So what is jazz fusion? It is the blend of jazz improvisation and harmony with the electric instruments and rhythms of rock and funk. What follows is where the term comes from, what it actually means, three records to hear it for yourself, and the neighbours it is most often confused with.

Where the term comes from

It took shape in the United States in the late 1960s, and the label “fusion” is often traced to a 1968 review. The catalyst was the electric turn of Miles Davis, whose late-1960s records plugged jazz into rock volume and rhythm and opened a door that a generation of virtuoso players poured through.

The style peaked commercially in the 1970s and then dispersed, its techniques absorbed so thoroughly into jazz, rock and film music that the boundaries blurred. Its virtuoso ideal, though, still defines what “fusion” means to most listeners.

What it actually means

The music swaps the acoustic jazz combo for electric piano, synthesizers and electric bass and guitar, and it favours extended improvisation over rock and funk grooves. Unusual meters and dazzling technique are common, and the emphasis falls on playing rather than song form. It is jazz first, in other words, with rock as the power source.

Listen for virtuosity in service of groove: electric keyboards and guitars trading fast, harmonically rich improvisations over a rock or funk pulse, with meters that lurch in unexpected ways. The mood can be serene or ferocious, but the emphasis is almost always on live interplay and instrumental daring rather than on song form. It is music made by, and often for, players.

Hear it for yourself

Three records make the definition audible — one to start with, and two to prove it was no fluke.

Miles Davis — In a Silent Way (1969): the hushed opening of the electric era.

Miles Davis — Bitches Brew (1970): the sprawling double album that launched fusion.

Mahavishnu Orchestra — The Inner Mounting Flame (1971): fusion at maximum intensity, all wordless fire.

None of the three is the only way in, but together they sketch the style clearly enough that you will recognise it the next time you meet it.

Common confusions

It is used almost interchangeably with “jazz-rock” and is easily confused with the Canterbury scene. Fusion is improvisation-led with jazz at its core, where the Canterbury bands are composition-led rock groups who borrow jazz colour.

As with most genre labels, the edges blur in practice, and plenty of records sit happily in two boxes at once. Treat the term as a reliable compass heading rather than a fence, and let the music, not the tag, have the final word.

Go deeper

Back to the progressive rock glossary to keep browsing, or read on about the canterbury scene, Jazz Fusion vs Canterbury: the Difference, symphonic prog. For the records these ideas live in, see the albums by decade, and if you are just starting out, the beginner’s guide is a gentler way in than any single definition.

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