Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 — September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter with a recording career that spanned nearly five decades. In the late 1940s, Davis collaborated with Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan on the nonet sessions that became the Birth of the Cool LP (1957). He later formed his first great quintet […]
Santana are an American Latin-rock jam band from San Francisco, formed in 1966 by guitarist Carlos Santana. Their self-titled debut, released after a breakout appearance at Woodstock, fused sustained electric solos with syncopated hand percussion and thick organ layers by Gregg Rolie. Abraxas (1970) added expanded textures, drawing from Afro-Cuban rhythms and modal frameworks. The […]
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 […]
Isotope was an English jazz-rock band that released three albums on Gull between 1974 and 1976. Guitarist Gary Boyle formed the band with veteran jazz bassist Jeff Clyne, who left after the first album and formed Turning Point. The second album, Illusion, features the signature fuzz bass of Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine). Members: Gary Boyle […]
Colosseum II was an English jazz-rock band that released the album Strange New Flesh on Bronze in 1976, followed by Electric Savage and War Dance on MCA in 1977. They also backed Andrew Lloyd Webber on his 1978 classical-rock album Variations. The band was a followup to Colosseum, which drummer Jon Hiseman led from 1968 […]
Pat Metheny is an American jazz guitarist who released thirteen group and solo albums on ECM (1976–1984), followed by titles on Geffen. His best-known cuts include the 1978 fusion staple “Phase Dance,” the 1985 soundtrack ballad “This Is Not America” (a collaboration with David Bowie), and the 1989 smooth-jazz number “Slip Away.” Background He was […]
Brand X was an English jazz-rock unit active between 1976 and 1980, driven by the fluid interplay of bassist Percy Jones and drummer Phil Collins. Their five studio albums—Unorthodox Behaviour, Moroccan Roll, Masques, Product, and Do They Hurt?—chart a progression from intricate instrumentals to tight ensemble work with occasional vocals. Guitarist John Goodsall anchored the […]
Al Di Meola is an American guitarist who emerged in the jazz-rock supergroup Return to Forever, playing on the 1974–76 albums Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior. As a solo artist, he’s issued more than 40 albums, starting with the 1976/77 Columbia titles Land of the Midnight Sun and Elegant […]
Kazumi Watanabe — 渡辺香津美 (born Oct. 14, 1953) — is a Japanese jazz-rock guitarist who cut his first album in 1971 at age 17. Between 1975 and 1996, he released albums biannually on Better Days, DOMO, and Gramavision. During the early 1980s, he led the namesake Kazumi Band for two albums. He also backed Ryuichi […]
Shadowfax was an American jazz band from Chicago that first appeared with the 1976 Passport Records jazz-rock release Watercourse Way. After six quiet years, they reemerged as a new age act on Windham Hill Records. Members: Chuck Greenberg (Lyricon, saxophone, flute, oboe, recorder, 1972-95), Phil Maggini (bass, 1972-95), Stuart Nevitt (drums, tabla, percussion, 1972-95), Greg […]
The Muffins were an American jazz-rock band that released two proper albums: the Canterbury-style Manna / Mirage (1978) and the No Wave-inspired 185, both on the avant-garde DC label Random Radar Records. Tracks from their earlier incarnation (circa 1975–76) later surfaced on the Cuneiform CD Chronometers. They backed Fred Frith on his 1980 Ralph Records […]
Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) was an American bassist renown for his fretless style. He exploded onto the scene in 1976 with a star-backed solo album and guest appearances on titles by Joni Mitchell (Hejira) and Pat Metheny (Bright Size Life). That year, he joined Weather Report for a six-album stint. Background He was born John Francis […]
Caldera was an American Latin jazz-rock band that released four albums between 1976 and 1980 on Capitol. They synthesized jazz-funk with Afro-Cuban styles on their debut, Caldera (1976), then expanded their textural range on Sky Islands (1977), which features guest vocalist Dianne Reeves. The band continued to refine its complex, Latin-rooted fusion across Time and […]
Dixie Dregs were an American instrumental band that fused jazz-rock and bluegrass across six studio albums between 1977 and 1982. Their Capricorn-era titles—Free Fall (1977), What If (1978), and Night of the Living Dregs (1979)—featured guitarist Steve Morse and violinist Allen Sloan as primary soloists. After moving to Arista, they issued Dregs of the Earth […]
Spyro Gyra are an American jazz-funk band that released thirteen albums between 1977 and 1989 on MCA. They developed a signature sound blending tight ensemble arrangements, saxophone-led melodies, and textured mallet-synth lines. The group released their self-titled debut in 1977, followed by Morning Dance (1979), which featured the breakout title track, and Catching the Sun […]
Ronald Shannon Jackson (Jan. 12, 1940 — Oct. 19, 2013) was an American jazz-funk drummer on the New York avant-garde scene. He emerged as a free-jazz sideman for Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and James Blood Ulmer. As a bandleader, Jackson led the No Wave-inspired Decoding Society on the 1980–83 albums Eye on You, […]
Larry Coryell (April 2, 1943 — Feb. 19, 2017) was an American guitarist who emerged in the late-1960s jazz-rock-psych combo The Free Spirits. During the mid-1970s, he led the jazz-rock supergroup The Eleventh House, cutting the albums Introducing, Level One, and Aspects. He also partook in Wolfgang Dauner’s Et Cetera with Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman, […]
James Blood Ulmer (February 8, 1940 – June 3, 2026) was an American avant-jazz/rock guitarist who played on Seventies albums by Rashied Ali Quintet, Larry Young, Joe Henderson, and Arthur Blythe. He went solo with the 1979 album Tales of Captain Black on Artists House, followed by the 1980 Rough Trade release Are You Glad […]
Nova was an Italian jazz-rock band that released four albums between 1975 and 1978 on Arista. They formed around saxophonist Elio D’Anna and guitarist Corrado Rustici, blending rock instrumentation with jazz and fusion textures. After a debut that emphasized technical interplay, the band expanded into more polished, keyboard-driven arrangements with international session players. Wings of […]
Supply Demand & Curve were an Irish progressive/jazz-rock group active in Dublin from 1970 through an August 1978 Project Arts Centre engagement. The group developed from Jazz Therapy and issued the 1976 self-titled album on Mulligan. Early drummer Roger Doyle pursued electroacoustic composition, while bassist Brian Masterson later established Windmill Lane Studios. Members: Jolyon Jackson […]
Barbara Thompson (July 27, 1944 — July 2, 2022) was an English saxophonist who emerged as a guest musician on 1969/70 albums by the Keef Hartley Band and husband Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum, followed by stints with pianist Neil Ardley, trombonist Michael Gibbs, and singer Inez Foxx. In 1975, Thompson co-founded the multinational ten-piece United Jazz+Rock […]
Full Moon was an American jazz-pop band that released a self-titled album on Douglas in 1972. In 1980, the group resurfaced on Warner Bros. with an album as the Larsen-Feiten Band before resurrecting the Full Moon nameplate for back-to-back live and studio albums in 1982. Members: Lenny Castro (percussion, vocals), Art Rodriguez (drums), Willie Weeks […]
Steve Reid (Jan. 29, 1944 — April 13, 2010) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader who made the 1976 albums Rhythmatism and Nova. Background Steve Reid was born on Jan. 29, 1944, in the South Bronx, New York City. His father played piano and organ and had performed with Chick Webb before marriage. Reid’s […]
Matrix was an American nine-piece jazz-rock ensemble formed by pianist and composer John Harmon. They released a 1976 private-press debut, followed by the 1978/79 Warner albums Wizard and Tale of the Whale and the 1981 indie title Harvest. In 2000, they reunited for concert activity and cut the 2002 disc Proud Flesh. Members: Larry Darling […]
Band X was an American jazz-rock/space-rock band from Massachusetts that released an album titled The Best of Band X in 1976 on Broken Records before evolving into the Craig Peyton Group. Members: Craig Peyton (vibraphone, vocals, percussion; b. 1953; New Canaan, Connecticut), multi-instrumentalist Alan Grzyb (bassoon, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, backing vocals), bassist/trombonist […]
Stardrive was an American electro-jazz/funk band that released the album Intergalactic Trot on Elektra in 1973, followed by a self-titled album on Columbia in 1974. Members: Harvey Sarch (Guitar), Howard Rego (Drums), Jaime Austria (Bass), Robert Mason (Synthesizer) Background Stardrive was named after a hybrid synthesizer created by Robert Mason (b. 1946), a classically trained […]
Steve Marcus (September 18, 1939 — September 25, 2005) was an American tenor saxophonist from New York City. He helped pioneer electric jazz with his albums Tomorrow Never Knows (1968), Count’s Rock Band (1968), and The Lord’s Prayer (1969), which recast pop and rock songs with improvisational saxophone over guitar-driven rhythm sections. His electric tone […]
Pat Martino (1944–2021) was an American jazz guitarist from Philadelphia. He first recorded behind saxophonist Willis Jackson on multiple mid-Sixties titles on Prestige Records, which issued his first five solo albums between 1967 and 1970. After his 1972 Cobblestone release The Visit!, Martino cut two albums for Muse Records and switched from post-bop to jazz […]
This Oneness was an American jazz-rock band from Minneapolis that released the album Surprize in 1975. Members: Bernie Pershey (drums, percussion, vocals), Douglas Nelson (electric bass, vocals, percussion), Dale Strength (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion), Gregg Inhofer (vocals, piano, guitar, 12-string guitar, percussion), Robyn Lee (flute, saxophone, organ, synthesizer, vocals) Background This Oneness spun […]
L.A. Express was an American jazz-funk band that released four albums between 1974 and 1976, the first two with featured saxophonist Tom Scott. Their first album features keyboardist Joe Sample and guitarist Larry Carlton, who cleared out respectively for Larry Nash and Robben Ford. Members: David Luell, Joe Sample, John Guerin, Larry Carlton, Larry Nash, […]
The Fourth Way was an American jazz-rock band that released a self-titled album on Capitol in 1969, followed by two live albums on Harvest in 1970. Formed in San Francisco by electric pianist Mike Nock, the quartet blended post-bop and avant-garde impulses with early fusion and global rhythmic influences. Violinist Michael White’s use of amplified […]
The Free Spirits were an American jazz-rock/psych band from NYC that released the 1967 ABC album Out of Sight and Sound. Members: Larry Coryell (guitar), Jim Pepper (saxophone), Bob Moses (drums), Columbus Baker (guitar), Chris Hill (bass) Background The Free Spirits formed in 1965 in New York City as a quintet of young jazz musicians […]
The Stark Reality was an American jazz-rock/psych band from Boston that released the 1970 double-album …Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop on AJP, a label launched by jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. Vibraphonist Monty Stark led the project, which reinterprets selections from Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop, a 1950s educational program that Carmichael composed for children. Stark arranged […]
The Peddlers were an English jazz-rock/soul trio from Manchester that issued a clutch of singles on Philips during the mid-1960s, followed by three albums and further singles on CBS between 1967 and 1969. In 1972, the band teamed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the album Suite London on Philips. A live album of mostly […]
Scarlet Rivera is an American violinist from Chicago who emerged as part of Bob Dylan’s 1976 Rolling Thunder Revue, then led the 1977/78 Warner albums Scarlet Rivera and Scarlet Fever. Background Donna Shea was born in 1950 in Joliet, Illinois. Her father worked as a chemist at an oil refinery, while her mother managed the Shea […]
Michael Bass is an American avant-jazz/rock musician and composer who released the 1978/79 albums Parchesi Pie and Painting by Numbers on Random Radar. Background Michael Bass emerged in 1975 on the Maryland/Washington D.C., avant-jazz/rock circuit. He played drums, xylophone, and acoustic piano with The Muffins during an early lineup with keyboard–reedist Dave Newhouse, reedist Tom […]
Snakes Alive was an Australian jazz-rock band from Sydney that self-released a 1975 limited-edition album, twice reissued with bonus material. Members: Colin Campbell (trumpet), Alex Ditrich (keyboards), Peter Nykyruj (drums, percussion), Boris Peric (guitar), Jonas Thomas (saxophone, flute, vocals), Michael Vidale (bass) Background Snakes Alive formed in 1973 in Sydney when keyboardist Oleg “Alex” Ditrich […]
Sun Treader was an English jazz-rock trio that released the 1973 album Zin Zin on Island. Keyboardist Peter Robinson played beforehand in the hard-rock/psych trio Quatermass. He later surfaced with drummer Morris Pert in the jazz-rock supergroup Brand X. Members: Morris Pert (drums, percussion), Peter Robinson (piano), Alyn Ross (bass) Background Sun Treader formed in […]
Proteus was an American jazz-rock band from Chicago, active from 1978 through 1985 on the city circuit. In 1981, they released the album Infinite Change on self-press Proteus International Records Inc. Members: Sergio Nespola (drums), Grant Austin (bass), Brian Zercher (keyboards), Ole Riise (guitar), Rob Williams (guitar), Tim Tobias (keyboards), Bill Dickens (bass) Background Rome-born […]
Electromagnets were an American jazz-rock band from Austin that issued an eponymous album on self-press EGM 1975. The band recorded a second album in 1976 that was ultimately released in 2005 on Vortexan. Members: Eric Johnson (guitar), Bill Maddox (drums), Steve Barber (keyboard), Kyle Brock (bass) Background Electromagnets formed as Aussenhorowitz around multi-instrumentalist Stephen Barber, […]
Master Cylinder was an American jazz-rock band that released the album Elsewhere in 1981. Members: Robert Atwood (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), John Rogers (piano, synthesizer), Jack Carter (bass), Eddie Dunlap (drums, percussion) Background Master Cylinder formed in Fort Worth around keyboardist Joe Rogers, who composed, arranged, and produced the band’s material after studying composition and […]
Dry Jack was an American jazz-rock band active between 1972 and 1982. They released two albums, Magical Elements and Whale City, both in 1979 on Inner City Records. Members: Dwight Rucker (vocals, 1973-75), Rod Fleeman (guitar), John Lamb (guitar), Clint Swank (guitar), Rocco Marshall (guitar), Bill Bergman (guitar), Tony DePaolo (guitar), Chuck Lamb (piano, Moog, […]
Flying Island was an American jazz-rock band that released two albums in 1975 and 1976 on Vanguard. Members: Bill Bacon (drums, percussion), Jeff Bova (keyboards, trumpet, synthesizer), Faith Fraioli (violin), Thom Preli (bass), Ray Smith (guitar) Background Flying Island formed in Connecticut around violinist Faith Fraioli, keyboardist Jeff Bova (b. June 22, 1953; Washington, D.C.), […]
Streetdancer was an American jazz-rock band that released two albums between 1974 and 1976. Members: Kestutis Stanciauskas (bass), Roger Glienke (guitar), Robert Long (keyboards), Andy Potter (drums, percussion) Background Streetdancer formed in the Chicago area in 1973 around bassist Kestutis Stanciauskas (b. January 4, 1951; Chicago), a Chicago-born jazz bassist of Lithuanian heritage who produced and […]
Innersections were an American jazz-rock band that released the 1980 album Tap Dancer in a Minefield. Members: Richard Lasner (acoustic and electric six- and twelve-string guitars), Stuart Sigmond (acoustic and electric pianos, flute), Bruce Kaminsky (acoustic and electric string basses) Background Innersections emerged in Philadelphia, where guitarist Richard Lasner and bassist Bruce Kaminsky teamed with […]
Judy Roberts is an American jazz vocalist from Chicago who released three albums between 1979 and 1981 on Inner City Records. Profile Judy Roberts was born Judy Loewy on October 3, 1942, in Chicago. She began professional work at age fifteen as a pianist-vocalist. Roberts led a Chicago trio by 1970 with bassist Nick Tountas […]
Quincicasm was an English avant-garde jazz combo that made a self-titled album in 1973 on Saydisc. Keyboardist Julian Marshall later surfaced in the jazz-pop duos Marshall Hain and Eye to Eye. Members: Dick Pearce (flugelhorn), Malcolm Bennett (bass, flute), Julian Marshall (keyboards, vibraphone), Ken Eley (saxophone), Michael Ormerod (drums, percussion), Nigel Smith (drums, percussion) Background […]
The Sailor Band was an American jazz-rock quartet from Minnesota that self-released the 1974 album Sailor. Members: Sidney Gasner (bass), Reynold Philipsek (guitar), Mark Wenner (drums, percussion), Michael McGlynn (keyboards, vocals) For the contemporary English cabaret-glam band, click here. For the Indianapolis band, click here. Background The Sailor Band formed in St. Cloud in the […]
Crosswind was a Japanese symphonic/jazz-rock band that released two eponymous albums on Elbon at the close of the 1970s, followed by the album そして夢の国へ・・・ (Soshite Yume no Kuni e…) on Kitty Records in 1982. Members: Ogawa Ginji (guitar), Endo Keizo (bass), Sugimoto Kiyoshi (drums), Maruo Megumi (keyboards), Kobayashi Kazuo (bass), Soru Toru (drums), Furuki Yoshihiko […]
Clareon was an American jazz-rock band that released a self-titled album on Villa Records in 1980. Members: Andrew Stern (electric guitarist/12-string acoustic guitarist/vocalist), Dean Groves (bassist/vocalist), Don Hunter (percussionist ), Kip Haaheim (bassist), Mark Shannon (soprano/alto/tenor saxophonist), Ron Madden (electric piano, piano, vocals) Background Clareon formed in the San Francisco Bay Area around multi-instrumentalist Ron […]
Matrix was an American jazz-rock quintet from Milwaukee that recorded a 1973 album issued in 1975 by local-press Pro-Gress Records as Matrix (Stimulus for the Auditory Nerve). Guitarist Jack Grassel led the lineup with bassist David Philips, reedist Dave Shostac, keyboardist Dennis Klopfer, and drummer Andy LoDuca. The Milwaukee Matrix bore no connection to the […]
Aurora was an American jazz-rock band from Texas that was active between 1976 and 1980. Twenty years after the fact, a collection of the band’s live and studio recordings were issued on CD by archivist label Shroom. Members: Mark Menikos (violin, 1976-77), Skip SoRelle (guitar), Roy Vogt (bass, 1976-?), John Sharp (keyboards, 1976-?), Martin Metzger […]
Opa was an Uruguayan jazz-rock band that released the 1976/77 albums Goldenwings and Magic Time, both produced by Airto Moreira for Milestone/RCA. Goldenwings features spots by vocalist Flora Purim and guitarist David Amaro. Magic Time welcomes early Totem member Rubén Rada. Opa was the brainchild of brothers Hugo and Osvaldo Fattoruso, who played together in […]
Forty-Seven Times Its Own Weight was an American jazz-rock band from Austin that released the album Cumulo Nimbus on local-press Fable Records in 1975. Members: Mel Winters (trumpet), Paul Ostermayer (saxophone), Robert “Dude” Skiles (keyboards), Spencer Starnes (bass), John Treanor (drums) Cumulo Nimbus Forty-Seven Times Its Own Weight released their singular album, Cumulo Nimbus, on […]
Auracle was an American jazz-rock band that released two albums on Chrysalis in 1978 and 1979. The members released an earlier album as Inner Vision. Along with The Muffins and Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, Auracle were one of the few instrumental acts of this period to make extensive use of mallets. Members: Richard C. Braun (trumpet, […]
Shamrock was an American instrumental jazz-funk combo that released a self-titled album on two-press Blake Company Records in 1977. Members: – Shamrock (1977) Shamrock released their self-titled in 1977 on Blake Company Records (AW #14049), a label based in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The album contains five instrumental co-compositions across its nineteen-minute A side and shorter (twelve-minute) […]
Les DeMerle is an American jazz drummer who made the 1968 album Spectrum on United Artists. After time behind bandleader Harry James, DeMerle released the 1978 jazz-rock album Transfusion on Dobre Records. The title inspired the name of his backing act for the ensuing Transcendental Watusi, issued in 1979 on U.A. His final album, On […]
Pat Rebillot (born April 21, 1935) is an American keyboardist, arranger, and producer who played on numerous jazz, funk, pop, and soul recordings during the 1960s and ’70s. In 1974, he released the album Free Fall on Atlantic. Background Pat Rebillot was born Patrick Earl Rebillot on April 21, 1935, in Louisville, Ohio. His father […]
Solar Plexus was an American jazz-rock band that released the 1975/76 albums Solar Plexus and Voices on Evidence Music, followed in 1979/80 with an eponymous third and Earth Songs on Inner City Records. Members: Denny Berthiaume (keyboards), Randy Masters (trumpet, percussion) Background Solar Plexus formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1972 when keyboardist […]
Natural Life was an American jazz-rock band from Minnesota that released the 1976/77 albums All Music, Unnamed Land, and Natural Life. Members: Mike Elliott (guitar), Bob Rockwell (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute), Bobby Peterson (piano), Billy Peterson (bass), Steve Kimmel (congas, tabla, percussion, timbales), Bill Berg (drums), Eric Gravatt (drums) Background Natural Life formed in […]
Spaces were an American jazz-rock band from Provo, Utah, that released the album Border Station in 1981. Members: Roger Nichols (piano, synthesizer, clarinet), Anthony Perry (drums, percussion), Wendell C. Jones, (bass), Randy Hall (guitar), David Carrilo (percussion), Rand Keith (saxophone) Discography: Border Station (1981)
Yellowjackets are an American jazz-rock band from Los Angeles. The group developed from the backing unit of guitarist Robben Ford with keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip, and drummer Ricky Lawson, then debuted in 1981 on Warner Bros. with Yellowjackets. After Ford departed, saxophonist Marc Russo joined for the mid-Eighties albums Samurai Samba and Shades, […]
Tim Eyermann (July 20, 1946 — May 1, 2007) was an American saxophonist from Pittsburgh who fronted the Maryland jazz-rock band East Coast Offering across the 1977–80 albums Unity, Go-Rilla, and Aloha. Background Albert Timothy Eyermann was born July 20, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Green Tree, where he started piano lessons […]
Ocean were an American jazz-rock band from Cincinnati that released the album Sunrise on self-press Ocean Sounds Records in 1982. Members: – Discography: Sunrise (1982)
Jerry Goodman (born March 16, 1949) is an American violinist from Chicago who played in jazz-psych pioneers The Flock during the late 1960s. Between 1971 and 1973, he played in the first lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, appearing on the albums The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire. Discography: Like Children (1974 • Jerry […]
Mosaic were an American jazz-rock band from Peoria, Ill., that released a self-titled album in 1978. Members: Catherine J. Hall (flute, soprano recorder, vocals), Johnse Holt (12-string electric guitar), Dennis Kita (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone), Rocky David Maffit (percussion, autoharp, vocals), Jeff Miller (drum), Neal Robinson (piano, synthesizer, electric piano, Hammond organ, Farfisa), […]
Momentum were an American jazz-rock band that released two albums between 1980 and 1983. Members: Brad Carlton (guitar) Discography: Introducing Brad Carlton (1980) Scintillation (1983)
Mike Santiago & Entity were an American jazz-rock quintet that released the 1977 Chiaroscuro album White Trees. Bassist Dave LaRue later joined the Steve Morse Band and Dixie Dregs. Members: Mike Santiago (guitar), Richard Sussman (piano), Dave LaRue (bass), Ronnie Glick (drums), Tom Baker (percussion, congas, vibraphone) Background Mike Santiago worked as a guitarist and […]
The Jack Hammond Group were an American jazz-rock band that self-released two albums between 1980 and 1982. Discography: Open the Doors (1980) A Fatal Beauty (1982)
Chainsaw Jazz was an American jazz-rock band behind the 1993 album DisConcerto on Cuneiform. Members: Mark Stanley (guitar), Christian Nagle (guitar), Mark Smoot (bass), Mark Gilbert (saxophone, clarinet), Ed Maguire (violin, electric mandolin), Paul Sears (drums) Background Chainsaw Jazz formed in 1989 in Washington, D.C., when drummer Paul Sears teamed with bassist Mark Smoot and […]
Steve Khan (born April 28, 1947) is an American jazz guitarist and composer from Los Angeles who established his career in New York during the 1970s. He recorded with the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Bob James, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, and Grover Washington Jr. before Columbia issued his 1977 solo debut, Tightrope. Khan followed with The […]
Lips was an American jazz-rock band that made a 1979 self-titled album, produced by Stanley Clarke. Members: Al Harrison (trumpet, flugelhorn), Al “Alfie” Williams (baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, flute), Bob Malach (tenor saxophone), James Tinsley (trumpet, flugelhorn) Background Lips grew from the four-man horn section of Stanley Clarke’s School Days touring band, which by June […]
Upryzing were an American jazz-rock band that released the album Conversion by Fire in 1978. Members: Glenn Morrison (flugelhorn), Ron Bedal (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, ARP Odyssey, synthesizer, piano, Rhodes), Peter Hix (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar synthesizer), Richard Drexler (Rhodes, piano, acoustic bass), Thomas Kini (bass), Clay Hulet (drums, percussion), Ernie Denov Discography: Conversion […]
Satchitananda was an American symphonic/jazz-rock band behind the 1978 album A Thought Away. Members: Dave Hoffman (electric piano, synthesizer, flugelhorn, vocals), Mark Janas (drums), Kevin McGlennon (grand piano, flute, vocals), Ken White (soprano saxophone, flute, lead vocals) Background Satchitananda (sat–chit–ānanda) formed in Illinois under multi-instrumentalist Dave Hoffman (keyboards, flugelhorn, vocals). The Springfield quartet included drummer […]
Sea Level was an American jazz-rock band from Macon, Georgia, formed in 1976 by musicians from the recently disbanded Allman Brothers Band. The group recorded five studio albums between 1977 and 1980, including Sea Level, Cats on the Coast, and On the Edge, with the later Ball Room closing the original run. Sea Level scored […]
The Jeff Lorber Fusion was an American jazz-rock band led by keyboardist Jeff Lorber. The group released five albums between 1977 and 1981; their 1980 release Wizard Island topped the Billboard jazz chart. Lorber revived the Fusion name in 2010 for a second run of albums that included the 2017 Grammy-winning Prototype. Members: Jeff Lorber […]
Robben Ford is an American jazz and blues guitarist whose career spans work with Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, George Harrison, and Tom Scott. He formed the group that became the Yellowjackets around the sessions for his 1979 album The Inside Story and remained closely associated with the band through its early development. Ford later established […]
Tapaztry were an American jazz-rock band that released an eponymous album in 1982. Members: – Discography: Tapaztry (1982)
Robby Krieger (born Jan. 8, 1946) is an American musician from Los Angeles, best known as the guitarist for The Doors between 1966 and 1972. Discography: Robbie Krieger and Friends (1977) Versions (1982) “Kinky Reggae” / “Get Up Stand Up” (1983 • The Krieger-Densmore Reggae Bonanza) Robby Krieger (1985) No habla (1989)
Quartet Music was an American jazz-rock unit from Los Angeles that released three albums between 1981 and 1986 on Nine Winds. Members: Nels Cline (acoustic guitar), Jeff Gauthier (violin), Eric von Essen (bass), Alex Cline (percussion) Background Quartet Music formed in 1979 in Los Angeles when bassist Eric von Essen expanded a trio with guitarist Nels […]
Projections was an American jazz-rock band that made a 1981 self-titled album on Projectile Records. Background Projections emerged in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the quartet of bassist Gerard Benson, guitarist Andre Ferreri, drummer–percussionist Frank Jernigan, and reedist Tony Hayes. Ferreri, a New York native, taught himself guitar from age nine and played jazz and R&B […]
