Name	Jazz fusion
Color	black
Bgcolor	pink
Stylistic origins	Jazz, post-bop, free jazz, psychedelic rock, funk, , blues rock, world music
Cultural origins	Late 1960s, United States
Instruments	Electric guitar - Piano - Drums - Saxophone - Trumpet - Keyboards - Bass guitar
Popularity	High in the 1970s
Derivatives	}}

Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B; rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations, often using wind and brass and displaying a high level of instrumental technique. The term "jazz rock" is often used as a synonym for "jazz fusion" as well as for music performed by late 1960s and 1970s-era rock bands that added jazz elements to their music. Some progressive rock is also labelled "fusion".

After a decade of popularity during the 1970s, fusion expanded its improvisatory and experimental approaches through the 1980s and 1990s. Fusion albums, even those that are made by the same group or artist, may include a variety of styles. Rather than being a codified musical style, fusion can be viewed as a musical tradition or approach.

History

1960s

Allmusic Guide states that "until around 1967, the worlds of jazz and rock were nearly completely separate". While in the USA modern jazz and electric R&B; may have represented opposite poles of blues-based Afro-American music, however, the British pop music of the beat boom developed out of the skiffle and R&B; championed by well-known jazzmen such as Chris Barber. Many UK pop musicians were steeped in jazz, though the word "rock" itself was barely used before the late 1960s except to refer to 1950s rock and roll. The prominent fusion guitarist John McLaughlin, for example, had played what Allmusic describes as a "blend of jazz and American R&B;" with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames as early as 1962 and continued with The Graham Bond Organisation (with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker) whose style Allmusic calls "rhythm & blues with a strong jazzy flavor". Bond himself had begun playing straight jazz with Don Rendell while Manfred Mann, who recorded a Cannonball Adderley tune on their first album, when joined by Bruce turned out the 1966 EP record ''Instrumental Asylum'', which undoubtedly fused jazz and rock.

These developments, though, made little overt impression in the USA. Hence music critic Piero Scaruffi argues that "credit for "inventing" jazz-rock goes to Indiana-born jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton, who "began to experiment with rock rhythms on ''The Time Machine'' (1966)". Burton recorded what Scaruffi calls "the first jazz-rock album, ''Duster''" in 1967, with guitarist Larry Coryell. Scaruffi argues that Coryell is "another candidate to inventor of jazz-rock", in that the Texas-born guitarist released the jazz-rock recording ''Out of Sight And Sound'' in 1966.

Trumpeter and composer Miles Davis had a major influence on the development of jazz fusion with his 1968 album entitled ''Miles in the Sky''. It is the first of Davis' albums to incorporate electric instruments, with Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter playing electric piano and bass guitar, respectively. Davis furthered his explorations into the use of electric instruments on another 1968 album, ''Filles de Kilimanjaro'', with pianist Chick Corea and bassist Dave Holland.

In 1969 Davis fully introduced the electric instrument approach to jazz with ''In a Silent Way'', which can be considered Davis's first fusion album. Composed of two side-long suites edited heavily by producer Teo Macero, this quiet, static album would be equally influential upon the development of ambient music. It featured contributions from musicians who would all go on to spread the fusion evangel with their own groups in the 1970s: Shorter, Hancock, Corea, pianist Josef Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Holland, and Williams. Williams quit Davis to form the group The Tony Williams Lifetime with McLaughlin and organist Larry Young. Their debut record of that year ''Emergency!'' is also cited as one of the early acclaimed fusion albums.

Jazz rock

The term "jazz rock" is often used as a synonym for the term "jazz fusion". However, some make a distinction between the two terms. The Free Spirits have sometimes been cited as the earliest jazz-rock band. During the late 1960s, at the same time that jazz musicians were experimenting with rock rhythms and electric instruments, rock groups such as Cream and the Grateful Dead were "beginning to incorporate elements of jazz into their music" by "experimenting with extended free-form improvisation". Other "groups such as Blood, Sweat and Tears directly borrowed harmonic, melodic, rhythmic and instrumentational elements from the jazz tradition". Scaruffi notes that the rock groups that drew on jazz ideas (he lists Soft Machine, Colosseum, Caravan, Nucleus, Chicago, and Frank Zappa) turned the blend of the two styles "upside down: instead of focusing on sound, rockers focused on dynamics" that could be obtained with amplified electric instruments. Scaruffi contrasts "Davis' fusion jazz [which] was slick, smooth and elegant, while "progressive-rock" was typically convoluted and abrasive." Frank Zappa released two LPs in 1972 which were very jazz-oriented called "The Grand Wazoo" and "Waka/Jawaka". Prolific jazz artists such as George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar played on these LPs.

Allmusic states that the term "Jazz-rock may refer to the loudest, wildest, most electrified fusion bands from the jazz camp, but most often it describes performers coming from the rock side of the equation." The Guide states that "Jazz-rock first emerged during the late '60s as an attempt to fuse the visceral power of rock with the musical complexity and improvisational fireworks of jazz. Since rock often emphasized directness and simplicity over virtuosity, jazz-rock generally grew out of the most artistically ambitious rock subgenres of the late '60s and early '70s: psychedelia, progressive rock, and the singer/songwriter movement."

Allmusic lists the following jazz-rock categories:

Singer-songwriter jazz-rock (Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and Tim Buckley)

jam- and improvisation-oriented rock groups (Traffic, Santana, Cream)

jazz-flavored R&B; or pop songs with less improvisation or instrumental virtuosity (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Steely Dan)

Groups with "quirky, challenging, unpredictable compositions" (Frank Zappa, the Soft Machine)

1970s

Davis' ''Bitches Brew'' sessions, recorded in August 1969 and released the following year, abandoned traditional jazz and instead was based on a rock-style backbeat anchored by electric bass grooves. The recording "...mixed free jazz blowing by a large ensemble with electronic keyboards and guitar, plus a dense mix of percussion." Davis also drew on the rock influence by playing his trumpet through electronic effects and pedals. While the album gave Davis a gold record, the use of electric instruments and rock beats created a great deal of consternation amongst some traditionalist jazz critics.

Davis also proved to be an able talent-spotter; much of 1970s fusion was performed by bands started by alumni from Davis' ensembles, including The Tony Williams Lifetime, Weather Report, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, and Herbie Hancock's funk-infused Headhunters band. In addition to Davis and the musicians who worked with him, additional important figures in early fusion were Larry Coryell and Billy Cobham with his album ''Spectrum''. Herbie Hancock first continued the path of Miles Davis with his experimental fusion albums, such as ''Crossings'' in 1972, but soon after that he became an important developer of "jazz-funk" with his seminal albums ''Head Hunters'' 1973 and ''Thrust'' in 1974. Later in the 1970s and early 1980s Hancock took a more commercial approach. Hancock was one of the first jazz musicians to use synthesizers.

At its inception, Weather Report was an avant-garde experimental jazz group, following in the steps of ''In A Silent Way.'' The band received considerable attention for its early albums and live performances, which featured pieces that might last up to 30 minutes. The band later introduced a more commercial sound, which can be heard in Joe Zawinul's hit song "Birdland". Weather Report's albums were also influenced by different styles of Latin, African, and European music, offering an early world music fusion variation. Jaco Pastorius, an innovative fretless electric bass player, joined the group in 1976 on the album ''Black Market'', was co-producer (with Zawinul) on 1977's ''Heavy Weather'', and is prominently featured on the 1979 live recording ''8:30''. ''Heavy Weather'' is the top-selling album of the genre.

In England, the jazz fusion movement was headed by Nucleus, led by Ian Carr, and whose key players Karl Jenkins and John Marshall both later joined the seminal jazz rock band Soft Machine, leaders of what became known as the Canterbury scene. Their best-selling recording, ''Third'' (1970), was a double album featuring one track per side in the style of the aforementioned recordings of Miles Davis. A prominent English band in the jazz-rock style of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago was If, who released a total of seven records in the 1970s.

Chick Corea formed his band Return to Forever in 1972. The band started with Latin-influenced music (including Brazilians Flora Purim as vocalist and Airto Moreira on percussion), but was transformed in 1973 to become a jazz-rock group that took influences from both psychedelic and progressive rock. The new drummer was Lenny White, who had also played with Miles Davis. Return to Forever's songs were distinctively melodic due to the Corea's composing style and the bass playing style of Stanley Clarke, who is often regarded with Pastorius as the most influential electric bassists of the 1970s. Guitarist Bill Connors joined Corea's band in 1973, recording Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. Connors describes his sound as a mix of Clapton and Coltrane.

Guitarist Al Di Meola, who started his career with Return to Forever in 1974, soon became an important fusion guitarist. John McLaughlin formed a fusion band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra with drummer Billy Cobham, violinist Jerry Goodman, bassist Rick Laird and keyboardist Jan Hammer. The band released their first album, ''The Inner Mounting Flame'' in 1971. Hammer pioneered the use of the Minimoog synthesizer with distortion effects and with his mastery of the pitch bend wheel, made it sound very much like an electric guitar. The sound of the Mahavishnu Orchestra was influenced by both psychedelic rock and classical Indian soundsthumb|left|200 px|French jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty performed on both acoustic violin and on amplified, electronic effect-modified electric violinsThe band's first lineup split after two studio and one live albums, but McLaughlin formed another group under same name which included Jean-Luc Ponty, a jazz violinist, who also made a number of important fusion recordings under his own name as well as with Frank Zappa, drummer Narada Michael Walden, keyboardist Gayle Moran, and bassist Ralph Armstrong. McLaughlin also worked with Latin-rock guitarist Carlos Santana in the early 1970s.

Initially Santana's San Francisco-based band blended Latin salsa, rock, blues, and jazz, featuring Santana's clean guitar lines set against Latin instrumentation such as timbales and congas. But in their second incarnation, heavy fusion influences had become central to the 1973-1976 santana band. These can be clearly heard in Santana's use of extended improvised solos and in the harmonic voicings of Tom Coster's keyboard playing on some of the groups' mid 1970s recordings. In 1973 Santana recorded a nearly two-hour live album of mostly instrumental, jazz-fusion music, ''Lotus'', which was only released in Europe and Japan for more than twenty years.

Other influential musicians that emerged from the fusion movement during the 1970s include fusion guitarist Larry Coryell with his band The Eleventh House, and electric guitarist Pat Metheny. The Pat Metheny Group, which was founded in 1977, made both the jazz and pop charts with their second album, ''American Garage'' (1980). Although jazz performers criticized the fusion movement's use of rock styles and electric and electronic instruments, even seasoned jazz veterans like Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson and Dexter Gordon eventually modified their music to include fusion elements. The influence of jazz fusion did not only affect the US and Europe. The genre was very influential in Japan in the late 1970s, eventually leading to the formation of Casiopea and T-Square (The Square), respectively, in 1976. The younger generations embraced this new genre of music and it gained popularity quickly approaching the early 1980s. T-Square's song ''Truth'' would later become the theme for Japan's Formula One racing events.

1980s

Smooth jazz

By the early 1980s, much of the original fusion genre was subsumed into other branches of jazz and rock, especially smooth jazz, a sub-genre of jazz which is influenced stylistically by R&B;, funk and pop. Smooth jazz can be traced to at least the late 1960s. Producer Creed Taylor worked with guitarist Wes Montgomery on three popular records. Taylor founded CTI Records. Many established jazz performers recorded for CTI (including Freddie Hubbard, Chet Baker, George Benson and Stanley Turrentine). The records recorded under Taylor's guidance were typically aimed as much at pop audiences as at jazz fans.

In the mid- to late-1970s, smooth jazz became established as a commercially viable genre. It was pioneered by such artists as Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Grover Washington, Jr., Spyro Gyra (with songs such as "Morning Dance"), George Benson, Chuck Mangione, Sérgio Mendes, David Sanborn, Tom Scott, Dave and Don Grusin, Bob James and Joe Sample. The merging of jazz and pop/rock music took a more commercial direction in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in the form of compositions with a softer sound palette that could fit comfortably in a soft rock radio playlist. The Allmusic guide's article on Fusion states that "unfortunately, as it became a money-maker and as rock declined artistically from the mid-'70s on, much of what was labeled fusion was actually a combination of jazz with easy-listening pop music and lightweight R&B.;"

Artists like Lee Ritenour, Al Jarreau, Kenny G, Bob James and David Sanborn among others were leading purveyors of this pop-oriented mixture (also known as "west coast" or "AOR fusion"). This genre is most frequently called "smooth jazz" and is not considered "True Fusion" among the listeners of both mainstream jazz and jazz fusion, who find it to rarely contain the improvisational qualities that originally surfaced in jazz decades earlier, deferring to a more commercially viable sound more widely enabled for commercial radio airplay in the United States.

Music critic Piero Scaruffi has called pop-fusion music "...mellow, bland, romantic music" made by "mediocre musicians" and "derivative bands." Scaruffi criticized some of the albums of Michael and Randy Brecker as "trivial dance music" and stated that alto saxophonist David Sanborn recorded "[t]rivial collections" of "...catchy and danceable pseudo-jazz". Kenny G in particular is often criticized by both fusion and jazz fans, and some musicians, while having become a huge commercial success. Music reviewer George Graham argues that the “so-called ‘smooth jazz’ sound of people like Kenny G has none of the fire and creativity that marked the best of the fusion scene during its heyday in the 1970s”.

Jazz fusion has been criticized by jazz traditionalists who prefer conventional mainstream jazz (particularly when fusion was first emerging) and by smooth jazz fans who prefer more "accessible" music. This is analogous to the way swing jazz aficionados criticized be-bop in the mid-1940s, and the way proponents of Dixieland or New Orleans style "jass" reviled the new swing style in the late 1920s. Some critics have also called fusion's approach pretentious, and others have claimed that fusion musicians have become too concerned with musical virtuosity. However, fusion has helped to break down boundaries between different genres of rock, jazz, and led to developments such as the 1980s-era electronica-infused acid jazz.

Other styles

Although the meaning of "fusion" became confused with the advent of "smooth jazz", a number of groups helped to revive the jazz fusion genre beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. In the 1980s, a critic argued that "...the promise of fusion went unfulfilled to an extent, although it continued to exist in groups such as Tribal Tech and Chick Corea's Elektric Band". Many of the most well-known fusion artists were members of earlier jazz fusion groups, and some of the fusion "giants" of the 1970s kept working in the genre.

Miles Davis continued his career after having a lengthy break in the late 1970s. He recorded and performed fusion throughout the 1980s with new young musicians and continued to ignore criticism from fans of his older mainstream jazz. While Davis' works of the 1980s remain controversial, his recordings from that period have the respect of many fusion and other listeners. In 1985 Chick Corea formed a new fusion band called the Chick Corea Elektric Band, featuring young musicians such as drummer Dave Weckl and bassist John Patitucci, as well as guitarist Frank Gambale and saxophonist Eric Marienthal.

1990s-2000s

Joe Zawinul's fusion band, The Zawinul Syndicate, began adding more elements of world music during the 1990s. One of the notable bands that became prominent in the early 1990s is Tribal Tech, led by guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis. Henderson was a member of both Corea's and Zawinul's ensembles in the late 1980s while putting together his own group. Tribal Tech's most common lineup also includes keyboardist Scott Kinsey and drummer Kirk Covington - Willis and Kinsey have both recorded solo fusion projects. Henderson has also been featured on fusion projects by drummer Steve Smith of Vital Information which also include bassist Victor Wooten of the eclectic Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, recording under the banner Vital Tech Tones.

Allan Holdsworth is a guitarist who performs in jazz, fusion, and rock styles. Other guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen have praised his fusion playing. He often used a SynthAxe guitar synthesizer in his recordings of the late 1980s, which he credits for expanding his composing and playing options. Holdsworth has continued to release fusion recordings and tour worldwide. Another former Soft Machine guitarist, Andy Summers of The Police, released several fusion albums in the early 1990s.

Guitarists John Scofield and Bill Frisell have both made fusion recordings over the past two decades while also exploring other musical styles. Scofield's ''Pick Hits Live'' and ''Still Warm'' are fusion examples, while Frisell has maintained a unique approach in drawing heavy influences from traditional music of the United States. Japanese fusion guitarist Kazumi Watanabe released numerous fusion albums throughout 1980s and 1990s, highlighted by his works such as ''Mobo Splash'' and ''Spice of Life''.

Brett Garsed and T. J. Helmerich are also watched as prominent fusion guitar players, having released several albums together since the beginning of the 1990s (''Quid Pro Quo'' (1992), ''Exempt'' (1994), ''Under the Lash of Gravity'' (1999), ''Uncle Moe's Space Ranch'' (2001), ''Moe's Town'' (2007)) and collaborating in many other projects or releasing solo albums (Brett Garsed - Big Sky) all them falling in the genre.

The late saxophonist Bob Berg, who originally came to prominence as a member of Miles Davis's bands, recorded a number of fusion albums with fellow Miles band member and guitarist Mike Stern. Stern continues to play fusion regularly in New York City and worldwide. They often teamed with the world-renowned drummer Dennis Chambers, who has also recorded his own fusion albums. Chambers is also a member of CAB, led by bassist Bunny Brunel and featuring the guitar and keyboard of Tony MacAlpine. ''CAB 2'' garnered a Grammy nomination in 2002. MacAlpine has also served as guitarist of the metal fusion group Planet X, featuring keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati. Another former member of Miles Davis's bands of the 1980s that has released a number of fusion recordings is saxophonist Bill Evans, highlighted by 1992's ''Petite Blonde''.

Fusion shred guitarist, and session musician Greg Howe has released solo albums such as ''Introspection'' (1993), ''Uncertain Terms'' (1994), ''Parallax'' (1995), ''Five'' (1996), ''Ascend'' (1999), ''Hyperacuity'' (2000), ''Extraction'' (2003) with electric bassist Victor Wooten and drummer Dennis Chambers, and Sound Proof (2008). Howe combines elements of rock, blues and Latin music with jazz influences using a technical, yet melodic guitar style.

Drummer Jack DeJohnette's Parallel Realities band featuring fellow Miles's alumni Dave Holland and Herbie Hancock, along with Pat Metheny, recorded and toured in 1990, highlighted by a DVD of a live performance at the Mellon Jazz Festival in Philadelphia. Jazz bassist Christian McBride released two fusion recordings drawing from the jazz-funk idiom in ''Sci-Fi'' (2000) and ''Vertical Vision'' (2003). Other significant recent fusion releases have come from keyboardist Mitchel Forman and his band Metro, former Mahavishnu bassist Jonas Hellborg with the late guitar virtuoso Shawn Lane, and keyboardist Tom Coster.

Influence on progressive rock and metal

According to bassist/singer Randy Jackson, jazz fusion is an exceedingly difficult genre to play; "I [...] picked jazz fusion because I was trying to become the ultimate technical musician-able to play anything. Jazz fusion to me is the hardest music to play. You have to be so proficient on your instrument. Playing five tempos at the same time, for instance. I wanted to try the toughest music because I knew if I could do that, I could do anything."

Jazz-rock fusion's technically-challenging guitar solos, bass solos and odd metered, syncopated drumming started to be incorporated in the technically-focused progressive death metal genre in the early 1990s. Progressive rock, with its affinity for long solos, diverse influences, non-standard time signatures, complex music and changing line-ups had very similar musical values as jazz fusion. Some prominent examples of progressive rock mixed with elements of fusion is the music of Gong, Brand X, Ozric Tentacles and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The death metal band Atheist produced albums ''Unquestionable Presence'' in 1991 and ''Elements'' in 1993 containing heavily syncopated drumming, changing time signatures, instrumental parts, acoustic interludes, and Latin rhythms. Cynic recorded a complex, unorthodox form of jazz-fusion-influenced experimental death metal with their 1993 album ''Focus''. In 1997, G.I.T. guitarist Jennifer Batten under the name of Jennifer Batten's Tribal Rage: Momentum released Momentum - an instrumental hybrid of rock, fusion and exotic sounds.

Another, more cerebral, all-instrumental progressive jazz fusion-metal band Planet X released ''Universe'' in 2000 with Tony MacAlpine, Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater) and Virgil Donati (who has played with Scott Henderson from Tribal Tech). The band blends fusion-style guitar solos and syncopated odd-metered drumming with the heaviness of metal. Tech-prog-fusion metal band Aghora formed in 1995 and released their first album, self titled ''Aghora'', recorded in 1999 with Sean Malone and Sean Reinert, both former members of Cynic. Gordian Knot, another Cynic-linked experimental progressive metal band released its debut album in 1999 which explored a range of styles from jazz-fusion to metal. The Mars Volta is extremely influenced by jazz fusion, using progressive, unexpected turns in the drum patterns and instrumental lines. Style of Uzbek prog band FromUz is prog fusion. The band does transitions in lengthy instrumental jams from fusion of rock and ambient world music daringly to jazz and progressive hard rock tones.

Influential recordings

This section lists a few of the jazz fusion artists and albums that are considered to be influential by prominent jazz fusion critics, reviewers, journalists, or music historians. For a longer list, see the List of notable jazz fusion recordings article.

Albums from the late 1960s and early 1970s include Miles Davis' ambient-sounding ''In a Silent Way'' (1969) and his rock-infused ''Bitches Brew'' (1970). Davis' ''A Tribute to Jack Johnson'' (1971) has been cited as "the purest electric jazz record ever made" and "one of the most remarkable jazz-rock discs of the era". His controversial album ''On the Corner'' (1972) has been viewed as a strong forerunner of the musical techniques of post punk, hip hop, drum and bass, and electronic music. Throughout the 1970s, Weather Report released albums ranging from its 1971 self-titled disc ''Weather Report'' (1971) (which continued the style of Miles Davis album ''Bitches Brew'') to 1979's ''8:30''. Chick Corea's Latin-oriented fusion band Return to Forever released influential albums such as 1973's ''Light as a Feather''. In that same year, Herbie Hancock's ''Head Hunters'' infused jazz-rock fusion with a heavy dose of Sly and the Family Stone-style funk. Virtuoso performer-composers played an important role in the 1970s. In 1976, fretless bassist Jaco Pastorius released ''Jaco Pastorius''; electric and double bass player Stanley Clarke released ''School Days''; and keyboardist Chick Corea released his Latin-infused ''My Spanish Heart'', which received a five star review from ''Down Beat'' magazine.

In the 1980s, Chick Corea produced well-regarded albums, including ''Chick Corea Elektric Band'' (1986) and ''Eye of the Beholder'' (1987). In the early 1990s, Tribal Tech produced two albums, ''Tribal Tech'' (1991) and ''Reality Check'' (1995). Canadian bassist-composer Alain Caron released his album ''Rhythm 'n Jazz'' in 1995. Mike Stern released ''Give And Take'' in 1997.

Fusion music generally receives little radio broadcast airplay in the United States, owing perhaps to its complexity, usual lack of vocals, and frequently extended track lengths. European radio is friendlier to fusion music, and the genre also has a significant following in Japan and South America. A number of Internet radio stations feature fusion music, including dedicated channels on services such as AOL Radio, Pandora and Yahoo! Launchcast.

Further reading

Jazz Rock Fusion " The People The Music ", Julie Coryell et Laura Friedman, Ed. Hal Leonard

Jazz Rock A History , Stuart Nicholson, Éd. Canongate

Power, Passion and Beauty - The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra, Walter Kolosky, Éd. Abstract Logix Books

'' La vie Extraordinaire et tragique de Jaco Pastorius '', Bill Milkowski, Éd. In Folio

''Jazz Hot Encyclopédie " Fusion "'', Guy Reynard, Éd. de L'instant

''Weather Report - Une Histoire du Jazz Electrique'', Christophe Delbrouck, Éd. Le Mot et le Reste, ISBN 978-2-915378-49-8

''The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius (10th Anniversary Edition) backbeatbooks

Bill Milkowski ''

''Jeff's book : A chronology of Jeff Beck's career 1965-1980 : from the Yardbirds to Jazz-Rock''. Rock 'n' Roll Research Press, (2000). ISBN 0-9641005-3-3

See also

List of jazz fusion artists

List of notable jazz fusion recordings

Notes

References

External links

Jazzfusion.tv: The Web's largest open access source for non-commercially-released Classic Jazz Fusion Audio Recordings, circa 1970s - 1980s, curated by Rich Rivkin, featuring works by most of the artists referenced in the above article.

A History of Jazz-Rock Fusion by Al Garcia, a writer for ''Guitar Player Magazine''’s Spotlight column who also performs in the group Continuum.

BendingCorners a monthly non-profit podcast site of jazz and jazz-inspired grooves including fusion, nu-jazz, and other subgenres

100 Greatest Fusion Artists

''Miles Beyond'', web site dedicated to the jazz-rock of Miles Davis

Fusiongroovin

Miles Davis at the Isle Of Wight, 1970, excerpt From ''Call It Anything''

Jazz Concert, here you can find electric-jazz concert venues all over the world.

Don Ellis, Tanglewood, MA, playing an electric trumpet, excerpt from ''Indian Lady''

ProGGnosis: Progressive Rock & Fusion Powerful database with Artist, Record Title and Individual Band Member search capabilities. Contains reviews and discographies, album covers and links. ProGGnosis has been on-line with progressive rock and fusion information Since Feb 2000.

JazzRock-Radio.com: Artist Promotional Radio Show streaming Jazz Fusion, Jazz Rock from 70s to new releases from all over the globe.

Category:Jazz genres Category:Jazz fusion Category:Fusion music genres

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Name	Herbie Hancock
Landscape	yes
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth name	Herbert Jeffrey Hancock
Alias	Herbie Hancock
Born	April 12, 1940Chicago, IllinoisUnited States
Instrument	piano, synthesizer, organ, clavinet, keytar, vocoder
Genre	Jazz, bebop, post bop, jazz fusion, hard bop, jazz-funk, funk, R&B;, electro funk, classical
Occupation	Musician, composer, bandleader
Years active	1961–present
Label	Columbia, Blue Note, Verve, Warner Bros. Records
Associated acts	Miles Davis Quintet, Jaco Pastorius, Stevie Wonder
Website	Official website of Herbie Hancock }}

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (b. April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace music synthesizers and funk music (characterized by syncopated drum beats). Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

Hancock's best-known solo works include "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (later performed by dozens of musicians, including bandleader Mongo Santamaría), "Maiden Voyage", "Chameleon", and the singles "I Thought It Was You" and "Rockit". His 2007 tribute album ''River: The Joni Letters'' won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award after Getz/Gilberto in 1965.

As a member of Soka Gakkai, Hancock is an adherent of the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism.

On 22 July 2011 at a ceremony in Paris, Hancock was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of Intercultural Dialogue.

Early life and career

Hancock was born in Chicago, Illinois. Like many jazz pianists, Hancock started with a classical music education. He studied from age seven, and his talent was recognized early. Considered a child prodigy, he played the first movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 5 at a young people's concert with the Chicago Symphony at age eleven.

Through his teens, Hancock never had a jazz teacher, but developed his ear and sense of harmony. He was also influenced by records of the vocal group the Hi-Lo's:

..by the time I actually heard the Hi-Lo's, I started picking that stuff out; my ear was happening. I could hear stuff and that's when I really learned some much farther-out voicings -like the harmonies I used on 'Speak Like a Child' -just being able to do that. I really got that from Clare Fischer's arrangements for the Hi-Lo's. Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept... He and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that's where it music after two years.

In 1960, he heard Chris Anderson play just once, and begged him to accept him as a student. Hancock often mentions Anderson as his harmonic guru. Hancock left Grinnell College, moved to Chicago and began working with Donald Byrd and Coleman Hawkins, during which period he also took courses at Roosevelt University. (He later graduated from Grinnell, which also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1972). Donald Byrd was attending the Manhattan School of Music in New York at the time and suggested that Hancock study composition with Vittorio Giannini, which he did for a short time in 1960. The pianist quickly earned a reputation, and played subsequent sessions with Oliver Nelson and Phil Woods. He recorded his first solo album ''Takin' Off'' for Blue Note Records in 1962. "Watermelon Man" (from ''Takin' Off'') was to provide Mongo Santamaría with a hit single, but more importantly for Hancock, ''Takin' Off'' caught the attention of Miles Davis, who was at that time assembling a new band. Hancock was introduced to Davis by the young drummer Tony Williams, a member of the new band.

Miles Davis quintet and Blue Note

Hancock received considerable attention when, in May 1963, he joined Miles Davis's "second great quintet." This new band was essentially Miles Davis surrounded by fresh, new talent. Davis personally sought out Hancock, whom he saw as one of the most promising talents in jazz. The rhythm section Davis organized was young but effective, comprising bassist Ron Carter, 17-year-old drummer Tony Williams, and Hancock on piano. After George Coleman and Sam Rivers each took a turn at the saxophone spot, the quintet would gel with Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone. This quintet is often regarded as one of the finest jazz ensembles, and the rhythm section has been especially praised for its innovation and flexibility.

The second great quintet was where Hancock found his own voice as a pianist. Not only did he find new ways to use common chords, but he also popularized chords that had not previously been used in jazz. Hancock also developed a unique taste for "orchestral" accompaniment – using quartal harmony and Debussy-like harmonies, with stark contrasts then unheard of in jazz. With Williams and Carter he wove a labyrinth of rhythmic intricacy on, around and over existing melodic and chordal schemes. In the later half of the sixties their approach became so sophisticated and unorthodox that conventional chord changes would hardly be discernible; hence their improvisational concept would become known as "Time, No Changes".

While in the Davis' band, Hancock also found time to record dozens of sessions for the Blue Note label, both under his own name and as a sideman with other musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Grant Green, Bobby Hutcherson, Sam Rivers, Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard.

His albums ''Empyrean Isles'' (1964) and ''Maiden Voyage'' (1965) were to be two of the most famous and influential jazz LPs of the sixties, winning praise for both their innovation and accessibility (the latter demonstrated by the subsequent enormous popularity of the ''Maiden Voyage'' title track as a jazz standard, and by the jazz rap group US3 having a hit single with "Cantaloop" (derived from "Cantaloupe Island" on ''Empyrean Isles'') some twenty five years later). ''Empyrean Isles'' featured the Davis rhythm section of Hancock, Carter and Williams with the addition of Freddie Hubbard on cornet, while ''Maiden Voyage'' also added former Davis saxophonist George Coleman (with Hubbard remaining on trumpet). Both albums are regarded as among the principal foundations of the post-bop style. Hancock also recorded several less-well-known but still critically acclaimed albums with larger ensembles – ''My Point of View'' (1963), ''Speak Like a Child'' (1968) and ''The Prisoner'' (1969) featured flugelhorn, alto flute and bass trombone. 1963's ''Inventions and Dimensions'' was an album of almost entirely improvised music, teaming Hancock with bassist Paul Chambers and two Latin percussionists, Willie Bobo and Osvaldo Martinez.

During this period, Hancock also composed the score to Michelangelo Antonioni's film ''Blowup'', the first of many soundtracks he recorded in his career.

Davis had begun incorporating elements of rock and popular music into his recordings by the end of Hancock's tenure with the band. Despite some initial reluctance, Hancock began doubling on electric keyboards including the Fender Rhodes electric piano at Davis's insistence. Hancock adapted quickly to the new instruments, which proved to be instrumental in his future artistic endeavors.

Under the pretext that he had returned late from a honeymoon in Brazil, Hancock was dismissed from Davis's band. In the summer of 1968 Hancock formed his own sextet. However, although Davis soon disbanded his quintet to search for a new sound, Hancock, despite his departure from the working band, continued to appear on Miles Davis records for the next few years. Noteworthy appearances include ''In a Silent Way'', ''A Tribute to Jack Johnson'' and ''On the Corner''.

''Fat Albert'' and ''Mwandishi''

Hancock left Blue Note in 1969, signing up with Warner Bros. Records. In 1969, Hancock composed the soundtrack for the Bill Cosby animated children's television show ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids''. Titled ''Fat Albert Rotunda'', the album was mainly an R&B;-influenced album with strong jazz overtones. One of the jazzier songs on the record, "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", was later re-worked as a more electronic sounding song for the Quincy Jones album, ''Sounds...and Stuff Like That''.

Hancock became fascinated with accumulating musical gadgets and toys. Together with the profound influence of Davis's ''Bitches Brew'', this fascination would culminate in a series of albums in which electronic instruments are coupled with acoustic instruments.

Hancock's first ventures into electronic music started with a sextet comprising Hancock, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart, and a trio of horn players: Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Julian Priester (trombone), and multireedist Bennie Maupin. Dr. Patrick Gleeson was eventually added to the mix to play and program the synthesizers. In fact, Hancock was one of the first jazz pianists to completely embrace electronic keyboards.

The sextet, later a septet with the addition of Gleeson, made three experimental albums under Hancock's name: ''Mwandishi'' (1971), ''Crossings'' (1972) (both on Warner Bros. Records), and ''Sextant'' (1973) (released on Columbia Records); two more, '' Realization'' and ''Inside Out'', were recorded under Henderson's name with essentially the same personnel. The music often had very free improvisations and showed influence from the electronic music of some contemporary classical composers.

Synthesizer player Patrick Gleeson, one of the first musicians to play synthesizer on any jazz recording, introduced the instrument on ''Crossings'', released in 1972, one of a handful of influential electronic jazz/fusion recordings to feature synthesizer that same year. On ''Crossings'' (as well as on ''I Sing the Body Electric''), the synthesizer is used more as an improvisatory global orchestration device than as a strictly melodic instrument. This reflected Gleeson's (and Powell's) interest in contemporary European electronic music techniques and in the West Coast synthesis techniques of Morton Subotnick and other contemporaries, several of whom were resident at one time or another, as was Gleeson, at The Mills College Tape Music Center. An early review of ''Crossings'' in Downbeat magazine complained about the synthesizer, but a few years later the magazine noted in a cover story on Gleeson that he was "a pioneer" in the field of electronics in jazz. Gleeson used a modular Moog III for the recording of the album, but used an ARP 2600 synthesizer, and occasionally an ARP Soloist for the group's live performances. On ''Sextant'' Gleeson used the more compact ARP synthesizers instead of the larger Moog III for both studio and live performances. In the albums following ''The Crossings'', Hancock started to play synth himself and unlike Gleeson, he plays it as a melodical and rhythm instrument just like electric pianos.

Hancock's three records released in 1971–1973, became later known as the "Mwandishi" albums, so-called after a Swahili name Hancock sometimes used during this era (''Mwandishi'' is Swahili for ''writer''). The first two, including ''Fat Albert Rotunda'' were made available on the 2-CD set ''Mwandishi: the Complete Warner Bros. Recordings'', released in 1994, but are now sold as individual CD editions. Of the three electronic albums, ''Sextant'' is probably the most experimental since the Arp synthesizers are used extensively, and some advanced improvisation ("post-modal free impressionism") is found on the tracks "Hornets" and "Hidden Shadows" (which is in the meter 19/4). "Hornets" was later revised on the 2001 album ''Future2Future'' as "Virtual Hornets".

Among the instruments Hancock and Gleeson used were Fender Rhodes piano, ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, ARP Pro Soloist Synthesizer, a Mellotron and the Moog synthesizer III.

All three Warner Bros. albums ''Fat Albert Rotunda'', ''Mwandishi'', and ''Crossings'', were remastered in 2001 and released in Europe but were not released in the U.S.A. as of June 2005. In the Winter of 2006–2007 a remastered edition of Crossings was announced and scheduled for release in the Spring.

Headhunters and Death Wish

After the sometimes "airy" and decidedly experimental "Mwandishi" albums, Hancock was eager to perform more "earthy" and "funky" music. The ''Mwandishi'' albums – though these days seen as respected early fusion recordings – had seen mixed reviews and poor sales, so it is probable that Hancock was motivated by financial concerns as well as artistic restlessness. Hancock was also bothered by the fact that many people did not understand avant-garde music. He explained that he loved funk music, especially Sly Stone's music, so he wanted to try to make funk himself.

He gathered a new band, which he called The Headhunters, keeping only Maupin from the sextet and adding bassist Paul Jackson, percussionist Bill Summers, and drummer Harvey Mason. The album ''Head Hunters'', released in 1973, was a major hit and crossed over to pop audiences, though it prompted criticism from some jazz fans. Head Hunters was recorded at Different Fur studios.

Despite charges of "selling out", Stephen Erlewine of ''Allmusic'' positively reviewed the album amongst other friendly critics, saying, "''Head Hunters'' still sounds fresh and vital three decades after its initial release, and its genre-bending proved vastly influential on not only jazz, but funk, soul, and hip-hop."

Mason was replaced by Mike Clark, and the band released a second album, ''Thrust'', the following year. (A live album from a Japan performance, consisting of compositions from those first two ''Head Hunters'' releases was released in 1975 as ''Flood''. The record has since been released on CD in Japan.) This was almost as well-received as its predecessor, if not attaining the same level of commercial success. The Headhunters made another successful album (called ''Survival of the Fittest'') without Hancock, while Hancock himself started to make even more commercial albums, often featuring members of the band, but no longer billed as The Headhunters. The Headhunters reunited with Hancock in 1998 for ''Return of the Headhunters'', and a version of the band (featuring Jackson and Clark) continues to play live and record.

In 1973, Hancock composed his second masterful soundtrack to the controversial film ''The Spook Who Sat By The Door''. Then in 1974, Hancock also composed the soundtrack to the first ''Death Wish'' film. One of his memorable songs, "Joanna's Theme", would later be re-recorded in 1997 on his duet album with Wayne Shorter ''1 + 1''.

Hancock's next jazz-funk albums of the 1970s were ''Man-Child'' (1975), and ''Secrets'' (1976), which point toward the more commercial direction Hancock would take over the next decade. These albums feature the members of the 'Headhunters' band, but also a variety of other musicians in important roles.

Back to the Basics: VSOP and the Future Shock

During late 1970s and early 1980s, Hancock toured with his "V.S.O.P." quintet, which featured all the members of the 1960s Miles Davis quintet except Davis, who was replaced by trumpet giant Freddie Hubbard. There was constant speculation that one day Davis would reunite with his classic band, but he never did so. VSOP recorded several live albums in the late 1970s, including ''VSOP'' (1976), and ''VSOP: The Quintet'' (1977).

In 1978, Hancock recorded a duet with Chick Corea, who had replaced him in the Miles Davis band a decade earlier. He also released a solo acoustic piano album titled ''The Piano'' (1978), which, like so many Hancock albums at the time, was initially released only in Japan. (It was finally released in the US in 2004.) Several other Japan-only releases have yet to surface in the US, such as ''Dedication'' (1974), ''VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum'' (1977), and ''Direct Step'' (1978). ''Live Under the Sky'' was a VSOP album remastered for the US in 2004, and included an entire second concert from the July 1979 tour.

From 1978–1982, Hancock recorded many albums consisting of jazz-inflected disco and pop music, beginning with ''Sunlight'' (featuring guest musicians like Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius on the last track) (1978). Singing through a vocoder, he earned a British hit, "I Thought It Was You", although critics were unimpressed. This led to more vocoder on the 1979 follow-up, ''Feets, Don't Fail Me Now'', which gave him another UK hit in "You Bet Your Love". The video won five different categories at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards. This single ushered in a collaboration with noted bassist and producer Bill Laswell. Hancock experimented with electronic music on a string of three LPs produced by Laswell: ''Future Shock'' (1983), ''Sound-System'' (1984) and ''Perfect Machine'' (1988). Despite the success of "Rockit", Hancock's trio of Laswell-produced albums (particularly the latter two) are among the most critically derided of his entire career, perhaps even more so than his erstwhile pop-jazz experiments. Hancock's level of actual contribution to these albums was also questioned, with some critics contending that the Laswell albums should have been labelled "Bill Laswell featuring Herbie Hancock".

During this period, he appeared onstage at the Grammy awards with Stevie Wonder, Howard Jones, and Thomas Dolby, in a famous synthesizer jam (The video on Youtube can be found here.). Lesser known works from the 80s are the live album ''Jazz Africa'' and the studio album ''Village Life'' (1984) which were recorded with Gambian kora player Foday Musa Suso. Also, in 1985 he performed as a guest on the album So Red The Rose by the Duran Duran shoot off group Arcadia. He also provided introductory and closing comments for the PBS rebroadcast in the United States of the BBC educational series from the mid-1980s, ''Rockschool'' (not to be confused with the most recent ''Gene Simmons' Rock School'' series).

In 1986, Hancock performed and acted in the film '''Round Midnight''. He also wrote the score/soundtrack, for which he won an Academy Award for Original Music Score. Often he would write music for TV commercials. "Maiden Voyage", in fact, started out as a cologne advertisement. At the end of the ''Perfect Machine'' tour, Hancock decided to leave Columbia Records after a 15-plus-year relationship.

As of June 2005, almost half of his Columbia recordings have been remastered. The first three US releases, ''Sextant'', ''Head Hunters'' and ''Thrust'' as well as the last four releases ''Future Shock'', ''Sound-System'', the soundtrack to ''Round Midnight'' and ''Perfect Machine''. Everything released in America from ''Man-Child'' to ''Quartet'' has yet to be remastered. Some albums, made and initially released in the US, were remastered between 1999 and 2001 in other countries such as ''Magic Windows'' and ''Monster''. Hancock also re-released some of his Japan-only releases in the West, such as ''The Piano.''

1990s and later

After leaving Columbia, Hancock took a break. Then, with friends Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, and Davis admirer Wallace Roney, they recorded ''A Tribute to Miles'' which was released in 1994. The album contained two live recordings and studio recording classics with Roney playing Davis's part as trumpet player. The album won a Grammy for best group album. He also toured with Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland and Pat Metheny in 1990 on their Parallel Realities tour, which included a memorable performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 1990.

Hancock's next album, ''Dis Is Da Drum'' released in 1994 saw him return to Acid Jazz. Also in 1994, Hancock appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.

1995's ''The New Standard'' found him and an all-star band including John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette and Michael Brecker interpreting pop songs by Nirvana, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Prince, Peter Gabriel and others. A 1997 duet album with Wayne Shorter titled ''1 + 1'' was successful, the song "Aung San Suu Kyi" winning the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition, and Hancock also achieved great success in 1998 with his album ''Gershwin's World'' which featured inventive readings of George & Ira Gershwin standards by Hancock and a plethora of guest stars including Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Shorter. Hancock toured the world in the support of ''Gershwin's World'' with a sextet that featured Cyro Baptista, Terri Lynne Carrington, Ira Coleman, Eli Degibri and Eddie Henderson.

In 2001, Hancock recorded ''Future2Future'', which reunited Hancock with Bill Laswell and featured doses of electronica as well as turntablist Rob Swift of The X-Ecutioners. Hancock later toured with the band, and released a live concert DVD with a different lineup which also included the "Rockit" music video. Also in 2001, Hancock partnered with Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove to record a live concert album saluting Davis and John Coltrane called ''Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall'' recorded live in Toronto. The threesome toured t support the album, and have toured on and off through 2005.

2005 saw the release of a duet album called ''Possibilities''. It features duets with Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Sting and others. In 2006, ''Possibilities'' was nominated for Grammy awards in two categories: "A Song For You", featuring Christina Aguilera was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, and "Gelo No Montanha", featuring Trey Anastasio on guitar was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Performance. Neither nomination resulted in an award.

Also in 2005, Hancock toured Europe with a new quartet that included Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke, and explored textures ranging from ambient to straight jazz to African music. Plus, during the Summer of 2005, Hancock re-staffed the famous Head Hunters and went on tour with them, including a performance at The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.

However, this lineup did not consist of any of the original Headhunters musicians. The group included Marcus Miller, Terri Lyne Carrington, Lionel Loueke and John Mayer. Hancock also served as the first artist in residence for Bonnaroo that summer.

Also in 2006, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (which bought out Hancock's old label, Columbia Records) released the two-disc retrospective ''The Essential Herbie Hancock''. This two-disc set is the first compilation of Herbie's work at Warner Bros. Records, Blue Note Records, Columbia and at Verve/Polygram. This became Hancock's second major compilation of work since the 2002 Columbia-only "The Herbie Hancock Box" which was released at first in a plastic 4x4 cube then re-released in 2004 in a long box set. Hancock also in 2006, recorded a new song with Josh Groban and Eric Mouquet (co-founder of Deep Forest) titled "Machine". It is featured on Josh Groban's CD "Awake". Hancock also recorded and improvised with guitarist Lionel Loueke on Loueke's debut album Virgin Forest on the ObliqSound label in 2006, resulting in two improvisational tracks "Le Réveil des Agneaux (The Awakening of the Lambs)" and "La Poursuite du lion (The Lion's Pursuit)".

Hancock, a longtime associate and friend of Joni Mitchell released a 2007 album, ''River: The Joni Letters'', that paid tribute to her work. Norah Jones and Tina Turner recorded vocals, as did Corinne Bailey Rae, and Leonard Cohen contributed a spoken piece set to Hancock's piano. Mitchell herself also made an appearance. The album was released on September 25, simultaneously with the release of Mitchell's album ''Shine''. "River" was nominated for and won the 2008 Album of the Year Grammy Award, only the second jazz album ever to receive either honor. The album also won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, and the song "Both Sides Now" was nominated for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo.

Recently Hancock performed at the Shriner's Children's Hospital Charity Fundraiser with Sheila E, Jim Brickman, Kirk Whalum and Wendy Alane Wright.

His latest work includes assisting the production of the Kanye West track "RoboCop", found on 808s & Heartbreak.

On June 14, 2008, Hancock performed at Rhythm on the Vine at the South Coast Winery in Temecula, California for Shriners Hospital for Children. Other performers at the event, that raised $515,000 for Shriners Hospital, were contemporary music artist Jim Brickman, and Sheila E. & the E. Family Band.

On January 18, 2009, Hancock performed at the We Are One concert, marking the start of inaugural celebrations for American President Barack Obama. Hancock also performed the Rhapsody in Blue at the 2009 Classical BRIT Awards with classical pianist Lang Lang. Hancock was named as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's creative chair for jazz for 2010–12. In June 2010, Hancock released his newest album, ''The Imagine Project''.

On June 5, 2010, Hancock received an Alumni Award from his alma mater, Grinnell College.

Discography

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" |- style="background:#ffdead;" ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Title ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Year ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Label |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Takin' Off'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1962 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Blue Note |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''My Point of View'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1963 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Blue Note |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Inventions and Dimensions'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1963 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Blue Note |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Empyrean Isles'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1964 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Blue Note |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Maiden Voyage'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1965 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Blue Note |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Blow-Up'' (Soundtrack) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1966 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | MGM |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Speak Like a Child'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1968 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Blue Note |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''The Prisoner'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1969 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Blue Note |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Fat Albert Rotunda'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1969 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Warner Bros. |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Mwandishi'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1970 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Warner Bros. |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''He Who Lives In Many Places'' (with bassist Terry Plumeri) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1971 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Airborne. |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Crossings'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1972 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Warner Bros. |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Sextant'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1973 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Head Hunters'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1973 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Thrust'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1974 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Death Wish'' (Soundtrack) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1974 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Dedication'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1974 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Man-Child'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1975 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Flood'' (Live album) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1975 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Secrets'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1976 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''VSOP'' (Live album) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1976 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Herbie Hancock Trio'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1977 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''VSOP: The Quintet'' (Live album) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1977 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum'' (Live album) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1977 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Sunlight'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1977 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Directstep'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1978 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert'' (Live album with Chick Corea) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1978 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''The Piano'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1979 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Feets, Don't Fail Me Now'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1979 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''VSOP: Live Under the Sky'' (Live album) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1979 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''CoreaHancock'' (Live album with Chick Corea) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1979 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Polydor |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Monster'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1980 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Mr. Hands'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1980 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Herbie Hancock Trio'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1981 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Magic Windows'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1981 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Lite Me Up'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1982 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Quartet'' (Live album) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1982 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Future Shock'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1983 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Sound-System'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1984 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Village Life'' (with Foday Musa Suso) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1985 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Round Midnight'' (Soundtrack) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1986 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Jazz Africa'' (Live album with Foday Musa Suso) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1987 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Polygram |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Perfect Machine'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1988 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Columbia |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''A Tribute to Miles'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1994 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Qwest/Warner Bros. |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Dis Is Da Drum'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1994 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Verve/Mercury |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''The New Standard'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1995 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Verve |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''1 + 1'' (with Wayne Shorter) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1997 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Verve |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Gershwin's World'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 1998 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Verve |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Future2Future'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2001 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Transparent |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall'' (Live album) | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2002 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Verve |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Possibilities'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2005 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Concord/Hear Music |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''River: The Joni Letters'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2007 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Verve |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''Then and Now: the Definitive Herbie Hancock'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2008 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Verve |- | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | ''The Imagine Project'' | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2010 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Hancock |}

Filmography

As a Leader

2000: '' Dejohnette, Hancock, Holland and Metheny – Live in Concert''

2002: ''Herbie Hancock Trio: Hurricane!'' with Ron Carter and Billy Cobham

2002: '' The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock (BET on Jazz)'' with Cyro Baptista, Terri Lynne Carrington, Ira Coleman, Eli Degibri and Eddie Henderson

2004: ''Herbie Hancock – Future2Future Live''

2006: ''Herbie Hancock – Possibilities'' with John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Joss Stone, and more

Awards

Academy Awards

1986, Original Soundtrack, for ''Round Midnight''

Grammy Awards

# 1984, Best R&B; Instrumental Performance, for ''Rockit'' # 1985, Best R&B; Instrumental Performance, for ''Sound-System'' # 1988, Best Instrumental Composition, for ''Call Sheet Blues'' # 1995, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group, for ''A Tribute to Miles'' # 1997, Best Instrumental Composition, for ''Manhattan (Island Of Lights And Love)'' # 1999, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s), for ''St. Louis Blues'' # 1999, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group, for ''Gershwin's World'' # 2003, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group, for ''Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall'' # 2003, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, for ''My Ship'' # 2005, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, for ''Speak Like a Child'' # 2008, Album of the Year, for ''River: The Joni Letters'' # 2008, Best Contemporary Jazz Album, for ''River: The Joni Letters'' # 2011, Best Improvised Jazz Solo, for ''A Change Is Gonna Come'' # 2011, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, for ''Imagine''

Playboy Music Poll

Best Jazz Group, 1985

Best Jazz Keyboards, 1985

Best Jazz Album – Rockit, 1985

Best Jazz Keyboards, 1986

Best R&B; Instrumentalist, 1987

Best Jazz Instrumentalist, 1988

Keyboard Magazine's Readers Poll

Best Jazz & Pop Keyboardist, 1983

Best Jazz Pianist, 1987

Best Jazz Keyboardist, 1987

Best Jazz Pianist, 1988

Other notable awards

MTV Awards (5 awards in total) – Best Concept Video – ''Rockit'', 1983–84

Gold Note Jazz Awards – NY Chapter of the National Black MBA Association, 1985

French Award Officer of the Order of Arts & Letters-Paris, 1985

BMI Film Music Award "Round Midnight", 1986

U.S. Radio Award "Best Original Music Scoring – Thom McAnn Shoes", 1986

Los Angeles Film Critics Association "Best Score – Round Midnight", 1986

BMI Film Music Award "Colors", 1989

Miles Davis Award, granted by the Montreal International Jazz Festival, 1997

Soul Train Music Award "Best Jazz Album – The New Standard", 1997

Festival International Jazz de Montreal Prix Miles Davis, 1997

VH1's 100 Greatest Videos "Rockit" is "10th Greatest Video", 2001

NEA Jazz Masters Award, 2004

Downbeat Magazine Readers Poll Hall of Fame, 2005

References

External links

Official website of Herbie Hancock

Official Herbie Hancock MySpace page

Herbie Hancock at Verve Records

River:The Joni Letters at Verve Records

Possibilities Herbie Hancock

Discography Herbie Hancock Discography

Interview with Herbie Hancock on music and technology from AppleMatters

Interview with Herbie Hancock on the "Possibilities" album release from LiveDaily

Herbie Hancock: Outside The Comfort Zone Herbie Hancock interview from JamBase

"Herbie Hancock: Essential Recordings" by Ted Gioia (www.jazz.com)

Herbie Hancock's Grinnell College Alumni Award citation from Grinnell College Alumni Assembly on June 5, 2010.

Category:1940 births Category:20th-century classical composers Category:African American songwriters Category:American Buddhists Category:American funk keyboardists Category:American jazz bandleaders Category:American jazz composers Category:American jazz pianists Category:Musicians from Chicago, Illinois Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grinnell College alumni Category:Hard bop pianists Category:Jazz fusion pianists Category:Jazz-funk pianists Category:Living people Category:Miles Davis Category:Blue Note Records artists Category:Modal jazz pianists Category:Post-bop pianists Category:Converts to Buddhism Category:Members of Soka Gakkai Category:Keytarists

an:Herbie Hancock bn:হার্বি হ্যানকক ca:Herbie Hancock cs:Herbie Hancock da:Herbie Hancock de:Herbie Hancock es:Herbie Hancock eo:Herbie Hancock fr:Herbie Hancock gl:Herbie Hancock io:Herbie Hancock id:Herbie Hancock it:Herbie Hancock he:הרבי הנקוק ka:ჰერბი ჰენკოკი hu:Herbie Hancock nl:Herbie Hancock ja:ハービー・ハンコック no:Herbie Hancock oc:Herbie Hancock nds:Herbie Hancock pl:Herbie Hancock pt:Herbie Hancock ru:Хэнкок, Херби sk:Herbie Hancock fi:Herbie Hancock sv:Herbie Hancock th:เฮอร์บี แฮนค็อก tr:Herbie Hancock uk:Гербі Генкок

The Saint may refer to:

Fiction

Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations:

* ''The Saint'' (film series), starring Louis Hayward (1938), George Sanders (1939–1941) and Hugh Sinclair (1941–1943)

* ''The Saint'' (radio show) (1944–1951), a radio program starring Vincent Price on NBC Radio

*''The Saint'' (TV series) (1962–1969), a British television series starring Roger Moore

* ''The Saint'' (film) (1997), an American film starring Val Kilmer

**''The Saint'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the 1997 film

** ''The Saint'' (novel), a novelization of the 1997 film, by Burl Barer

"The Saint" (''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''), an episode of ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''

''Il santo'' (novel), a novel by Antonio Fogazzaro

''The Saint'', an omnibus edition of the Gaunt's Ghosts novels, ''Honour Guard'' through ''Sabbat Martyr'', by Dan Abnett

Music

The Saint (music venue), a club showcasing live, original music in Asbury Park, New Jersey

"The Saint" (song), a song by Orbital from the 1997 film soundtrack of the same title

The Saints (band), an Australian punk band

The Saints (1960s band), an English instrumental band

Newspapers

''The Saint'' (UK newspaper), a student newspaper at the University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom

''The Saint'' (newspaper), a student newspaper at St. Clair College in Ontario, Canada

Other uses

The Saint (club), gay nightclub in New York City that operated from 1980 to 1990

Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, known locally as "il Santo"

Play Radio (Hampshire), a radio station formerly known at "The Saint"

Ian St. John, Scottish football player nicknamed "The Saint"

WVCR-FM, Siena College radio station

See also

Saint (disambiguation)

de:The Saint fr:Le Saint ro:The Saint sh:The Saint fi:Pyhimys (täsmennyssivu) sv:The Saint

{{infobox musical artist| background	non_vocal_instrumentalist | instrument Guitar
name	Pat Metheny
born	August 12, 1954Lee's Summit. Missouri, United States
instrument	Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar synthesizer
occupation	Musician, songwriter
genre	Jazz, jazz fusion, world fusion, post-bop, jazz-rock, crossover jazz
associated acts	Pat Metheny Group, Noa, The Orb, Steve Reich
label	ECM, Geffen, Nonesuch
notable instruments	Gibson ES-175 Ibanez PM20 Signature ModelIbanez PM100 Signature ModelIbanez PM35Roland GR-300Pikasso guitar
years active	1974–present
website	}}

Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny (pronounced ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer.

One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progressive and contemporary jazz, post-bop, latin jazz and jazz fusion. Pat Metheny has three gold albums and 17 Grammy Awards. He is the brother of jazz flugelhornist and journalist Mike Metheny.

Biography

Metheny was born and raised in Lee's Summit, Missouri, a suburb southeast of Kansas City. Following his graduation from Lee's Summit High School, he briefly attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida in 1972, where he was quickly offered a teaching position. He then moved to Boston to take a teaching assistantship at the Berklee College of Music with jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton. He first made his name as a teenage prodigy under the wing of Burton. In the liner notes on the 2-disc Montgomery compilation ''Impressions: the Verve Jazz Sides'', Metheny is quoted as saying, "(Smokin' at the Half Note) is the absolute greatest jazz-guitar album ever made. It is also the record that taught me how to play."

The angular compositions, asymmetrical lines, relentless rhythmic drive, and deep blues feeling of Ornette Coleman's ''New York is Now'' (Blue Note) inspired Metheny to find his own direction. He has recorded Coleman compositions on a number of his records (starting with a medley of "Round Trip" and "Broadway Blues" on his debut ''Bright Size Life''); worked extensively with Coleman collaborators such as Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, and Billy Higgins; and has even made a record, ''Song X'', with Coleman.

Metheny's playing (as well as his tone) also show significant influence by Jim Hall, Joe Diorio, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, and other classic jazz players. Metheny has often been quoted saying that he is as likely to name non-guitarists as significant stylistic influences as fellow guitar players, giving as examples players like Clifford Brown and John Coltrane. He has stated that Miles Davis' live album Four & More was hugely influential on his pursuit into jazz music. He has also admitted to being heavily influenced by The Beatles, going so far as to say that everything by The Beatles has impacted him as a musician. He has paid significant attention to the evolution of guitar playing across genres, however, and is familiar with the playing of notables from the likes of rocker Eddie Van Halen to Leo Kottke.

In particular, he has been influenced by Brazilian music--both the European-influenced jazz sound of the bossa nova and the intensely polyrhythmic Afro-Brazilian sounds of the country's northeast. Metheny made 3 albums on ECM with the Brazilian vocalist and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos in the early 1980s. He also lived in Brazil from the late 1980s to the early 1990s and performed with several local musicians such as Milton Nascimento and Toninho Horta. He also played with Antonio Carlos Jobim as a tribute, in a live performance in Carnegie Hall Salutes The Jazz Masters: Verve 50th Anniversary before Jobim’s passing away.

He is also a fan of several pop music artists, especially singer/songwriters including The Beatles; James Taylor (after whom he named the song "James" on ''Offramp''); Bruce Hornsby, Cheap Trick, Joni Mitchell, with whom he performed on her Shadows and Light (1980, Asylum/ Elektra) live tour. Metheny is also fond of Buckethead's music. He also worked with, sponsored or helped to make attractive recordings of unique singer/songwriters from all over the world such as Pedro Aznar (Argentina), David Bowie (UK), Silje Nergaard (Norway), Noa (Israel), and Anna Maria Jopek (Poland).

Two of Metheny's recordings, ''The Way Up'' and ''Orchestrion'', evidence the influence of American minimalist composer Steve Reich and utilize similar rhythmic figures structured around pulse. Reich's composition ''Electric Counterpoint'' was first recorded by Metheny and appears on the ''Different Trains'' CD released by Nonesuch Records in 1987.

The Metheny Brothers

Pat took part in recording some of the CDs by his older brother, trumpeter Mike Metheny, a talented jazz musician and a trumpet player based in Kansas City, Missouri, among them ''Day In - Night Out'' (1986) and more recently ''Close Enough for Love'' (2001). and

Bibliography

Discography

Early recognition

Chuck Lorre (producer of ''Two and a Half Men'' and ''The Big Bang Theory'') mentions Pat Metheny in his weekly 'vanity card' (shown briefly after the credits of the Season 1 Episode 12 episode of ''The Big Bang Theory'' entitled "The Jerusalem Duality"). To summarize, Chuck Lorre was a professional guitarist at the age of 22. He was invited to audit a jazz guitar class at the University of Miami, and his ego was crushed when Pat Metheny began to play. Chuck says that this experience played a part in shifting his focus toward television.

Awards

In 1995, Pat Metheny was granted the Miles Davis Award by the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

References

External links

The Pat Metheny homepage - biographies, discographies, discussion and songbook forums, tour dates, etc.

The most complete Pat Metheny discography with radio shows, promos a. o.

Pat Metheny entry at AllMusic.com

Pat Metheny profile, NNDB

Pat Metheny's guitar rig

Pat Metheny's artist file on the Montreal International Jazz Festival's website

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:People from Lee's Summit, Missouri Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Lead guitarists Category:American jazz guitarists Category:Jazz fusion guitarists Category:Post-bop guitarists Category:Berklee College of Music faculty Category:Grammy Award winners Category:University of Miami alumni Category:University of Miami faculty Category:Musicians from Missouri Category:ECM artists Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Nonesuch Records artists

cs:Pat Metheny da:Pat Metheny de:Pat Metheny es:Pat Metheny fr:Pat Metheny gl:Pat Metheny ko:팻 메시니 id:Pat Metheny it:Pat Metheny he:פט מתיני nl:Pat Metheny ja:パット・メセニー no:Pat Metheny nn:Pat Metheny pl:Pat Metheny pt:Pat Metheny ru:Мэтини, Патрик Брюс fi:Pat Metheny sv:Pat Metheny th:แพท เมธินี tr:Pat Metheny