Classic Jazz Fusion synthesizers
Something special happened to music in the early 1970s. Thanks to the bands and artists of the previous decade who pushed the boundaries and often erased them completely, a number of musicians from different genres all arrived at the same idea: progression.
Suddenly the labels didn’t mean much – jazz, rock and funk were borrowing from each other. Artists were free to experiment with melody and time as well as electricity – jazz particularly benefited from the advances made by Miles Davis and his wah-wah pedal. The result was jazz fusion, a fertile and unique period in the long history of the genre.
One instrument that fitted this new style of fusion perfectly was the synthesizer. With its new tones and timbres, its pure and original electric power, it was quickly adopted by avant-garde jazz keyboardists seeking to expand their sonic arsenal.
Let’s celebrate the synthesizers of the classic jazz fusion era, paying homage to the musicians who made them sing and the songs that immortalized them.
Joe Zawinul and Weather Report – “The Pursuit of the Lady in the Feathered Hat” (1978)
Joe Zawinul and Weather Report – “The Pursuit of the Lady in the Feathered Hat” (1978)
He’s no better than Joe Zawinul. The Austrian keyboardist – a veteran of Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis bands – pioneered the use of synthesizers in jazz in his own band, Weather Report. But to say he just “played” synths is doing him a disservice. As Tom Oberheim said about Zawinul in Magazine Keyboard in 1977, “He knows what he’s doing from a semi-mystical point of view.”
On Weather Report’s 1978 album Mr. Gone, Zawinul continued to use the double ARP 2600, an instrument he had employed since 1971. In fact, he often played one (his right-handed keyboard) with the notes reversed. He was also known to chain them with CV to achieve six-oscillator chords from monophonic instruments.
In addition to his Oberheim 4 Voice and 8 Voice, Zawinul also played a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 on Mr. Gone. The newly released polyphonic synth was a new favorite and Zawinul quickly made it his main instrument. “It’s a great ensemble instrument,” he said in DownBeat Magazine when the album was released. “The touch is pleasant, a lot of resistance. And the sounds are incredibly precise. The trumpet sounds exactly like brass – on this album it’s like I have a big orchestra swinging.
All of this and more comes together in “The Pursuit of the Woman in the Feathered Hat”, the album’s opening track. It is a rhythmic and melodic tour de force, which mixes jazz, funk and what will soon be called “world music”.
Jan Hammer – “Darkness/Earth in Search of a Sun” (1975)
Jan Hammer – “Darkness/Earth in Search of a Sun” (1975)
Jan Hammer is perhaps best known to older synthesizers as the guy who did the theme for miami vice, but his resume goes back much further than the neon 80s. He first rose to prominence as a member of John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra where he developed his signature style: synths that sounded like guitars electrical. After leaving the Orchestra but long before he and his Fairlight CMI hit the dirt of the 80s he released The first seven daysa phenomenal synth and piano driven album centered on the Biblical Genesis myth.
The opener “Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun” is typical of the album. Seeping out the door with a bass synthesizer – perhaps Hammer’s Oberheim SEM-1 plug-in running through a ring modulator, one of Hammer’s favorite effects – it quickly turns into a beautiful Mellotron passage. The second half of the song features a Moog Minimoog, an instrument Hammer loved for its versatility. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to take the piano where I wanted to go,” he said. Synthtopia in 2004. “I kept looking for that. I used to run my keyboards through electronic boxes, like a ring modulator, trying to achieve a unique sound. When I got my hands on a Minimoog, I said to myself, I know what to do with it! The sound may remind you of a clarinet, flute or sitar. It’s the fact that it bends and sinks.
That bend and flow is in full flight on “Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun,” with Hammer doubling the upright Minimoog with a distorted, electric guitar-like double. It sounds so convincing that the album cover actually reads, “For those concerned: there’s no guitar on this album. Other equipment used on the album includes a Freeman String Symphonizer and an Oberheim DS2 Digital Sequencer.
Herbie Hancock – “Palm Grease” (1974)
Herbie Hancock – “Palm Grease” (1974)
When it comes to jazz and synthesizers, few artists come to mind as easily as Herbie Hancock – his 70s output is particularly synthesized, with plenty of juicy fusion records exploring the funkier side of jazz. thrust from 1974 is a fine example of this period: recorded with the group The Headhunters, it has synths for days.
In the early 70s, when synths weren’t as plentiful as they are today, you were either a Moog guy or an ARP guy. Herbie was definitely part of the ARP team, the synth sounds here coming exclusively from Alan R. Pearlman’s instruments. The album includes an ARP Odyssey, Soloist, 2600 and String ensemble. (OK, that last one is actually a rebadged Solina String Ensemble but for an American musician like Herbie, that’s what was available.)
The album opener “Palm Grease” is a jazz funk extravaganza with plenty of on-screen ARP synth action, including that String Ensemble comes at the end. Funky. Herbie would venture beyond the ARP sound and continue to add more synths throughout the 70s, but for this album he was strictly ARP. (For more on Herbie’s synths, check out the link to this in-depth article.
Ramsey Lewis – “Sun Goddess” (1974)
Ramsey Lewis – “Sun Goddess” (1974)
Another ARP jazzman was Ramsey Lewis. Plowing the fertile fields where funk and jazz intertwine, Ramsey Lewis’ 1974 album sun goddess is something of a jazz funk masterpiece. Full of sweet soul (the title track), stinky funk (“Tambura”) and blues-influenced instrumentals (“Hot Dawgit”), the album has gone mainstream thanks in part to contributions from R&B superstars Earth, Wind and Fire.
Along with Philip Bailey’s gorgeous vocals, “Sun Goddess” is also buttered with a healthy dose of swirling strings from an ARP String Ensemble. Before the late 70s when polyphonic synthesizers took over the industry, if you wanted to play synth chords, you pretty much needed a string machine. ARP’s American exit from the
Chick Corea and Return to Forever – “Medieval Overture” (1976)
Chick Corea and Return to Forever – “Medieval Overture” (1976)
Chick Corea is another heavyweight keyboard player from the classic jazz fusion era. Like Joe Zawinul, he got his start playing with Miles Davis. He really took off with his band, Return To Forever, which mixed elements of funk and prog with jazz.
Where Herbie Hancock was an ARP man, Corea was mostly aligned with Robert Moog’s designs. On romantic warrior, his band’s best-selling album of 1976, Corea surrounded himself with a stack of Moogs, including a Micromoog, Minimoog, Polymoog and Moog 15 Modular. He was not a Moog purist, however, and also used an ARP Odyssey in the creation of the album.
Opening track “Medieval Overture” blends Corea’s synths with his Fender Rhodes electric piano, the latter slicing through delays like a restrained Terry Riley. Elsewhere, he trades melodies with guitarist Al Di Meola. It’s a real melodic journey and an amazing example of Corea’s prowess with synthesizers and keyboards of all kinds.
Jeff Lorber Fusion – “Galaxian” (1981)
Jeff Lorber Fusion – “Galaxian” (1981)
Jeff Lorber’s name may not be as respected as some of the others on this list, but his band – Jeff Lorber Fusion – should be known for more than just introducing Kenny G to the world. Their 1981 album Galaxian is one example: the title track is funky and energetic with plenty of synthesizer action, not to mention a rather edgy intro that will take you straight to the local arcades.
Lorber used a number of synthesizers on the album, including the usual Moog Minimoog. Unsurprisingly for the year, he also used a Sequential Circuits synth, but surprisingly it wasn’t a Prophet-5 but a Prophet-10. The dual-manual version was not as ubiquitous as the five-voice model, but it found its way into Lorber’s studio.
Other instruments included a Moog Modular and an Oberheim 8 Voice. The Oberheim SEM polysynthesizers were particularly popular with jazz keyboardists – from Herbie Hancock to Lyle Mays, there was something about 4- and 8-voice machines that kept jazz keyboardists coming back – even after the release of the OB series.
