The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a multinational jazz-rock ensemble headed by English guitarist John McLaughlin, who led two lineups during their original six-album run. The first incarnation was a five-piece band with Czech keyboardist Jan Hammer, Irish bassist Rick Laird, and two Americans: violinist Jerry Goodman and drummer Billy Cobham. They released the 1971–73 Columbia albums […]
George Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American jazz-funk keyboardist, composer, arranger, and producer, active from the mid-1960s through the early 2010s. During the 1970s and ’80s, he released 21 studio albums. Duke began his career as a Bay Area post-bop bandleader. After a stint with Jean-Luc Ponty, he embraced jazz-rock […]
Billy Cobham (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian-American jazz-rock drummer who played in the bands Dreams, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Atmospheres during the early 1970s. Starting with his 1973 solo debut Spectrum, Cobham released eight albums on Atlantic and four on Columbia through 1979, including a live release in partnership with George Duke. He […]
Dreams were an American brass-rock band from New York that released the 1970–71 Columbia albums Dreams and Imagine My Surprise. They launched the careers of multiple jazz-rock players, including Billy Cobham and the Brecker Brothers. Members: Jeff Kent (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Doug Lubahn [aka Douglas Lubahn] (vocals, bass), Edward Vernon (lead vocals), Randy Brecker (vocals, […]
A Tribute to Jack Johnson is the third studio album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on February 24, 1971, on Columbia Records. The album is a fiery, muscular exploration of hard rock, funk, and jazz fusion. It was conceived as the soundtrack for the documentary film of the same […]
Get Up With It is an album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on November 22, 1974, on Columbia Records. The album is a sprawling, retrospective collection of previously unreleased material recorded between 1970 and 1974. It spans the entire sonic palette of Davis’s electric period, from the hard funk […]
Adrenalin is an album by English/Canadian jazz-funk guitarist David Bendeth, released in 1979 on Inter Global Music. Tracklist: A1. “Adrenalin” (6:25) A2. “Breakdown” (3:54) A3. “Easy Ridin’” (2:49) A4. “Lock Stock & Barrell” (4:13) A5. “Dr. Dimento” (0:42) B1. “Feel the Real” (3:46) B2. “Copycat” (5:27) B3. “Bozonoknowz” (3:26) B4. “Count Me Out” (4:00) B5. “Turbocharger” […]
Headin’ Home is the third solo album by jazz-funk trumpeter Jimmy Owens, released in 1978 on Horizon. Tracklist: A1. “Home” (5:53) A2. “New Tune” (5:47) A3. “Dreaming My Life Away” (5:45) A4. “Never Subject to Change” (5:34) B1. “B.S.” (6:51) B2. “Sweet Love” (9:42) B3. “Exercise (Dis’go Dis’way)” (6:21) Credits: Jimmy Owens — trumpet, flugelhorn […]
Birds of Fire is the second studio album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on March 26, 1973, on Columbia Records. A1. “Birds of Fire” (5:50) The title track opens with a ceremonial gong strike, echoed by a swarm of guitar harmonics and tremolo textures that build immediate intensity. John McLaughlin initiates a […]
Forest of Feelings is the debut solo album by American jazz-rock keyboardist/composer David Sancious, released in 1975 on Epic. Tracklist: A1. “Suite Cassandra” (8:46) A2. “Come On if You Feel Up to It. . . (And Get Down)” (4:44) A3. “East India” (4:36) A4. “Dixie: March of the Conditioned Souls / Civil War of the […]
Fly With the Wind is an album by American jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, released in 1976 on Milestone. Augmenting his post-bop quartet for these sessions is a 14-piece orchestra conducted by arranger/co-producer William Fischer. The title-track leads with a chamber into of violin, cello, oboe, and flute in C♯m. During the first minute, the tone […]
Atmospheres is the first of two back-to-back albums by the multinational jazz-rock supergroup led by English saxist Clive Stevens, released in 1974 on Capitol. The album features the talents of Oregon pianist Ralph Towner, ubiquitous guitarists John Abercrombie and Steve Khan, and the Mahavishnu rhythm section of bassist Rick Laird and drummer Billy Cobham. Tracklist: A1. […]
I’ve Always Wanted to Do This is an album by Scottish bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, released in 1980 on Epic. The album is co-credited to “Friends” — an impromptu trio of jazz-funk players including keyboardist David Sancious and drummer Billy Cobham. Tracklist: A1. “Hit and Run” (3:36) A2. “Running Back” (3:51) A3. “Facelift 318” (3:18) A4. […]
Dreams is the first of two albums by the namesake American brass-rock band, released in 1970 on Columbia/CBS. Tracklist: A1. “Devil Lady” (3:33) A2. “15 Miles to Povo” (3:01) A3. “The Martanine” (2:25) A4. “Holli Be Home” (5:41) A5. “Try Me” (5:08) B1. “Dream Suite” (14:45) — a. Asset Stop — b. Jane — c. Crunchy […]
Circles is an album by American jazz-rock keyboardist William S. Fischer, produced by Herbie Mann and released in 1970 on Embryo. Tracklist: A1. “Patience Is Virtue” (4:45) A2. “Saigon” (4:06) A3. “Electrix” (5:00) A4. “Chains” (4:30) B1. “There’s a Light That Shines” (3:31) B2. “Circle” (3:03) B3. “Green Forever” (4:35) B4. “Capsule” (7:00) Credits: William S. […]
The Inner Mounting Flame is the debut album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on November 3, 1971, on Columbia Records. 1. “Meeting of the Spirits” – 6:52 “Meeting of the Spirits” opens the album with a sequence of sharply punctuated ensemble hits that establish the piece’s underlying tension. Cobham initiates motion through […]
Icarus is an album by the Paul Winter Consort, featuring the namesake saxophonist backed by members of Oregon. The album was produced by George Martin and released in 1972 on Epic. Tracklist: A1. “Icarus” (3:02) A2. “Ode to a Fillmore Dressing Room” (5:32) A3. “The Silence of a Candle” (3:22) A4. “Sunwheel” (4:52) A5. “Juniper Bear” […]
Inner Conflicts is an album by jazz-rock drummer Billy Cobham, released in 1978 on Atlantic. Tracklist: A1. “Inner Conflicts” (10:49) A2. “The Muffin Talks Back” (9:52) B1. “Nickles and Dimes” (7:21) B2. “El Barrio” (6:30) B3. “Arroyo” (4:15) Credits: Bass – John Williams Drums – Billy Cobham Guitar – John Scofield Keyboards – Dawilli Gonga […]
Soul Box is a double album by American jazz-funk saxist Grover Washington Jr., released in 1973 on CTI-subsidiary Kudu, which also released the records separately as Soul Box Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Tracklist: A1. “Aubrey” (3:40) A2. “Masterpiece” (13:20) B. “Trouble Man” (15:55) C1. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (6:00) C2. “Don’t […]
Spectrum is the debut solo album by American jazz-rock drummer Billy Cobham, released in 1973 on Atlantic. Tracklist: A1. “Quadrant 4” (4:30) A2. “Searching for the Right Door / Spectrum” (6:33) A3. “Anxiety / Taurian Matador” (4:45) B1. “Stratus” (9:50) B2. “To the Women in My Life / Le lis” (4:00) B3. “Snoopy’s Search / Red […]
Love Devotion Surrender is a collaborative album between American Latin-rock guitarist Carlos Santana and English jazz-rock guitarist John McLaughlin, released in 1973 on Columbia. Tracklist: A1. “A Love Supreme” (7:48) A2. “Naima” (3:09) A3. “The Life Divine” (9:30) B1. “Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord” (15:45) B2. “Meditation” (2:45) Credits: Carlos Santana […]
