Birds of Fire

Jazz, Rock, Funk, and the Creation of Fusion

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Music Styles, Jazz & Blues, Jazz, Pop & Rock, Rock
Cover of the book Birds of Fire by Kevin Fellezs, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kevin Fellezs ISBN: 9780822394389
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: August 8, 2011
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Kevin Fellezs
ISBN: 9780822394389
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: August 8, 2011
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

Birds of Fire brings overdue critical attention to fusion, a musical idiom that emerged as young musicians blended elements of jazz, rock, and funk in the late 1960s and 1970s. At the time, fusion was disparaged by jazz writers and ignored by rock critics. In the years since, it has come to be seen as a commercially driven jazz substyle. Fusion never did coalesce into a genre. In Birds of Fire, Kevin Fellezs contends that hybridity was its reason for being. By mixing different musical and cultural traditions, fusion artists sought to disrupt generic boundaries, cultural hierarchies, and critical assumptions. Interpreting the work of four distinctive fusion artists—Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, Joni Mitchell, and Herbie Hancock—Fellezs highlights the ways that they challenged convention in the 1960s and 1970s. He also considers the extent to which a musician can be taken seriously as an artist across divergent musical traditions. Birds of Fire concludes with a look at the current activities of McLaughlin, Mitchell, and Hancock; Williams’s final recordings; and the legacy of the fusion music made by these four pioneering artists.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Birds of Fire brings overdue critical attention to fusion, a musical idiom that emerged as young musicians blended elements of jazz, rock, and funk in the late 1960s and 1970s. At the time, fusion was disparaged by jazz writers and ignored by rock critics. In the years since, it has come to be seen as a commercially driven jazz substyle. Fusion never did coalesce into a genre. In Birds of Fire, Kevin Fellezs contends that hybridity was its reason for being. By mixing different musical and cultural traditions, fusion artists sought to disrupt generic boundaries, cultural hierarchies, and critical assumptions. Interpreting the work of four distinctive fusion artists—Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, Joni Mitchell, and Herbie Hancock—Fellezs highlights the ways that they challenged convention in the 1960s and 1970s. He also considers the extent to which a musician can be taken seriously as an artist across divergent musical traditions. Birds of Fire concludes with a look at the current activities of McLaughlin, Mitchell, and Hancock; Williams’s final recordings; and the legacy of the fusion music made by these four pioneering artists.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Mobilizing India by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Picturing Imperial Power by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Trumpets in the Mountains by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book In the Name of National Security by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Federal Criminal Law Doctrines by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Panic Diaries by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Conversations in Exile by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Motherless Tongues by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Soldiers of the French Revolution by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Listening for Africa by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Information Please by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Against War by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book High Tech and High Heels in the Global Economy by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Pink Noises by Kevin Fellezs
Cover of the book Reconstructing Reconstruction by Kevin Fellezs
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy