Jazz Rock / Fusion / Funk

Jazz Fusion Vinyl: Jazz-Rock and Jazz-Funk Records Worth Owning

What jazz fusion records you will find here

This section gathers jazz fusion vinyl, jazz-rock and jazz-funk: electric jazz that took on distorted guitars, Fender Rhodes and synthesizers, and rock and funk grooves without giving up improvisation. The movement started in the late 1960s with Miles Davis and dominated much of the 1970s. Fusion records are also prime territory for crate diggers, since many of their grooves were later sampled by hip-hop producers.

You will find pioneers such as Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, the soul-jazz and funk side with Grant Green and Gil Scott-Heron, and current players like trumpeter Erik Truffaz who carry the electric sound forward. That makes this section more than fifty years of electric jazz, from pioneers to heirs.

Original pressings or reissues?

The landmark fusion albums came out on major labels, Columbia above all, and were pressed in large numbers in the 1970s, so a clean original US pressing is often affordable secondhand. Reissues are plentiful too, including Music On Vinyl editions of part of the Columbia catalog. For 1970s jazz-funk, Creed Taylor's CTI label is a benchmark, known for Pete Turner's cover photography and a polished, lush production style. Check the jacket and inner sleeve too, since period copies have often seen heavy use.

• Groove condition, audible on slap bass
• Original US pressing or modern reissue
• Master source for the reissue
• Gatefold jacket and original inserts

Best jazz fusion albums on vinyl

Miles Davis opened the door with "In a Silent Way" (1969) and "Bitches Brew" (1970). John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra followed with "The Inner Mounting Flame" (1971) and "Birds of Fire" (1973). Herbie Hancock took jazz-funk to a wide audience with "Head Hunters" (1973), the same year as Billy Cobham's "Spectrum". Weather Report released "Heavy Weather" in 1977, featuring "Birdland". Return to Forever's "Romantic Warrior" and Stanley Clarke's "School Days" both arrived in 1976, as did Jaco Pastorius's debut.

Jazz-funk, CTI and the new generation

Jazz-funk is the most groove-driven branch of the style, and one of the most sampled by hip-hop producers. On CTI, Deodato turned "Also sprach Zarathustra" into a funk hit on "Prelude" (1973). At Blue Note, Grant Green and Donald Byrd moved toward funk in the 1970s. Today, European and London jazz scenes are reconnecting with that electric energy, so keep an eye on new releases and reissues, often pressed in limited runs.