What are some good jazz/rock mix songs?

Check out All Music Guide: Jazz-Rock Genre Jazz-rock may refer to the loudest, wildest, most electrified fusion bands from the jazz camp, but most often it describes performers coming from the rock side of the equation. Jazz-rock first emerged during the late '60s as an attempt to fuse the visceral power of rock with the musical complexity and improvisational fireworks of jazz. Since rock often emphasized directness and simplicity over virtuosity, jazz-rock generally grew out of the most artistically ambitious rock subgenres of the late '60s and early '70s: psychedelia, progressive rock, and the singer/songwriter movement. The latter drew from the mellower, more cerebral side of jazz, often employing vocal as well as instrumental improvisation; this school's major figures included Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and Tim Buckley. Most jazz-rock, however, was played by higher-energy rock ensembles. Some of them were more jam-oriented, borrowing jazz harmonies and instruments for their extended, rock-flavored improvisations (Traffic, Santana). Others recorded jazz-flavored R&B or pop songs that used the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic sensibilities of jazz, but weren't as interested in improvisation or instrumental virtuosity (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Steely Dan). Still others used jazz's complexity to expand rock's musical horizons, not just in terms of instrumental technique but in crafting quirky, challenging, unpredictable compositions (Frank Zappa, the Soft Machine). The major exception was Miles Davis, the first jazz musician since the early R&B era to covet the earthy power of rock & roll and the impact it had on young audiences. Starting with 1970's Bitches Brew, Davis' early-'70s fusion workouts — greatly inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Sly & the Family Stone — quickly became some of the funkiest, edgiest, most aggressive jazz-rock ever recorded. While figures like Zappa and $Steely Dan| continued to record jazz-rock through the '70s, the movement had essentially dissipated by the '80s, as a mellower form of fusion captured its audience. Miles Davis Henry Cow Soft Machine Frank Zappa Brian Auger Ginger Baker Tim Buckley Centipede Chris Cutler Al di Meola Allan Holdsworth Mahavishnu Orchestra Van Morrison Steely Dan Affinity Ginger Baker's Air Force Adrian Belew Oren Bloedow Blood, Sweat & Tears Brand X Chicago Cos Dedalus Donald Fagen Charlie Hunter Percy Jones Henry Kaiser Magma Joni Mitchell White Elephant X-Legged Sally

A lot have been mentioned already, so I'll just list my favourites (I'm a guitarist, so most of these are guitar-based): Weather Report (there have been a lot of different lineups, so listen to both their earlier recordings and the later ones) Allan Holdsworth Billy Cobham Mahavishnu Orchestra John Maclaughlin John Scofield *Mike Stern* AWESOME Pat Metheny Frank Zappa A lot of people argue over what is technically 'jazz/rock' or 'fusion', so some of these might not fit everone's definition of those genres, but they're all good tunes that are jazz-based.

SK's list is really strong; the one slight exception I would voice is that while the others are indubitably jazz/rock fusion, the Herbie Hancock band of that vintage, the Headhunters, were more jazz/funk than jazz/rock in orientation (but still great music worthy of far more than a casual listen). I'd add to his list a couple of groups that featured vocalists and had chart hits: Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Chase. B,S, & T featured vocalist David Clayton Thomas and at times the horn section boasted the likes of Randy Brecker and Lou Marini; I'd recommend their bold arrangement of "God Bless the Child" (goes between rock, swing, and Latin feels) as a good place to start. Chase was fronted by Bill Chase (who played with the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson big bands and prior to Chase was best known as the lead player of the Woody Herman Thundering Herd in the 1960's) and consisted of four trumpets, guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums as well as a vocalist; the trumpets provide the jazz influences and the rhythm section definitely rocks! Two less commercial examples not yet mentioned are the Brecker Brothers (who actually did both jazz/funk and jazz/rock with stunning aplomb) and certain early-70's recordings by Carlos Santana (especially his collaboration "Love, Devotion, Surrender" with John McLaughlin and recordings like "Borboletta" and "Caravanserai"; even the live recording "Moonflower" featuring Tom Coster on keyboards has a jazz/rock flavor at times). The Brecker Brothers recording most recommended is "Heavy Metal Bebop" which features the extremely rockish drumming of Terry Bozzio (who also played with Frank Zappa and in Missing Persons behind his wife Dale who fronted that band). And I've forgotten to include Jeff Beck, whose albums "Blow by Blow" and "Wired" are jazz/rock classics. Look below for links to Chase, BS &T, and Brecker Bros. tunes in the jazz/rock vein.

Check out Bill Lee.

Sinister Minister by Bela fleck and the flecktones

Check out Blood,Sweat,and Tears;Lighthouse; And Chicago.

check out Focus, Camel, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree,

Check out Omar Rodriguez Lopez. He has done some really cool psychedelic jazz inspired rock albums in the past few years. Albums to check out would be Please Heat This Eventually, The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange, and maybe Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo. Other than that, give the Vital Tech Tones a try. It has Steve Smith of Journey and Victor Wooten in it. Both of them are amazingly talented jazz musicians and they write some really cool fusion stuff.