jazz fusion

3.8

Music that mixes jazz and rock using instruments like electric guitar and keyboard

noun
/dʒæz ˈfjuːʒən/

: fusión de jazz

This album showcases the vibrant jazz fusion style popular in the 1970s, featuring electronic instruments like synthesizers.

Let's listen to some jazz fusion and rock players.

Examples

And it's usually some weird jazz fusion or modern classical music or whatever.
I mean, you try listening to jazz fusion!

The Grand Seduction (2014)
Let's listen to some jazz fusion and rock players.

Rick Beato
I dare any one of you to listen to jazz fusion!

The Grand Seduction (2014)
The band is known for their unique jazz fusion sound, combining traditional jazz with modern rock elements.
At the festival, fans were excited to see many jazz fusion artists collaborating on stage.

Synonyms

fusion

vsjazz fusion

33 4.1

A joining of two different styles into one, for example music and food

is a specific 1970s music style that blends jazz with rock and electronics

jazz-rock

vsjazz fusion

4.5

Music that mixes jazz solo playing with rock rhythms and electric instruments

is the same 1970s music style but highlights electronic instruments and origin

Surface Forms

jazz fusion singular

jazz fusions plural

Morphology

jazz + fusion

The meaning is directly compositional: 'fusion' means blending styles and 'jazz' names the style being blended, so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a musical style that mixes jazz with other genres. The definitional specifics (e.g. common partners like rock or use of electronic instruments) are additional cultural details but do not affect the basic, transparent compositional meaning.

Etymology

Jazz fusion comes from musicians mixing the free playing of jazz with the loud, electric sounds of rock and new keyboards in the 1970s, so the word fusion here means sounds melting together like a musical stew. That's why jazz fusion means a style that 'blends' jazz and rock and uses electric instruments.