and stylistic characteristics. This thesis examines the emergence of both genres, identifies stylistic traits and influences, and analyzes the artistic output of eight different groups: Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis’s electric ensembles, Tony Williams Lifetime, Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, and Soft Machine. Through qualitative listenings of each group’s musical output, comparisons between genres or groups focus on instances of one genre crossing over into the other. Though many examples of crossing over are identified, the examples used do not necessitate the creation of a new genre label, nor do they demonstrate the need for both genres to be combined into one. iii Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 1 Part One: The Emergence of Jazz………………………………………………………….. 3 Part Two: The Emergence of Progressive………………………………………………….. 10 Part Three: Musical Crossings Between Jazz Fusion and Progressive Rock…………….... 16 Part Four: Conclusion, Genre Boundaries and Commonalities……………………………. 40 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………….. 44 iv Introduction As the 1960s drew to a close, jazz was in a period of flux. The free jazz movement, spurred on by musicians like Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman, had made its mark on the scene. Hard bop and soul jazz continued to provide another avenue of expression for jazz musicians. However, record sales continued to flounder as the decade drew on. Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock provide two examples of well-known artists with middling sales. Each musician’s albums were selling a few tens of thousands upon initial release, far below what record 12 companies desired. Clearly, a new direction was needed for jazz to remain viable. This new direction was found in the emergence of jazz fusion, which showed a new way forward for jazz musicians. At the same time, rock music was thriving. The Beatles had completely captivated the American public, though their end loomed around the corner. The hippie counterculture movement was in full swing and young people anxiously clamored for exciting and experimental bands. This led to new groups like The Grateful Dead experimenting with long jams fueled by LSD; King Crimson combining classical music, rock music, and jazz music along with lyrics of a dystopian future; and Soft Machine creating a new sound that wasn’t quite jazz and wasn’t quite rock. Despite appearing divorced from the jazz world, this new rock music, later referred to as progressive rock, shared both common roots and traits with the jazz fusion movement between 1969 and 1976. This thesis aims to examine the shared roots and influences between jazz fusion and progressive rock. Each genre is first examined and defined, analyzing the characteristics, 1Lisa Dickey and Herbie Hancock, Possibilies (New York: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014), 181. 2George Grella Jr., Bitches Brew (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015), 36. 1 influences, and criteria for both. The music of the following groups is examined and compared: Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis, Tony Williams Lifetime, Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, and Soft Machine. Lastly, the very labels used to describe will be questioned and further defined to examine the need for a distinction between the two. Before beginning this analysis in earnest, the author would like to acknowledge other areas not covered herein. Though the counterculture movement and some sociological factors will be discussed, racial makeup of the bands and audiences they played for will not be examined. This would undoubtedly make for an interesting survey, but for the sake of brevity, it has been omitted. Secondly, critical and commercial reception of these bands will not be examined deeply outside of a few passing remarks. Though this would perhaps further bolster some of the arguments made within, it would also bloat the content. Finally, several other bands would provide ample material for further survey, but have been omitted for brevity. Bands like Weather Report, Chicago, Don Ellis, The Brecker Brothers, Dream, Caravan, Hatfield and The North, The Dixie Dregs, Van Der Graaf Generator, Focus, Camel, and Gong would all provide additional material to be examined and compared. 2 Part One: The Emergence of Jazz Fusion From its roots, jazz has always flirted with music and conventions of the mainstream. Ragtime would rework marches or popular songs, swing bands incorporated arrangements of popular music into their repertoire, and bebop reharmonized Broadway hits as vehicles for 3 4 improvisation. However, many jazz musicians in the 1960s looked at rock music with disdain. The community resisted integrating this new music. Just as purists originally rejected bebop, so 5 too did many jazz musicians resist the advent of jazz fusion music. However, experimentations slowly began as younger musicians showed their interest in rock, allowing elements of the popular genre to bleed into their playing. The Beatles were one of the first notable rock bands to garner favor among jazz musicians. Among others, Tony Williams, Larry Coryell, John Handy, and Mike Mainieri list 6 them as a primary influence. Sly and the Family Stone were an important band for many jazz players at the time as well. Miles Davis listed them among his primary influences when creating 7 Bitches Brew. Herbie Hancock describes just how crucial Sly and the Family Stone was in his desire to create Head Hunters. “It was that great funky groove by Sly and the Family Stone ringing in my ears as I chanted! I kept going, but the song stayed right where it was, playing over and over as if it had been planted in my head. Then suddenly I saw an image of me sitting with Sly 8 Stone’s band, playing this funky music with him. And I loved it!” 3 Gunther Schuller, E arly Jazz: It’s Roots and Musical Development (New York: Oxford University Press, 1968) 182-184. 4 Stuart Nicholson, Jazz Rock: A History (New York: Schirmer Books, 1998), 7. 5 Marn, Henry and Keith Waters. Jazz: The First 100 Years. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2015, 3 21-326. 6 Stuart Nicholson, Jazz Rock: A History (New York: Schirmer Books, 1998), 7. 7 George Grella Jr., Bitches Brew (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015), 18. 8 Lisa Dickey and Herbie Hancock, Possibilies (New York: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014), 173. 3 9 Hancock went on to name one of the songs from the album “Sly” after the band. King Crimson, discussed in dtail later, also played a role in the development of young jazz musicians. Their more avant-garde rock is cited by Chick Corea and Gary Burton as an important influence. 10 James Brown’s tight rhythmic concept influenced numerous jazz musicians at the time. Miles 11 Davis lists Brown’s music as one of the primary sources of inspiration for Bitches Brew. Even within the Black Arts Movement of the time, there were calls to unify the ideas of Sun Ra and James Brown into one, further highlighting the desire to combine these seemingly distant 12 styles. Outside music influences weren’t limited to rock either. Contemporary classical music played an important, though less significant role in shaping jazz fusion. Chick Corea featured timpani and marimba on his fusion albums right alongside electric guitar and synthesizer.1 3 His classical influence is further exemplified by his later projects such as the album The Mozart Sessions album or even “The Continents,” a concerto for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra. 1415 Mahavishnu Orchestra utilized multi-movement forms as well on tracks like “Dream” and “Trilogy.” 16 They later went on to record with a full orchestra on their Apocalypse album, which features a 19 minute long extended work. 17 Even “Bitches Brew,” was originally intended as a five part suite, a form commonly associated with romantic and post-romantic music. The track 9 Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters, Columbia, 1973, CD. 10 Stuart Nicholson, Jazz Rock: A History (New York: Schirmer Books, 1998), 25. 11 George Grella Jr., Bitches Brew (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015), 99. 12 Jay Keister, “Black Prog: Soul, Funk, Intellect and the Progressive Side of Black Music of the 1970s,” American Music Research Center Journal: 5-22. 13 Return to Forever, R omanc Warrior, Columbia, 1976, CD. 14 Chick Corea and Bobby McFerrin, The Mozart Sessions, Sony Classical Records, 1996, CD. 15 Chick Corea, T he Connents, Deutsche Grammophon, 2012, CD. 16 Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Lost Trident Sessions, Columbia/SME, 1999, CD. 17 Mahavishnu Orchestra, A pocalypse, Columbia, 1974, CD. 4 18 “John McLaughlin” from the album was originally intended to be an additional movement. Hints of Stravinsky can also certainly be heard within Bitches Brew . George Grella specifically highlights Bennie Maupin and John McLaughlin’s performances on “Pharaoh’s Dance” as an 19 example. George Clinton makes a note of the influence of classical music on his second album 20 with Funkadelic: Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow , though he gives no examples. Though obviously not as crucial as rock music, classical music undoubtedly helped shape the jazz fusion movement. However, the most important influence on the fusion of jazz and rock arguably came from Jimi Hendrix.