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Description of Jazz-Funk

 
Jazz-Funk often treads the line between experimental Fusion and poppy Disco, though it generally maintains a tight, electrified sound resting on a base of repetitive rhythms. Jazz artists began combining crisp backbeats and jazzy arrangements in the 1950s and '60s, leading to a style that arguably reached its peak in the '70s. Often influenced by the work of James Brown, Jazz-Funk brought jazz fans back to their feet with music as danceable as Swing. Vibraphonist Roy Ayers and trumpeter Donald Byrd brought Hard Bop soloing into smoldering grooves that climbed up the charts much faster than the work of their tradition-oriented jazz peers. Modern groups such as Medeski, Martin & Wood infuse the Jazz-Funk spirit with new sonorities, and hip-hop artists continually revive forgotten classics with finely looped sampling.
 

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Jazz-Funk Key Artists

 
Charlie Hunter

Charlie Hunter is an
innovative jazz musician
whose eight-string guitar
allows him to play bass and
guitar at the same time. Jo...

Donald Byrd

Byrd's trumpet has blown
everything from Hard Bop
to gold-selling Funk and he's
now a revered Acid Jazz
Godfather. Byrd came to...

Eddie Harris

Harris' funked-up, roots-of
Acid Jazz saxophone
always rides the groove
directly to cold duck time.

George Duke

This smooth jazz
keyboardist has put funk,
soul and pop into the mix
since the 1970s. A
mainstream smooth jazz f...

Herbie Hancock

One of the few geniuses of
modern jazz, Hancock has
had a hand in avant-garde
Post Bop, Hard Bop, Jazz
Funk and more. Hancock...

John Scofield

John Scofield's blend of
arty rock and funky Soul
Jazz guitar has remained
fresh and vital for years. A
modern, rock influenced...

Les McCann

McCann excels at playing
deep, extended jazz piano
ballads and funked-up
dancefloor jams. He's a
soulful vocalist. In the yea...

Lonnie Liston Smith

A cosmically funky
keyboardist, Smith's '70s
Fusion work is like
watching a movie called
"Shaft in Outer Space."

Maceo Parker

Maceo Parker is the
preeminent Jazz-Funk
saxophonist. Parker earned
his Funk stripes playing alto
sax with James Brown, Ge...

Marcus Miller

This fusion bassist is also an
in demand jazz and R&B;
producer.

Medeski, Martin and Wood

With roots in straight-ahead
jazz, MMW has steadily
evolved with new
dimensions in jazz and
electronica. MMW is orga...

Roy Ayers

The godfather of Soul-rich
Acid Jazz, Ayers'
vibraphone can also spin
out rich, complex Hard Bop
lines.

Stanley Clarke

An admired and copied
musician, the bass-plucking
Clarke helped spearhead
Fusion and also excels at
classic jazz. Clarke was p...

The Crusaders

Led by pianist Joe Sample
and saxophonist Wilton
Felder, the Crusaders have
thrived for over four
decades. They were call...

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