The 25 Best Jazz Fusion Albums of All Time

These are the 25 best jazz fusion albums of all time in our ranking, from Miles Davis’s In a Silent Way (1969) to Thundercat’s Drunk (2017). No. 1 is Davis’s Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970), on which a 13-piece band traded swing for loose, rock-influenced grooves on electric keyboards, guitar and bass. Every entry gives the label and year of the original release, what the record did, and the tracks to hear first.

The order is our editorial judgment: what each record changed, how well it holds up as a whole, and how far it reached beyond jazz listeners. For the history of the style, see our guide to what jazz fusion is and where it came from; the bands themselves are covered in our list of the greatest jazz fusion artists.

Our Ranking of the 25 Best Jazz Fusion Albums

1. Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970)

Davis recorded it on August 19 to 21, 1969, in New York with two bassists, two drummers and up to three electric pianists, and producer Teo Macero edited the jams into a double album of almost 94 minutes. It reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200, Davis’s highest chart placing, won a Grammy in 1971, went platinum in 2003 and entered the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2025. Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, all heard here, went on to lead the main fusion bands of the 1970s. Hear first: “Pharaoh’s Dance” and the title track. See also our ranking of Miles Davis albums.

2. Herbie Hancock: Head Hunters (Columbia, 1973)

Hancock dropped the abstract music of his Mwandishi sextet for funk, with Bennie Maupin on reeds, Paul Jackson on bass guitar, Harvey Mason on drums and Bill Summers on percussion, and used a Hohner Clavinet instead of a guitar. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, brought jazz-funk to a mass audience and joined the National Recording Registry in 2008. “Chameleon” rests on a bass line Hancock played on an ARP Odyssey synthesizer. Hear first: “Chameleon” and the remake of “Watermelon Man.”

3. Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia, 1971)

John McLaughlin’s band with Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, violinist Jerry Goodman and bassist Rick Laird recorded its debut in New York on August 14, 1971, weeks after its first gigs. The music, all McLaughlin’s, runs from distorted, high-volume pieces to the odd meters of “The Dance of Maya” and the acoustic “A Lotus on Irish Streams.” AllMusic’s Richard S. Ginell credits it with defining the fusion of jazz and rock. Hear first: “Meeting of the Spirits” and “The Noonward Race.” McLaughlin is also in our list of the greatest jazz guitarists.

4. Weather Report: Heavy Weather (Columbia, 1977)

Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter’s band, now with Jaco Pastorius on fretless bass, made its most successful album here: No. 30 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the jazz chart, a million US copies sold by 1991 and a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame. DownBeat readers voted it jazz album of the year. Zawinul’s “Birdland” became a jazz standard, and on “Teen Town” Pastorius plays drums as well as bass. Hear first: “Birdland” and “Teen Town.” Full credits are in the Wikipedia entry on Heavy Weather.

5. Miles Davis: In a Silent Way (Columbia, 1969)

Davis recorded it in one session on February 18, 1969, with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul on keyboards, McLaughlin on guitar, Shorter, Dave Holland and Tony Williams. Macero edited the takes into two side-long pieces that return to their opening sections at the end. Quiet and slow-moving, it is regarded by music writers as Davis’s first fusion recording. Hear first: “In a Silent Way/It’s About That Time.” The official Miles Davis site has more background.

6. The Tony Williams Lifetime: Emergency! (Polydor, 1969)

Williams left Davis to form an organ trio with McLaughlin and Larry Young and recorded this double album in May 1969, three months before the Bitches Brew sessions. Heavy rock drumming meets Williams’s fast swing, and the distorted sound, partly the result of an engineer letting the tape overload, adds to the force. Mojo called it “jazz-rock’s equivalent of Are You Experienced?” Hear first: “Emergency” and “Via the Spectrum Road,” in 11/8. Williams also ranks high among our great jazz drummers.

7. Miles Davis: Jack Johnson (Columbia, 1971)

Davis made this soundtrack for a documentary on the boxer Jack Johnson with what he called “the greatest rock and roll band you have ever heard” (quoted in Paul Tingen’s Miles Beyond). Most of it comes from an April 1970 session with McLaughlin, bassist Michael Henderson and drummer Billy Cobham. “Right Off” is a long groove on a B-flat chord, and “Yesternow” borrows the bass line of James Brown’s “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” Reissues are titled A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Hear first: “Right Off.”

8. Return to Forever: Light as a Feather (Polydor, 1973)

Chick Corea’s first Return to Forever lineup, with Stanley Clarke on double bass, Joe Farrell on flute and saxophone, Airto Moreira on drums and Flora Purim on vocals, recorded it in London in October 1972. Corea’s Fender Rhodes and Brazilian rhythms make it the lightest record here. It includes “500 Miles High” and the first recording of “Spain,” which opens with the adagio from Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and became a jazz standard. Hear first: “Spain.”

9. Mahavishnu Orchestra: Birds of Fire (Columbia, 1973)

The second album adds Jan Hammer’s Moog synthesizer to the sound of the debut. It reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 20 in the UK, later went gold in the US, and the title track earned a Grammy nomination for best pop instrumental performance. It was the original lineup’s last studio album before the split. Hear first: “Birds of Fire” and “Miles Beyond,” dedicated to Davis.

10. Weather Report: Mysterious Traveller (Columbia, 1974)

Here the band moved from open group improvisation toward tighter compositions and funk and R&B grooves, with Alphonso Johnson on bass guitar; founding bassist Miroslav Vitouš plays on one track. DownBeat readers voted it album of the year for 1974, and it reached No. 2 on the Billboard jazz chart. Hear first: Zawinul’s “Nubian Sundance” and “Cucumber Slumber.”

11. Return to Forever: Romantic Warrior (Columbia, 1976)

The electric lineup of Corea, guitarist Al Di Meola, Clarke and drummer Lenny White recorded its first Columbia album at Caribou Ranch, Colorado, in February 1976, with medieval titles and arrangements close to progressive rock. It became the band’s best seller, reaching No. 35 on the Billboard 200 and going gold, and was this lineup’s last album. Hear first: “Medieval Overture” and “Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant.”

12. Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius (Epic, 1976)

The bassist’s debut, produced by Bobby Colomby, showed what he could do on fretless bass: the bebop tune “Donna Lee” with only congas behind him, the solo “Portrait of Tracy” built on harmonics, and soul with Sam & Dave on “Come On, Come Over.” Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and the Brecker brothers are among the guests, and Pastorius joined Weather Report the same year. Hear first: “Donna Lee” and “Portrait of Tracy.”

13. Billy Cobham: Spectrum (Atlantic, 1973)

Cobham’s first album as a leader was cut at Electric Lady Studios in New York in May 1973, mostly in first or second takes, with Jan Hammer and, on four tracks, rock guitarist Tommy Bolin. It topped the Billboard jazz chart, and “Stratus” is the main sample in Massive Attack’s “Safe from Harm.” Deep Purple’s Jon Lord said hearing Bolin here changed his mind about ending the band, which Bolin joined in 1975. Hear first: “Quadrant 4” and “Stratus.”

14. Pat Metheny: Bright Size Life (ECM, 1976)

Metheny’s debut, a trio with Jaco Pastorius on bass guitar and Bob Moses on drums, was recorded in Ludwigsburg, Germany, in December 1975 for producer Manfred Eicher, who at first did not want an electric bass on the session. It is quieter and more open than the Columbia fusion records. Metheny has said it sold about 900 copies at first; it is now in the National Recording Registry. Hear first: “Bright Size Life.”

15. Weather Report: Black Market (Columbia, 1976)

Released in March 1976, it bridges the band’s early sound and Heavy Weather and draws heavily on African influences. Alphonso Johnson plays bass on most tracks, and Pastorius makes his first appearance with the band on two: “Cannon Ball,” Zawinul’s tribute to Cannonball Adderley, and his own “Barbary Coast.” Hear first: “Black Market.”

16. Robert Glasper Experiment: Black Radio (Blue Note, 2012)

Glasper’s electric quartet, with Casey Benjamin on saxophone and vocoder, Derrick Hodge on bass and Chris Dave on drums, backs a different singer or rapper on almost every track, from Erykah Badu on “Afro Blue” to Lalah Hathaway on Sade’s “Cherish the Day.” It reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy for Best R&B Album. Hear first: “Afro Blue.” Glasper is also among our popular jazz artists working today.

17. Return to Forever: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Polydor, 1973)

This is the record on which Return to Forever became a jazz-rock band: Purim, Airto and Farrell left, Lenny White joined on drums and Bill Connors on electric guitar, Clarke switched to bass guitar, and Corea played mostly electric piano and organ. Al Di Meola replaced Connors in 1974. Hear first: “Captain Señor Mouse.”

18. Kamasi Washington: The Epic (Brainfeeder, 2015)

The saxophonist recorded it in a month-long session in Los Angeles in December 2011 with his childhood friends in the West Coast Get Down, including two bassists and two drummers, then added a 32-piece orchestra and a 20-voice choir he arranged himself. It runs almost three hours and is closer to spiritual jazz than to 1970s fusion, but electric bass and keyboards drive much of it. Hear first: “Change of the Guard.”

19. Jean-Luc Ponty: Enigmatic Ocean (Atlantic, 1977)

The French violinist, a member of the second Mahavishnu Orchestra, recorded it in Burbank, California, with guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Daryl Stuermer, keyboardist Allan Zavod, bassist Ralphe Armstrong and drummer Steve Smith, passing solos between violin, guitars and synthesizer in the four-part title suite. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard jazz chart and No. 35 on the pop chart. Hear first: “Enigmatic Ocean.”

20. Pat Metheny Group: Still Life (Talking) (Geffen, 1987)

Metheny wrote most of the tunes, with keyboardist Lyle Mays credited on three, and the band adds percussionist Armando Marçal and two singers. It won the Grammy for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, topped the Billboard jazz chart and went gold, and in 2015 “Last Train Home” became an ending theme of the anime JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. Hear first: “Minuano (Six Eight)” and “Last Train Home.”

21. Miles Davis: We Want Miles (Columbia, 1982)

This double live album documents Davis’s return to the stage after more than five years, at 1981 concerts in Boston, New York and Tokyo with Marcus Miller on bass, Mike Stern on guitar, Bill Evans on saxophones, Al Foster on drums and Mino Cinelu on percussion. It won the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Soloist. Hear first: “Jean-Pierre.” Our Miles Davis biography covers the comeback years.

22. John Scofield: Still Warm (Gramavision, 1986)

Scofield recorded it in June 1985, right after leaving Davis’s band, with two other Davis players, bassist Darryl Jones and drummer Omar Hakim, plus keyboardist Don Grolnick. Scofield wrote all seven tunes. Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums ranked it No. 998 in its 2000 edition. Hear first: “Techno” and “Picks and Pans.”

23. Hiromi: Voice (Telarc, 2011)

This was the first album by Hiromi Uehara’s Trio Project, with drummer Simon Phillips and bassist Anthony Jackson, a pioneer of the six-string contrabass guitar. Hiromi plays synthesizer as well as piano, most pieces run seven to nine minutes, and the album ends with Beethoven’s “Pathétique” sonata. The trio’s last album, Spark (2016), reached No. 1 on the Billboard jazz chart; Jackson died in 2025. Hear first: “Voice.”

24. Thundercat: Drunk (Brainfeeder, 2017)

Bassist and singer Stephen Bruner, who grew up on Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller, fills 23 short tracks with jazz-funk bass lines and soft-rock harmonies, with guests from Kendrick Lamar to Kamasi Washington. On “Show You the Way” he sings with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Hear first: “Show You the Way” and “Them Changes.”

25. Snarky Puppy: Family Dinner – Volume 1 (GroundUP/Ropeadope, 2013)

Michael League’s collective recorded and filmed it over two days in Roanoke, Virginia, in March 2013, arranging songs for eight guest singers. Its version of Brenda Russell’s “Something” with Lalah Hathaway won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance. For the band’s instrumental side, continue with We Like It Here (2014). Hear first: “Something.”

What Was the First Jazz Fusion Album?

There is no single answer, because jazz and rock met from several directions in the late 1960s. Larry Coryell’s band the Free Spirits released Out of Sight and Sound (ABC) in January 1967, and Gary Burton’s quartet with Coryell recorded Duster (RCA) that April. Davis used electric piano and bass guitar on Miles in the Sky in 1968.

The album most often named as the first full fusion record is In a Silent Way, released on July 30, 1969. The Tony Williams Lifetime’s Emergency!, released that September, has the stronger claim for loud, guitar-driven jazz-rock, and Bitches Brew, released in March 1970, turned the style into a movement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best jazz fusion album of all time?

Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970) is our No. 1 and the most common answer. It reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200, won a Grammy in 1971 and entered the National Recording Registry in 2025.

What are the best jazz-rock fusion albums?

For the loud, guitar-led side of fusion, start with the Tony Williams Lifetime’s Emergency! (1969), the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) and Birds of Fire (1973), Billy Cobham’s Spectrum (1973), Return to Forever’s Romantic Warrior (1976) and Jean-Luc Ponty’s Enigmatic Ocean (1977).

What are the best modern jazz fusion albums?

Our picks are Hiromi’s Voice (2011), Robert Glasper Experiment’s Black Radio (2012), Snarky Puppy’s Family Dinner – Volume 1 (2013), Kamasi Washington’s The Epic (2015) and Thundercat’s Drunk (2017), which mix jazz improvisation with R&B, hip-hop, soft rock or orchestral writing.