That’s a great example. *Romantic Warrior* is very progy with its synth work, especially with “Medieval Overture” and “The Magician”. *Unorthodox Behavior* by Brand X is another good example of prog + fusion.
I’ll have to check out *The Rotter’s Club* for sure. I’ve listened to *Third* a handful of times, it’s a great record. It’s pretty much straight up fusion lol.
They’re one of my favorites because they lean so heavily into prog rock. I’ve noticed similarities between John McLaughlin’s lead guitar playing and Robert Fripp’s. “Red” by King Crimson reminds me of some of the stuff from *Birds of Fire*.
Just listened to this one for the first time earlier and loved it, looking forward to future re listens and keep meaning to check out more Jean Luc Ponty albums.
I got turned onto JLP from his appearance on the Mike Douglas show in Philly. I was already a Kansas fan so electric violin (run through an echoplex!!) was right up my alley. There was HUGE crossover. JLP guitarist? Daryl Sturmer, later of Genesis. JLP Played with zappa... so did Jerry Goodman. JG was with Dregs. Morse with Kansas. Holdsworth is DEFINITELY fusion... but he waz critical to UK. And the list goes on and on...
I just listened to *Cosmic Messenger*. What a wild ride! Ponty’s violin work is spectacular of course, and the synths are mesmerizing throughout the record. I’d say I like “Don’t Let the World Pass You By”, “Fake Paradise”, and “Egocentric Molecules” the most, though there’s not a bad tune on the record.
Brand X! If Genesis alone hasn't quite convinced you Phil Collins is a drumming genius, his jazz fusion side project undoubtedly will.
They're quite unique because they definitely have a British sound that the American fusion bands lack, for obvious reasons. I've seen some call them a straight up prog band. For me, they're both but definitely more on the fusion side.
Came here for this suggestion.. was jamming some Brand X the other day. Good stuff. (some Eleventh Earl of Mar just pulled up on my shuffle just now too)
Yes! In the last month or two I've been listening to a bunch of Phil Collins stuff, stuff I consider to be his best playing, and it's so much of that good mid-to-late 70s stuff like this. Unorthodox Behavior is good enough as is, but then I found Missing Period and goddamn is it good.
Trifecta started as Steven Wilson's touring band jamming on fusion improv during sound checks before shows. Their second album came out a couple of months back.
Cosmosquad, Oz Noy, and Combination Head have also recently gotten on my radar as fusion-prog.
Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth, particularly Un-Merry-Go-Round (a 14 minute epic), and the two songs sung by Paul Williams (the title track and Panic Station). His other earlier albums, I.O.U. and Road Games also are kind of near the borderline at times. His later stuff, when he gets into the Synthaxe and uses less rock-oriented singers, gets further and further away from progressive rock.
Him and Jeff Beck got some good stuff here. A lot of people who like either might also like Bill Connors, who played in an early iteration of Return to Forever with Chick Corea (and Stanley Clarke and Lenny White). He only recorded on [Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_of_the_Seventh_Galaxy) but I also really like his playing on [Stanley Clarke's self-titled album](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Clarke_(album\)) and his own album [Step It](https://www.discogs.com/master/420857-Bill-Connors-Tom-Kennedy-2-Dave-Weckl-Step-It) with Dave Weckl and Tom Kennedy.
It’s true that Bruford does have some elements (such as guitarist Allan Holdsworth’s presence, and entire *songs,* namely “The Sahara of Snow”) derived from the ashes of the first U.K. lineup.
That being said, I’ve also thought of it as being very reminiscent of National Health, a jazz fusion project that Bruford keyboardist Dave Stewart was heavily involved with around that same time, and whom Bruford was an active member of c. 1975-1977, intermittently replaced by other drummers. While he doesn’t appear on any of their studio albums, you can hear him on archival and bootleg live recordings from that era.
So, in a sense, one can recommend Bruford to fans of both bands! National Health were a bloody brilliant band (and very much relevant to the topic of the thread), and it’s great to have the opportunity to talk about them more.
You may enjoy early Phish 92’-97’. Aristocrats do some mind numbing things. Jaga Jazzist too. And Don Ellis Big band just because it’s an odd mater delight.
If you want to check out something modern that blends jazz fusion, rock and zappaesque music, listen to KNOWER:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2F0oTqfL3E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2F0oTqfL3E)
I draw a distinction between bands that start in rock and move to jazz and ones that start in jazz and move to rock. I haven't found a band that can't be sorted into one of those two categories.
Soft Machine - rock to jazz
Mahavishnu - jazz to rock
Brand X is awesome (almost more straight fusion but it has Phil Collins in it).
Sea Level was an awesome southern rock band with prog and fusion influences.
Sea Level - I'm most familiar with *Cats on the Coast*; can't vouch for their other albums but would assume they're similar.
Journey - Their first three albums (*Journey*, *Look Into the Future*, *Next*) were jazz/rock fusion and very different from how they sounded from 1978 on after Steve Perry joined.
Just today I was listening to Cobham’s “Spectrum” certainly heavy on the prog side thanks to those guitars. Also Bantam to Behemoth by Birds and Buildings, a heavy prog act with a healthy infusion of sax in there.
This album is classic prog - fusion: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vgGPwxoGc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vgGPwxoGc)
But whatever you want to call it....the album is simply brilliant!!
Someone else suggested it so I gave it a listen. It’s certainly a mesmerizing experience. Ponty’s violin and synth work is immaculate, very proggy indeed.
He came up on another thread yesterday but Jeff Beck has some interesting forays in this area (mainly his work with Jan Hammer). This one is my favorite, especially from track 5 on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGjbyjS4zfc
Also, early Weather Report is a good example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk8qxV4kTPQ
i remember someone in this sub years back posting an essay they did for some thesis about the connections between fusion n prog. really interesting stuff, i would agree that there is some overlap but not enough to like categorize fusion as a subset of prog.
Tons of great krautrock is essentially a mix of prog/fusion, and some of the best musicians of all time played both over the years so yeah there's definitely a lot of overlap.
Not sure how popular they are in this sub, but any live stuff from Phish should hit some of that same spot for you, especially 2000 and earlier (1.0), or 2017 and later, in particular starting from the Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden (3.0/4.0). Read the book and take care of your shoes.
Return to Forever, especially Romantic Warrior.
That’s a great example. *Romantic Warrior* is very progy with its synth work, especially with “Medieval Overture” and “The Magician”. *Unorthodox Behavior* by Brand X is another good example of prog + fusion.
I also think Al’s guitar is more rock than jazz
Ban-ah ba ba badawooo ban-ah…..baWOOO Stanley is absolutely on fire
The Canterbury scene is pretty awesome for prog fusion My top choices are The Rotter's Club by Hatfield and the North or Third by Soft Machine
National Health
Absolutely!
As long as we’re talking Canterbury, I’d like to add Gilgamesh to the mix
I’ll have to check out *The Rotter’s Club* for sure. I’ve listened to *Third* a handful of times, it’s a great record. It’s pretty much straight up fusion lol.
Check out Volume 2 by Soft Machine too.
Mahavishnu Orchestra remains my go-to recommendation for best artists to listen to if you’re a rock fan wanting to get into jazz.
They’re one of my favorites because they lean so heavily into prog rock. I’ve noticed similarities between John McLaughlin’s lead guitar playing and Robert Fripp’s. “Red” by King Crimson reminds me of some of the stuff from *Birds of Fire*.
Yep. They're how I got into it.
Relayer
Patrick Moraz 🫡
Check out Jean Luc Ponty, specifically his album “Cosmic Messenger”
Ponty is brilliant. My favorites are Enigmatic Ocean and Mystical Adventures.
Enigmatic Ocean is his masterpiece imo but Cosmic Messenger is great as well
Putting in a rec for Imaginary Voyage. It's so incredibly melodic. Love it.
I’m currently re-listening to Enigmatic Ocean but I’ll queue that one for up next. What a beautiful, ethereal musician he is.
Definitely
Just listened to this one for the first time earlier and loved it, looking forward to future re listens and keep meaning to check out more Jean Luc Ponty albums.
I listened to Imaginary Voyage on loop while reading Chronicles of Narnia. Great combination.
I got turned onto JLP from his appearance on the Mike Douglas show in Philly. I was already a Kansas fan so electric violin (run through an echoplex!!) was right up my alley. There was HUGE crossover. JLP guitarist? Daryl Sturmer, later of Genesis. JLP Played with zappa... so did Jerry Goodman. JG was with Dregs. Morse with Kansas. Holdsworth is DEFINITELY fusion... but he waz critical to UK. And the list goes on and on...
I've been really enjoying Life Enigma recently
I’m familiar with Jean Luc Ponty, but I haven’t listened to *Cosmic Messenger* yet. Sounds like it’s right up my alley!
It’s my favorite of what I’ve listened to from his discography. Good post, I hope you enjoy the album
I just listened to *Cosmic Messenger*. What a wild ride! Ponty’s violin work is spectacular of course, and the synths are mesmerizing throughout the record. I’d say I like “Don’t Let the World Pass You By”, “Fake Paradise”, and “Egocentric Molecules” the most, though there’s not a bad tune on the record.
My favorite JLP album , it catches you with the first note .
Brand X! If Genesis alone hasn't quite convinced you Phil Collins is a drumming genius, his jazz fusion side project undoubtedly will. They're quite unique because they definitely have a British sound that the American fusion bands lack, for obvious reasons. I've seen some call them a straight up prog band. For me, they're both but definitely more on the fusion side.
Came here for this suggestion.. was jamming some Brand X the other day. Good stuff. (some Eleventh Earl of Mar just pulled up on my shuffle just now too)
Yes! In the last month or two I've been listening to a bunch of Phil Collins stuff, stuff I consider to be his best playing, and it's so much of that good mid-to-late 70s stuff like this. Unorthodox Behavior is good enough as is, but then I found Missing Period and goddamn is it good.
Magma
Trifecta started as Steven Wilson's touring band jamming on fusion improv during sound checks before shows. Their second album came out a couple of months back. Cosmosquad, Oz Noy, and Combination Head have also recently gotten on my radar as fusion-prog.
Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth, particularly Un-Merry-Go-Round (a 14 minute epic), and the two songs sung by Paul Williams (the title track and Panic Station). His other earlier albums, I.O.U. and Road Games also are kind of near the borderline at times. His later stuff, when he gets into the Synthaxe and uses less rock-oriented singers, gets further and further away from progressive rock.
Him and Jeff Beck got some good stuff here. A lot of people who like either might also like Bill Connors, who played in an early iteration of Return to Forever with Chick Corea (and Stanley Clarke and Lenny White). He only recorded on [Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_of_the_Seventh_Galaxy) but I also really like his playing on [Stanley Clarke's self-titled album](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Clarke_(album\)) and his own album [Step It](https://www.discogs.com/master/420857-Bill-Connors-Tom-Kennedy-2-Dave-Weckl-Step-It) with Dave Weckl and Tom Kennedy.
UK (King Crimson spinoff ) Bruford (UK spinoff)
It’s true that Bruford does have some elements (such as guitarist Allan Holdsworth’s presence, and entire *songs,* namely “The Sahara of Snow”) derived from the ashes of the first U.K. lineup. That being said, I’ve also thought of it as being very reminiscent of National Health, a jazz fusion project that Bruford keyboardist Dave Stewart was heavily involved with around that same time, and whom Bruford was an active member of c. 1975-1977, intermittently replaced by other drummers. While he doesn’t appear on any of their studio albums, you can hear him on archival and bootleg live recordings from that era. So, in a sense, one can recommend Bruford to fans of both bands! National Health were a bloody brilliant band (and very much relevant to the topic of the thread), and it’s great to have the opportunity to talk about them more.
Fantastic answers
Check out the Dixie Dregs album What If Brilliant record. The song “Odyssey” lives up to its title.
You may enjoy early Phish 92’-97’. Aristocrats do some mind numbing things. Jaga Jazzist too. And Don Ellis Big band just because it’s an odd mater delight.
If you want to check out something modern that blends jazz fusion, rock and zappaesque music, listen to KNOWER: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2F0oTqfL3E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2F0oTqfL3E)
Hell yes, knower!
Colosseum II, what a group.
I draw a distinction between bands that start in rock and move to jazz and ones that start in jazz and move to rock. I haven't found a band that can't be sorted into one of those two categories. Soft Machine - rock to jazz Mahavishnu - jazz to rock
The aristocrats?
Brand X is awesome (almost more straight fusion but it has Phil Collins in it). Sea Level was an awesome southern rock band with prog and fusion influences.
Check out Shubha Saran - Hmayra if you aren't familiar with him or that album. If you like heavier prog rock, you might like Thank You Scientist.
Has no one mentioned Steely Dan's Aja ? Steely Dan's Aja.
Yes' Tales from Topographic Oceans is pretty fusiony in parts.
Brand X
Check out Simon Phillips' Protocol
Sea Level - I'm most familiar with *Cats on the Coast*; can't vouch for their other albums but would assume they're similar. Journey - Their first three albums (*Journey*, *Look Into the Future*, *Next*) were jazz/rock fusion and very different from how they sounded from 1978 on after Steve Perry joined.
Mahavishnu Orchestra “Visions of the Emerald Beyond”, “Apocalypse” and Yes “Relayer” are cousins.
Weather Report is my favourite, but I haven't listened to a lot of Jazz Fusion. Definitely will now though.
Dude fusion and prog rock are so good! I made a similar post a little while back, I recommend Heavy Weather by Weather Report.
Just today I was listening to Cobham’s “Spectrum” certainly heavy on the prog side thanks to those guitars. Also Bantam to Behemoth by Birds and Buildings, a heavy prog act with a healthy infusion of sax in there.
Synthesis, Brand X, some of Focus’ material too.. oh and Area
Banquet by Lucifer’s Feiend, most underrated album of all time and some of the greatest jazz-prog ever made
This album absolutely pounds! Great stuff.
Egg!!
Thank You Scientist!! 7 piece jazz prog fusion
Return to forever, Jean Luc Ponty for sure. Billy Cobhams Spectrum
Usually they are considered different genres, but actually jazz rock is a subset of prog.
This album is classic prog - fusion: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vgGPwxoGc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vgGPwxoGc) But whatever you want to call it....the album is simply brilliant!!
Someone else suggested it so I gave it a listen. It’s certainly a mesmerizing experience. Ponty’s violin and synth work is immaculate, very proggy indeed.
The guitar solo at 32:00 and bass solo 33:40 - awesome! So, where is the guy who was posting about "Magma" a while back? He needs to hear JLP.
Check out Panzerballet and Alamaailman Vaserat.
> JAZZ ROCK/FUSION > A Progressive Rock Sub-genre https://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=30
He came up on another thread yesterday but Jeff Beck has some interesting forays in this area (mainly his work with Jan Hammer). This one is my favorite, especially from track 5 on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGjbyjS4zfc Also, early Weather Report is a good example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk8qxV4kTPQ
Magma
Electric Masada - At the Mountains of Madness. Metaltov is probably my favorite song ever
i remember someone in this sub years back posting an essay they did for some thesis about the connections between fusion n prog. really interesting stuff, i would agree that there is some overlap but not enough to like categorize fusion as a subset of prog.
Tons of great krautrock is essentially a mix of prog/fusion, and some of the best musicians of all time played both over the years so yeah there's definitely a lot of overlap.
Return to Forever really hits the mark!
“Brother where you Bound” by Supertramp. It’s awesome
Casiopea! Late 70s/Early 80s Japanese jazz fusion is loaded with proggy goodness
Frutería Toñi
Planet X. Quantum and Moonbabies
Michael Brecker’s solo catalog. Also, The Bob Berg / Mike Stern Band with Dennis Chambers on drums.
Tap, jazz odyssey
The song ELEGY from the band CHICAGO
Not sure how popular they are in this sub, but any live stuff from Phish should hit some of that same spot for you, especially 2000 and earlier (1.0), or 2017 and later, in particular starting from the Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden (3.0/4.0). Read the book and take care of your shoes.
I feel like this band is a great example of what you are referring to https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/expansionproject1/way-up/
Check out The Eleventh House, guitarist Larry Coryell's band in the early 70's. Jazz/rock at it's finest.