- Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 - September 28, 1991) was an American jazz musician, widely considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. A trumpeter, bandleader and composer, Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz from World War II to the 1990s. He played on various early bebop records and recorded one of the first cool jazz records. He was partially responsible for the development of modal jazz, … - Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer. He is arguably best known for his work during the 1970s in the genre of jazz fusion, although his contributions to straight-ahead jazz have been tremendous. He participated in the birth of the electric fusion movement as a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, and in the 1970s formed Return to Forever. - Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce Metheny (born August 12, 1954 in Lee's Summit, Missouri) is an American jazz guitarist. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progressive and contemporary jazz, post-Bop, jazz-rock fusion, and folk-jazz. - John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (born January 4, 1942), also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitar player from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with Miles Davis' electric jazz-fusion groups from the late 1960s. He is regarded by many as one of the most influential and technically gifted guitarists of all time, having mastered a remarkable range of styles and genres, including jazz, Indian classical music, fusion, and Flamenco. - Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold ("Jeff") Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, Greater London, England) is an English guitar virtuoso and songwriter. Though he played in several influential bands in the 1960s and 1970s (notably in The Yardbirds) Beck has maintained a sporadic solo career over the last 25 years. Despite never attaining the commercial viability of his contemporaries, Beck has gained widespread critical acclaim, … - John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26 1951 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who played and eventually collaborated with Miles Davis, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham, Medeski Martin & Wood, Dennis Chambers, George Duke and other important artists. At ease in the bebop idiom, Scofield is also well versed in jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, and other forms of modern American music. - Joe Zawinul
Josef Erich Zawinul (born July 7, 1932 in Vienna, Austria) is a jazz keyboardist and composer. He is one of the front runners in the development of jazz fusion along with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin and Miles Davis. Best known as the founder of the band Weather Report, with Miroslav Vitous and Wayne Shorter with whom he had previously recorded two albums as part of Davis' studio band, he currently heads the ensemble called the Zawinul Syndicate. - Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth (born August 6, 1946 in Bradford, West Yorkshire) is a British jazz guitarist and composer. Allan Holdsworth is a jazz/fusion guitarist and is widely known for his contributions to the genre. He is acclaimed for the complexity of his compositional and improvisational work, as well as his astounding technical skill. Reviewers have compared his compositions to Liszt.The unique efficiency of his playing style, … - Billy Cobham
Billy Cobham, born May 16 1944 in Panama, is one of the world's best and most influential drummers known for his jazz fusion in the 1970s, with John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, where he pioneered a powerful style of drumming with jazz, rock and funk influences. He has played and recorded with musicians including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Larry Coryell, and Horace Silver; and is famous for his fast, explosive, and powerful playing. - Tony Williams
Tony Williams (December 12, 1945 - February 23, 1997) was an American jazz drummer. - Al di Meola
Al Di Meola (born Al Laurence Dimeola July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist. Di Meola is a resident of Old Tappan, New Jersey. - Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, the Santana Blues Band, going mostly under the title "Santana," which created a highly successful blend of salsa, rock, blues, and jazz fusion. - David Sanborn
David Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist, most commonly associated with commercial, radio-friendly smooth jazz and pop-jazz fusion. - Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell is an American jazz guitarist. He was born in Galveston, Texas, in 1943. After graduating from Richland High School in eastern Washington, he moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. In 1965, Coryell moved to New York City where he became part of Chico Hamilton's quintet, replacing Gabor Szabo. In 1967 and 1968, he recorded with Gary Burton and Jim Pepper. His music during the late 1960s and early 1970s combined the influences of rock, … - Scott Henderson
Scott Henderson (born febuary 6th 1992, nelson, new zealand) is a highly acclaimed fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech. - Lenny White
Leonard White III, better known as Lenny White (born December 19 1949) is an American jazz funk drummer, who is best known for playing in Chick Corea's Return to Forever and being one of the forerunners of jazz-rock/funk. White was born in New York City. A self-taught, left-handed drummer on a right-handed kit, he began his career in local groups, and playing regularly with Jackie McLean in the late 1960s. - Chris Botti
Christopher Botti or Chris Botti (born October 12, 1962) is a trumpeter and composer; born in Portland, Oregon. He plays a Martin Committee trumpet made in 1939, and uses a 3 silver plated mouthpiece from Bach made in 1926, having recently retired his 1920 3C Bach mouthpiece. In college, Botti studied under David Baker and Bill Adam at Indiana University. As of 2006, Botti has recorded eight solo albums. - Dave Weckl
Dave Weckl (born January 8, 1960) is a highly acclaimed jazz fusion drummer. Weckl attended Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO and graduated in 1978. He majored in jazz studies at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. Starting out on the New York fusion scene in the early 1980s, Weckl soon found himself working with artists such as Paul Simon, Madonna, George Benson, Michel Camilo and Anthony Jackson. - Dennis Chambers
Dennis Chambers is an American drummer who has recorded and performed with John Scofield, Carl filipiak, Steely Dan, Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, John McLaughlin, Niacin, Mike Stern, and many others. Despite a complete lack of formal training, Chambers has become well-known among drummers for his impressive technique and speed. - Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale (born December 22, 1958) is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He is renowned for his use of the sweep-picking technique. - Bill Bruford
William Scott Bruford (born May 17, 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England), better known as Bill Bruford, is an influential British drummer who is recognised for his forceful, highly precise, polyrhythmic style. He was the original drummer for the highly successful progressive rock group Yes, and has been a prominent figure in the art rock movement since the early 1970s. He has been in many other bands and collaborated on numerous projects, … - Randy Brecker
Ronald "Randy" Brecker (b. Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Horace Silver, Frank Zappa, Parliament, Chris Parker, Jaco Pastorius, Dire Straits, and many others. Randy Brecker played on the first Blood Sweat & Tears album, … - Greg Howe
Greg Howe (born December 8, 1963) is an American guitarist, originally from Easton, Pennsylvania. He began his career on Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label in the 1980s, and emerged alongside other "shred" players such as Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, Richie Kotzen, Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore among others. However, Howe soon developed a more distinct style that was more rooted in jazz fusion than the neoclassical leanings of his contemporaries. - Jonas Hellborg
Jonas Hellborg (born June 7, 1958) is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson and Buckethead. Begun his music career in 1980 as studio musician in 1976, moved to New York in 1981 after being 'discovered' at the Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland, founded his own record label Day Eight Music in 1982 - nowadays Bardo Records. His early record "Elegant Punk" showcased his virtuoso talent. - Earl Klugh
Earl Klugh (born September 16, 1953 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American smooth jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and composer. Klugh normally finger picks a nylon string classical guitar. At the age of 13, Klugh was captivated by the guitar playing of Chet Atkins when he made an appearance on the Perry Como Show. He has since been a guest on several Atkins albums. Atkins, reciprocating as well, joined Earl on his "Magic In Your Eyes" album. - Gary Willis
"Gary Willis" is an american bassist and composer known foremost as the co-founder of the jazz fusion band Tribal Tech. Aside from his work in Tribal Tech Willis has worked with numerous other jazz musicians including Wayne Shorter, Dennis Chambers and Allan Holdsworth. Willis' latest ensemble, "Slaughterhouse 3" continues his collaboration with drummer Kirk Covington as well as saxophonist Llibert Fortuny to form a modern jazz/funk/groove power-trio. - Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (born December 9, 1932) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter, born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Cass Technical High School. He performed with Lionel Hampton before finishing high school. After playing in a military band during a term in the United States Air Force, he obtained a bachelor's degree in music from Wayne State University and a master's degree from Manhattan School of Music. - John Patitucci
John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959) is an American jazz double bass and electric bass player, specializing in post-bop, jazz fusion and Brazilian jazz. - David Benoit
David Benoit, (born May 9, 1953) is an American jazz fusion / contemporary jazz pianist, composer and producer, who is from Los Angeles, California. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. His debut album "Freedom at Midnight" was his biggest seller and most popular album. Benoit also says that it was his favorite album to produce, because it was when "everything came together," as he stated in an interview on smoothviews.com. - Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum (born 11 July 1958 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a jazz fusion tenor saxophonist. - Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", (April 5, 1934 - September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family: his father was a saxophonist, his mother played stride piano, and his older brother Tommy played trumpet. He began his prolific career with blues and rhythm and blues bands, and was at first greatly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. - Charlie Hunter
Charlie Hunter is an American jazz, rock and fusion guitarist. He grew up in Berkeley, California, where he graduated from Berkeley High School and took lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani. Hunter is best known for playing a custom, eight-string guitar made by luthier Ralph Novak of Novax Guitars. He plays the lead guitar on the top five strings (tuned ADGBe) and bass guitar (tuned EAD) on the bottom three strings simultaneously. - John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (born December 16, 1944 in Port Chester, New York) is an American Progressive jazz guitarist. Aside from his solo work he is known for his work with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette and the Brecker Brothers. Abercrombie has recorded principally with the ECM label of Manfred Eicher. He also explores often the parameters of jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie is 1967 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. - Wayne Krantz
Wayne Krantz (born July 26 1956 in Corvallis, Oregon) is an innovative American jazz fusion guitarist who has played with names such as Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Billy Cobham, and others, but currently has a solo act. He released his first album, "Signals," in 1991, sporting an array of recognized jazz musicians such as Dennis Chambers, Leni Stern, Anthony Jackson, and others. - Scott Kinsey
Scott Kinsey is a keyboardist best-known for his work with the jazz fusion group Tribal Tech. He has also performed or recorded with numerous other artists including Gary Willis, James Moody, Bill Evans, Robben Ford and the fusion group Uncle Moe's Space Ranch with guitarist T. J. Helmerich. He is a 1991 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and has also recorded numerous soundtracks for major motion pictures including "Ocean's Eleven" and "Ocean's Twelve". - Stanley Jordan
Stanley Jordan (July 31, 1959) is an American jazz/jazz fusion guitarist, best known for his development of the touch technique for playing guitar. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received an A.B. in music from Princeton University in 1981. Normally, a guitarist must use two hands to play each note. One hand presses down a guitar string behind a chosen fret to prepare the note, and the other hand either plucks or strums the string to play that note. - Peter White
Peter White is a smooth jazz/jazz fusion guitarist. He also plays the accordion. Peter first gained fame with his distinctive guitar style accompanying Al Stewart. During a 20-year tenure with Stewart, he co-wrote many songs, including Al’s 1978 Top Ten hit “Time Passages”. In the late 1980s, Peter accompanied Basia on a series of acclaimed albums. In 1996 Basia was featured on Peter's album "Caravan Of Dreams", with vocals on the single "Just Another Day". - Andy Summers
Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist and composer best known for his work in The Police. Summers's primary guitars are the Fender Telecaster when playing rock, and Gibson electric guitars when playing jazz fusion and jazz. His playing has been influenced by years of jazz and classical music studies, as well as his work in new age, rock, and other musical genres. He was born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. - Flora Purim
Flora Purim was born in Rio de Janeiro, March 6 1942. She is a Brazilian jazz singer known mainly for her work in jazz fusion. She received her fame on Chick Corea's 1972 album, "Return to Forever" and recorded with many artists through the decades of her career, including Stanley Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie, Jaco Pastorius, and her husband, Airto Moreira. - Tom Scott
Tom Scott (born May 19, 1948, Los Angeles, California) is a multiple award-winning saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble, the L.A. Express. His best-known works are the theme songs for TV series from the 1970s - "Starsky and Hutch" and "Streets of San Francisco".
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