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1970s in jazz

In the 1970s in jazz, jazz became increasingly influenced by Latin jazz, combining rhythms from African and Latin American countries, often played on instruments such as conga, timbale, güiro, and claves, with jazz and classical harmonies played on typical jazz instruments (piano, double bass, etc.). Artists such as Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola increasingly influenced the genre with jazz fusion, a hybrid form of jazz-rock fusion which was developed by combining jazz improvisation with rock rhythms, electric instruments, and the highly amplified stage sound of rock musicians such as Jimi Hendrix. All Music Guide states that "..until around 1967, the worlds of jazz and rock were nearly completely separate." However, "...as rock became more creative and its musicianship improved, and as some in the jazz world became bored with hard bop and did not want to play strictly avant-garde music, the two different idioms began to trade ideas and occasionally combine forces."^[1] On June 16, 1972 the New York Jazz Museum opened in New York City at 125 West 55th Street in a one and one-half story building. It became the most important institution for jazz in the world with a 25,000 item archive, free concerts, exhibits, film programs, etc.

Miles Davis made the breakthrough into fusion in the 1970s with his album Bitches Brew. Musicians who worked with Davis formed the four most influential fusion groups: Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra emerged in 1971 and were soon followed by Return to Forever and The Headhunters. Although jazz purists protested the blend of jazz and rock, some of jazz's significant innovators crossed over from the contemporary hard bop scene into fusion. Jazz fusion music often uses mixed meters, odd time signatures, syncopation, and complex chords and harmonies. In addition to using the electric instruments of rock, such as the electric guitar, electric bass, electric piano, and synthesizer keyboards, fusion also used the powerful amplification, "fuzz" pedals, wah-wah pedals, and other effects used by 1970s-era rock bands. Notable performers of jazz fusion included Miles Davis, keyboardists Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, vibraphonist Gary Burton, drummer Tony Williams, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, guitarists Larry Coryell, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Frank Zappa, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and bassists Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke. Jazz fusion was also popular in Japan where the band Casiopea released over thirty albums praising Jazz Fusion.

In the mid-1970s, jazz funk became popular, characterized by a strong back beat (groove), electrified sounds,^[2] and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre whose spectrum is indeed quite wide and ranges from strong jazz improvisation to soul, funk or disco with jazz arrangements, jazz riffs, and jazz solos, and sometimes soul vocals.^[3]

Reader's Digest measured the most popular forms of jazz from 1910 to the 1970s, and the 1970 to 1975 part of the chart listed modern jazz or bebop as the most popular subgenre, blues as the second-most popular form, ragtime revival and other traditional forms as the third-most, free jazz as fourth-most, jazz rock as the fifth-most popular, and big band as the least popular.^[4]

1970s jazz standards[edit]

• 1971 – "Spain".^[5] Jazz fusion composition by Chick Corea. First recorded on Return to Forever's Light as a Feather. The famous theme from the second movement of Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is often used as an introduction for the song.
• 1972 – "Little Sunflower".^[6] Composed by Freddie Hubbard with lyrics by Al Jarreau.
• 1972 – "Red Clay".^[7] Jazz fusion composition by Freddie Hubbard.
• 1972 – "Waters of March" – 1972 bossa nova song by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Known in Portuguese as "Águas de Março".
• 1973 – "Chameleon".^[8] Jazz-funk composition by Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason and Bennie Maupin, from Hancock's album Head Hunters.
• 1973 – "Mr. Magic".^[9] Written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter.
• 1973 – "Send in the Clowns".^[10] Song by Stephen Sondheim from the musical A Little Night Music.
• 1974 – "Beauty and the Beast".^[11][12] Jazz fusion composition by Wayne Shorter, from the album Native Dancer.
• 1977 – "Birdland".^[13] Jazz fusion composition by Joe Zawinul. Originally released on Heavy WeatherbyWeather Report, it is instantly recognizable by bassist Jaco Pastorius' introduction using artificial harmonics, and notes sung by him by the end of the song. The tune was one of the biggest hits of the jazz fusion movement.^[14]

1970[edit]

Events[edit]

• July: Lee Morgan records Live at the Lighthouse at the Lighthouse CaféinHermosa Beach, California

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Johnny Hodges (July 25, 1906 – May 11)
• Booker Ervin (October 31, 1930 – July 31)
• Albert Ayler (July 13, 1936 – November 25)

Births[edit]

• Harald Johnsen (March 21), Norwegian upright-bassist
• Simone (August 21), Norwegian singer
• Tord Gustavsen (October 5), Norwegian pianist
• Maria Kannegaard (October 6), Norwegian pianist

1971[edit]

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6), singer and trumpeter
• Charlie Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8), trumpet player
• Wynton Kelly (December 2, 1931 — April 12), pianist

Births[edit]

• Stian Carstensen (January 5), Norwegian accordionist and multi-instrumentalist
• Øyvind Brandtsegg (February 16), Norwegian percussionist
• Kristin Asbjørnsen (May 12), Norwegian singer
• Erland Dahlen (May 15), Norwegian drummer
• Håvard Fossum (June 7), Norwegian saxophonist
• Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (September 23), Norwegian upright-bassist
• Helén Eriksen (October 19), Norwegian singer and saxophonist
• Frode Berg (October 24), Norwegian upright-bassist

1972[edit]

Events[edit]

• Grant Green records Live at the Lighthouse at the Lighthouse CaféinHermosa Beach, California

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19)
• Jimmy Rushing (August 26, 1901 - June 8)
• Kenny Dorham (August 30, 1924 - December 5)

Births[edit]

• Siri Gjære (February 1), Norwegian singer
• Christer Fredriksen (April 15), Norwegian guitarist
• Ketil Gutvik (July 4), Norwegian guitarist
• Roger Johansen (July 29), Norwegian drummer

1973[edit]

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Kid Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23)
• Spanky DeBrest (April 24, 1937 – March 2)
• Willie "The Lion" Smith (November 23, 1893 – April 18)
• Eddie Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4)
• Bill Harris (October 28, 1916 - August 21)
• Ben Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20)
• Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16)

Births[edit]

• Børre Dalhaug (April 29), Norwegian drummer
• Torbjørn Sletta Jacobsen (August 11), Norwegian saxophonist
• Wetle Holte (September 4), Norwegian drummer
• Thomas T. Dahl (September 7), Norwegian guitarist
• Eirik Hegdal (October 3), Norwegian saxophonist and band leader
• Christian Jaksjø (December 18), Norwegian trombonist

1974[edit]

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Bobby Timmons (December 19, 1935 - March 1)
• Paul Gonsalves (July 12, 1920 - May 15)
• Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24)
• Gene Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6)
• Tina Brooks (June 7, 1932 – August 13)
• Harry Carney (April 1, 1910 - October 8)

Births[edit]

• Kenneth Ekornes (July 7), Norwegian percussionist
• Line Horntveth (November 26), Norwegian tubist
• Anders Aarum (December 17), Norwegian pianist
• Knut Aalefjær (December 21), Norwegian drummer

1975[edit]

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Zutty Singleton (May 14, 1898 -July 14)
• Cannonball Adderley (September 15, 1928 – August 8)
• Oliver Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28)

Births[edit]

• Mats Eilertsen (March 4), Norwegian upright-bassist
• Lars Andreas Haug (April 12), Norwegian tubist
• Gunhild Carling (May 7), Swedish multi-instrumentalist
• Frode Haltli (May 15), Norwegian accordionist
• Erik Johannessen (July 22), Norwegian trombonist
• Håkon Mjåset Johansen (August 1), Norwegian drummer
• Espen Aalberg (October 12), Norwegian drummer

1976[edit]

Album releases[edit]

• Lenny White: Venusian Summer

Deaths[edit]

• Ray Nance (December 10, 1913 - January 28)

Births[edit]

• Erlend Jentoft (March 16), Norwegian saxophonist
• Roger Arntzen (June 3), Norwegian upright-bassist
• Jarle Bernhoft (June 21), Norwegian singer and multiinstrumentalist
• Ivar Grydeland (October 1), Norwegian guitarist
• Jostein Gulbrandsen (October 19), Norwegian guitarist

1977[edit]

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Erroll Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2), pianist and composer
• Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977)
• Paul Desmond (November 25, 1924 – May 30)
• Rahsaan Roland Kirk (August 7, 1935 – December 5)

Births[edit]

• Torun Eriksen (January 8), Norwegian singer
• Kirsti Huke (March 6), Norwegian singer
• Mads Berven (May 23), Norwegian guitarist
• Frøy Aagre (June 8), Norwegian saxophonist
• Martin Horntveth (September 20), Norwegian drummer
• Tore Johansen (December 23), Norwegian trumpeter

1978[edit]

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Joe Marsala (January 4, 1907 – March 4)
• Larry Young (October 7, 1940 — March 30)
• Ray Noble (December 17, 1903 – April 3)
• Teddy Hill (December 7, 1909 - May 19)
• Joe Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14)
• Don Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17)

Births[edit]

• Børge-Are Halvorsen (October 12), Norwegian saxophonist
• Julie Dahle Aagård (December 30), Norwegian singer
• Daniel Heløy Davidsen (December 30), Danish-Norwegian guitarist

1979[edit]

Album releases[edit]

Deaths[edit]

• Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31), American jazz guitarist and composer
• Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – January 5)
• Blue Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21)
• Stan Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25)
• Wilbur Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9)

Births[edit]

• Audun Ellingsen (January 4), Norwegian upright-bassist
• Mathias Eick (June 26), Norwegian trumpeter
• Ove Alexander Billington (August 10), Norwegian guitarist
• Jamie Cullum (August 20), British singer/songwriter, pianist, radio personality
• Tora Augestad (December 10), Norwegian singer

References[edit]