Any fusion fans out there?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well with all this talk of rock and roll Id like to know if any others pout there consider Fusion and the musicians who preform it to be the most talented ones on the face of the earth. Rock is fine but id you want to here great instrumental work IMO fusion rules. Retuen to forever with Chic Correa and Al Dimeola for eample. John Luc Ponty. John Mc Clauglin and the Mahavisnu Orchestra. Stanley Clarke , Lenny White, Jeff Beck and throw in a few sons by Zappa to add some lyrics to it. Man these guys take my places in music I never imagined existed.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

eh tis ok

[Big_John]

yeah, a little of it i like, early clarke (solo albums) is probably my fav of the genre. problem is fusion can get real crap real easily.. look at george duke.. he's probably the most talented musician to suck that hard. but definitely most fusion artists are super talented, but then again, most of them started as jazz musicians, so they'd have to be extremely talented..

[Togakure]

Oh yes, I went through a major fusion phase and consider many of the players/writers as some of the very finest musicians in the world. You already named some of my favs. Jan Hammer is my favorite keyboardist, and his work with Beck, Dimeola, and Mahavishnu is great (though it was Miami Vice that made him famous). I love Al's Elegant Gypsy. Chick Corea is great, his early stuff and his Acoustic and Electrik Band stuff. I really enjoy Herbie Hancock. Stanley Clarke was just teh rippinist bassist. I remember getting the summer camp crowd boogying to "More Hot Fun" at the Friday night dances--quite a crack up considering they were the types who thought Santana was progresssive. McLaughlin is a guitar god, and listening to him led me to other more obscure fusion artists like Kazumi Watanabe and John Scofield. Jean Luc Ponty never really grabbed me, but I respect his work. In the sax department I enjoy David Sanborn, but many would argue he is more pop than fusion. He can sure wail though. There is a black saxophone master who's name is on the tip of my tongue--I saw him live at the Crest Theater in Sacramento and he was AWESOME. So outside, and yet so melodic and beautiful. Gah ... if I think of his name or find his CDs I'll post it. Aha! Just came to me: Wayne Shorter. Fabulous sax player.

Fusion players render music far beyond that of pop musicians because their understanding of music as a creative platform far exceeds that of the average popster. These guys study and practice music like a science and yet produce art that is so profound. Sometimes it's simply beyond the comprehension, and thus, appreciation, of the average listener. Some of it isn't very appealing though, as technically brilliant as it may be.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

I'm a big Jaco Pastorius fan.