Fusion Music May 2012

 

Music(s) - fixed or changing?

Musics never stand still and any particular music is always becoming something else. For example, in the last century, jazz changed from being a club-based radical alternative to 'mainstream' (white) American music to being both 'serious' music for connoisseurs in hushed concert halls and background music for party-goers in bustling vineyard marquees.

 

What drives these musical changes? For 'music libertarians', this hardly matters, because for them, the essence of music is that it is always becoming something else. In contrast, 'music purists' regard change as a threat to what they describe as 'traditional', 'authentic' or 'folk music'. For them, such music is 'real' music, untainted by a search for mass audiences.

 

For example, music 'purists' at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival booed Bob Dylan off the stage for 'selling out' by 'going electric'.

 

Similarly, music 'purists' were horrified when Muddy Waters toured the UK in 1958 playing electrified Chicago blues - not the acoustic Mississippi blues as they’d expected. So, on his return to the UK in 1963, he played acoustic blues - shocking new fans of his electrified Chicago blues!

 

Fusing musics into 'fusion music'

There's a continuing tradition of deliberately creating musical change by fusing styles or types of music that were hitherto separate and different. Musical ‘purists’ are suspicious of these endeavours, of course. I've seen several of these fusions - some worked for me, others didn't!

 

The late 1960s and 1970s were good years for fusions! John Mayer's Indo-Jazz Fusions attempted to fuse Indian classical music and modern jazz. These two very different musics both emphasised improvisation by virtuosos, as did rock bands such as Cream and the Grateful Dead. Then, Miles Davis abandoned jazz's 'swing' in favour of rock's electric bass-based backbeat. English jazz-rock band Nucleus incorporated progressive and psychedelic rock en route to a funkier brass sound in the 1970s - as classical or progressive rock emerged in the form of bands such as Yes, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

 

Fusing or appropriating?

More recently, 'western' popular music - especially dance music - has been fused with various traditions of 'ethnic' music to become 'world music'. Music purists criticise this fusion as cultural imperialism. Rather than fusing the musics, they say, western dance music has appropriated 'ethnic' music to inject an exotic flavour to its often jaded products. The purists risk dismissing contemporary 'ethnic' music as a deviation from a culture’s 'real' and 'authentic' folk music - condemning its musicians to repeat the same music and never innovate.

 

In contrast, libertarians celebrate this such fusion as an example of music's continuing dynamic. However, their 'anything goes', attitude ignores the entertainment industry's power to shape our tastes and preferences.

 

Playlist

Fusing musics into 'fusion music'

There's a continuing tradition of deliberately creating musical change by fusing styles or types of music that were hitherto separate and different. Musical ‘purists’ are suspicious of these endeavours, of course. I've seen several of these fusions - some worked for me, others didn't!

 

The late 1960s and 1970s were good years for fusions! John Mayer's Indo-Jazz Fusions attempted to fuse Indian classical music and modern jazz. These two very different musics both emphasised improvisation by virtuosos, as did rock bands such as Cream and the Grateful Dead. Then, Miles Davis abandoned jazz's 'swing' in favour of rock's electric bass-based backbeat. English jazz-rock band Nucleus incorporated progressive and psychedelic rock en route to a funkier brass sound in the 1970s - as classical or progressive rock emerged in the form of bands such as Yes, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

 

Fusing or appropriating?

More recently, 'western' popular music - especially dance music - has been fused with various traditions of 'ethnic' music to become 'world music'. Music purists criticise this fusion as cultural imperialism. Rather than fusing the musics, they say, western dance music has appropriated 'ethnic' music to inject an exotic flavour to its often jaded products. The purists risk dismissing contemporary 'ethnic' music as a deviation from a culture’s 'real' and 'authentic' folk music - condemning its musicians to repeat the same music and never innovate.

 

In contrast, libertarians celebrate this such fusion as an example of music's continuing dynamic. However, their 'anything goes', attitude ignores the entertainment industry's power to shape our tastes and preferences.

 

ARAB FUNK

Traditional Arabic vocal inflections and complex percussion are fused with 'house'.

* Khaled (1982) "Didi" from Khaled CD. Universal Music. (Algeria)

* Rachid Taha (2000) "Barra Barra" from Made in Medina CD. Universal Music. (Algeria)

 

AFRICAN GROOVE

Fuses African dance music with electronica and hip-hop.

 

* Abavuki (2010?) "Johannesburg" from African Rhythms CD. Self-published.

* A Piece of Ebony (1994) "Vadzimu" from African Groove CD. Putumayo World Music.

 

CONTEMPORARY AFRICA

Fuses complex polyrhythmic songs with elements of various 'western' styles

 

* Busi Mhlongo (2005) "We Baba Omnicane" from UrbanZulu CD. MeltMusic

* Max Lässer & Madala Kunene (2006) "Unogwaja" (1 & 2) from Bafo CD. MeltMusic.

* Tinariwen (2011) "Aden Osamnat" from Tassili CD. V2 Music.

* Ali Farka Touré (2006) "Yer Bounda Fara" from Savane CD. World Circuit.