Miles released A Tribute to Jack Johnson fifty years ago . The first track - of two - " Right Off ", stands as his fullest excursion into straight ahead rock, while the second " Yesternow ," is a gritty, bluesy funky vamp. Who knew Willie Nelson could be so funky? It is the "Rock" part of his "Jazz-Rock" fusion that concerns us with this playlist. Some of the tunes here, "Right Off" and "Red China Blues", are straight ahead blues based rock. The pieces from the Bitches Brew sessions are spacier....almost prog...with "Great Expectations" never quite resolving into the implied quote of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.  There's plenty for a rock fan to enjoy, and some jazz too. When writing about this period of Miles' work, Stanley Crouch said that listening to it was like having nails driven into his forehead. We've got that covered too.

When I heard of Chick Corea's passing, I listened to Return to Forever and the follow up,  Light as a Feather , my two favorites by both the man and the band. A friend of mine, who has much better taste than I, prefers the ensemble's second incarnation of Return to Forever, citing a concert at Central Park as one of the best shows he's ever seen. Like the Mahavishnu Orchestra and others, it is a jazz-rock fusion that features a jazz group using rock instrumentation.  The first lineup - Chick, Stanley Clarke (primarily on double bass), Joe Farrell (flute, sax), Airto Moreira (drum set), and Flora Purim (vocals) plays on both Return to Forever and  Light as a Feather.  In between, Chick, Clarke, and Airto joined with Tony Williams to back Stan Getz on Captain Marvel . All three are included on the playlist. Is it fusion? I guess so, although save for the electric piano. The instrumentation is fairly traditional, but Chick's Rhodes floats in an out, bubbles on top. It...

The "Eggman" went on to continued fame as a long haired leaping gnome, singing about Sky Pilots, San Franciscan Nights and Spilled Wine. Alan Price - the primary instrumentalist - was a solo artist of note in the UK. Chas Chandler discovered Jimi Hendrix. The drummer, John Steel, continues to tour with some form of the Animals.  Hilton Valentine, guitarist and founding member, who died late last week, labored in obscurity. He wasn't a flashy player, and he didn't write a lot of material.  The band had 5 hits that remain in rotation of classic rock and oldies stations, all written by Brill Building types. Unlike the Yardbirds, none of the songs feature guitar solos, but unlike, say, the Zombies, the guitar is always doing something. His playing was most prominent on the last of these, "Don't Bring Me Down". After a bass, drums, and organ intro he comes in with heavy, distorted chords that weren't common in early '66. It wasn't the first exampl...