In his brief, blazing career, Jaco Pastorius proved he could do almost everything--except handle the fame that his talent brought him. His stunning 1976 debut album put the electric bass in an entirely new light, and soon he became a superstar as a m…

b. 14 June 1959, New York City, New York, USA. Taking up the electric bass in his teens, Miller's early musical experience came from the New York soul scene. Flautist Bobbi Humphrey gave him his first serious work in the jazz idiom in 1977, which was…

New York City-born banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck is known as a pioneer for expanding the role of banjo beyond bluegrass and folk traditions. Something of a child prodigy, he began his solo career in 1979, and in '81 joined up with the New Grass Revival f…

Philadelphia-born bassist Stanley Clarke got his start playing with straight-up jazzers (Horace Silver, Joe Henderson), but became known as one of the prime movers in the jazz-rock fusion movement of the 1970s. His virtuosic technique on both the ele…

b. 14 February 1943, Kinston, North Carolina, USA. Tenor saxophonist Maceo, and his brother Melvin (b. Kinston, North Carolina, USA; drums), played in various high school bands before joining the James Brown revue in 1964. They featured on several of…

Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul formed Weather Report in 1970 following their tenure with Miles Davis, and for the next 15 years the duo formed the nucleus of the band, joined by a healthy succession of musical accomplices. At their peak, the group enj…

Though they're cited as one of the key influences on the rap-metal crowd due their combination of biting guitar and funky bass lines, Primus are a much quirkier, more avant garde band than their list of disciples might suggest. Making their debut at …

From their first Syd Barrett-led psych-pop record to their concept albums and elaborately presented live shows of the 1970s, these space-rock pioneers reached unprecedented heights of commercial and aesthetic success. Their '73 opus, DARK SIDE OF THE…

Chicago acid jazz outfit Liquid Soul originally comprised saxophonistmusical director Mars Williams DJ Jesse de la Pea guitarist Tommy Klein bassist Ricky Showalter trumpeter Ron Haynes keyboardist Frankie Hill and drummer Dan Leali formed in 1993 th…

Of all the jam bands to emerge in the late-1980s and early-'90s, Phish were widely regarded as the inheritors to the Grateful Dead's throne. While the group's jazzy, mercurial sound was more progressive and light-hearted than the Dead's, Phish's mass…

Initially inspired by the heavy rock of Led Zeppelin and Cream, Rush relied on Geddy Lee's high, Robert Plant-like vocals, Neil Peart's Carl Palmer-on-steroids drumming, and Alex Lifeson's guitar heroics for their explosive power-trio sound. As the 1…

The funkified jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood plays fusion music by way of the downtown New York avant scene of the 1990s. John Medeski's fuzzy keyboards are equally indebted to the Meters, Jimmy Smith, and Sun Ra; and Chris Wood and Billy Martin pr…

From 12-year-old multi-instrumentalist prodigy to groundbreaking adult songwriter and producer, Stevie Wonder is one of the handful of pop musicians who just about everybody agrees is possessed of genius. His 1960s recordings were great straight-up R…

The Woodstock, New York, USA-based quartet Soulive is a modern jazz/soul outfit, which also manages to merge elements of rap, and funky jamming into the mix. The band was formed on 2 March 1999, a date when drummer Alan Evans, Hammond B-3 organ-playi…

This enormously talented bassist from the USA is probably better known as a member of Joe Satriani's touring band, but has also released a series of fine solo recordings. Radio Free Albemuth displayed Hamm's virtuoso abilities as he tackled Beethoven…

Inspiring legions of imitators (especially among the rap-metal crowd), the Red Hot Chili Peppers combined biting rock guitar with funk rhythms and rap-influenced vocals for a thunderous, party-hearty sound. While the California band was popular on th…

Sylvester Stewart, known to the world as Sly Stone, had a musical vision that coalesced quickly in the late 1960s and sadly disintegrated after half a decade. As the leader of Sly & the Family Stone, he and his combination hippie commune/soul revue m…

b. James Robert Haslip, 31 December 1951, New York City, New York, USA. Growing up in a musical household, Haslip's early listening was to a wide variety of Latin and salsa music. While still a small child, he began playing a range of percussion inst…

Bootsy Collins first gained notoriety as a teenage bass wunderkind in James Brown's 1970s band, but found his real niche as a top-ranking officer in George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic army. Known for his virtuoso slap-funk playing, unfailing groo…

Beck Hansen, the quintessential California slacker, came up among the lo-fi ranks, pushing a blend of country blues, Dylan-inspired wordplay, punk, and hip-hop. His straight-out-of-the-gate 1994 smash, "Loser," made him a star seemingly overnight. Su…