But there are positive aspects also. Among them was the influx of high energy coming from the rock side which brought something positive to jazz in my view. And there was also on the technical side the more demanding studio techniques which rock was accustomed to and helped to improve jazz recordings. Also there is no doubt in my mind that something was needed after the death of Coltrane and the free jazz movement he left in his wake. Ultimately, the fusion of rock and jazz took a little from both sides in order to work at all.
Any fusion defines itself by each side s willingness to give up some purity and compromise.
That certainly was the case for jazz-rock. I am afraid that jazz-rock will be relegated more or less to the dustbins of musical history except as a symbol of the times it was listened to. I am not so sure. But it did bring about a wider audience which supposedly went looking for more substance when they inevitably got bored with fusion-or at least that is the premise. However, I am sure that it was an inevitable historic development which had to happen.