My favorite musicians of Classic Era Jazz-Rock Fusion:
Bass players:- Anthony Jackson / Billy Paul, MFSB, Buddy Rich, The O'Jays, Funk Factory, Norman Connors, Roberta Flack, Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, Lalo Schifrin, Harvey Mason, Lee Ritenour, Joe Farrell, Michal Urbaniak, Steve Khan, Jun Fukamachi, David Spinozza, Earl Klugh, Eric Gale, Chaka Khan, Teo Macero, Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Terumasa Hino, Sadao Watanabe, Grover Washington, Jr., Gato Barbieri, Masaru Imada, George Benson, Tania Maria, Peabo Bryson, Hiromi Uehara, et al.
- James Jamerson / Motown session player
- Carole Kaye (The Wrecking Crew)
- Eddie Gomez / Bill Evans, Chick Corea, et al.
- Chuck Rainey / King Curtis, Don Sebesky, The Rascals, Pat Williams, Hubert Laws, The Voices of East Harlem, Yusef Lateef, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Larry Coryell, Roberta Flack, Phil Upchurch, Gene Ammons, The Crusaders, Donald Byrd, Gato Barbieri, David Clayton Thomas, Steely Dan, Bobbi Humphrey, Tim Buckley, Johnny Hammond, Bobby Hutcherson, Gene Harris, et al.
- Ralphe Armstrong / Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jean-Luc Ponty
- Bunny Brunel / Lockwood, Chick Corea, Ivanhoe, self/solo, CAB
- Doug Rauch / Voices on East Harlem, Santana Caravanserai, Love Devotion Surrender, Welcome and Lotus, Azteca, Lenny White's Venusian Summer, and Billy Cobham's Life & Times.
- John Lee / bass, electric and acoustic/double
- Roy Babbington / Nucleus, The Soft Machine
- Eberhard Weber / solo, ECM appearances
- Randy Jackson / Billy Cobham, Jean-Luc Ponty, Irma Thomas, Narada Michael Walden, Stacy Lattisaw
- Alphonso Johnson / Weather Report, Billy Cobham, solo/self
- Ron Carter / Yusef Lateef, Eric Dolphy, Don Ellis, Gil Evans, Art Blakey, Coleman Hawkins, bass on Pieces of a Man, Believe It
- Stanley Clarke / Return To Forever, Deodato, self, Al DiMeola
- Percy Jones / Brian Eno, Nova, Brand X
- Jaco Pastorius / Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Weather Report
- Buster Williams / bass (mostly double bass)
- Miroslav Vitous / solo, Weather Report,
- Randy Tico / Matrix
- Jeff Berlin / Patrick Moraz, Ray Barretto, Bruford, Alan Holdsworth
- Gary Peacock / bass, piano
- Paul Jackson / Herbie Hancock
- Ladislav Lučenič / Fermáta
- Tom Fowler / Jean-Luc Ponty
- Norbert Dömling / Toto Blanke's Electric Circus
- Gilles Douieb / Chute Libre
- Tetsuo Sakurai / Casiopea
- Michael Visceglia / Hermann Szobel
- Anton Jaro / Fermáta
- Rick Laird / Mahavishnu Orchestra
- Patrick Djivas / Area
- Louis Johnson / Gabor Szabo, Bob James
- Will Lee / Bob James
- Mike Howlett / Gong
- Hansford Rowe / Pierre Moerlen's Gong
- Basil Ferrington / Michal Urbaniak
- Dave Holland / Miles Davis
- Tony Levin / John Lennon, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson
Drummers:
- Billy Cobham / Dreams, Miroslav Vitous, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kenny Burrell, Johnny Hammond, Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Stanley Turrentine, Freddy Hubbard, Paul Winter Consort, Love Devotion Surrender, Deodato, Larry Coryell, self
- Steve Bohannon / The Don Ellis Orchestra
- Giulio Capiozzo / Area
- John Marshall / Nucleus, The Soft Machine, Volker Kriegel
- Lenny White / Bitches Brew, Freddy Hubbard, Eddie Henderson's Realisation, Return To Forever, solo/bandleader, Azteca
- Gerry Brown / Toto Blanke, John Lee/Medusa, Return To Forever
- Bruno Castellucci / Placebo, Marc Moulin, Toots Thielemans, Jan Akkerman, Tony Scott, Eef Elbers, Erik Van Nieygen- Steve Gadd / Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, Jan Hammer, so many others
- Tony Williams / Miles Davis Quartet/Quintet, Lifetime, John McLaughlin, Stanley Clarke, solo
- Jack DeJohnette / Gateway
- Pierre Moerlen / Gong
- Jon Christensen / Terje, Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner, Keith Jarrett, Stu Goldberg, Lars Danielsson, ECM
- Phil Collins / Genesis, Brand X, solo
- Mike Clark / Herbie Hancock, Shawn Phillips, Eddie Henderson, Brand X
- Pierre Courbois / Association (P.C.)
- Narada Michael Walden / The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Nova, self
- Furio Chirico / Arti E Mestieri
- Harvey Mason / Carole King, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey, Johnny Hammond, Bobby Hutcherson, John Klemmer, Quincy Jones, George Benson, Grover Washington, Jr., Bob James, Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour, Maynard Ferguson, Sadao Watanabe, Seawind
- Alfonse Mouzon / Gil Evans, Weather Report, Mongo Santamaria, McCoy Tyner, Eleventh House/Larry Coryell, solo, Donald Byrd, Alphonso Johnson, Joachim Kühn, Patrick Moraz, Bill Summers, Al Di Meola
- John Guerin / Mike Wolford, Frank Zappa, Tom Scott, Seals & Crofts, Don Ellis, Shawn Harris, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Weather Report
- Casey Scheuerell / Jean-Luc Ponty, Gino Vannelli
- Curt Cress / Passport, solo
- Michael Shrieve / Santana
- Karol Oháh / Fermáta
- Agostino Marangolo / Etna
- Pål Thowsen / Moose Loose
- Marc Craney / Jean-Luc Ponty
- Eric Gravatt / Weather Report
- Steve Smith / Jean-Luc Ponty, Journey, solo
- Ndugu Leon Chancler / Herbie Hancock, Hampton Hawes, George Duke, Patrice Rushen, Santana
- Don Alias / Miles Davis, Santana, Jeremy Steig, Joe Farrell, Chick Corea
- Cyril Zeleňák / Fermáta
- Billy Hart / Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson
- Bob Goldman / Hermann Szobel
- Ndugu Leon Chancler / Julian Preister, Herbie Hancock
- Earl Palmer / The Wrecking Crew
- Jim Allington / Larry Young's Fuel
- Harry Wilkinson / Larry Coryell, Atmospheres,
Guitarists:
- John McLaughlin / Tony Williams Lifetime, Miles Davis, solo, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti
- Jan Akkerman / Focus, solo
- Jan Akkerman / Focus, solo
- John Abercrombie / Dreams, Barry Miles, Gato Barbieri, Friends, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Atmospheres, Michael Urbaniak, Neiman, Rava, Collin Walcott, Ralph Towner, McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Peter Erskine, self and lots of trios
- Carlos Santana / Santana, Illuminations, Love Devotion Surrender
- Corrado Rustici / Cervello, Nova, solo- Allan Holdsworth / 'Igginbottom, Nucleus, The Soft Machine, Tempest, Tony Williams' New Lifetime, Pierre Moerlen"s Gong, John Stevens, Jean-Luc Ponty, Bruford, UK, Gordon Beck, Solo
- Al Di Meola / Return to Forever, Solo
- Larry Coryell / Free Spirits, Gary Burton, Solo (The Eleventh House), w/Michal Urbaniak
- Ray Gomez / La Mosca, guitar on Lenny White's "Mating Drive," Larry Young's Fuel, Patrick Moraz, Deodato, Stanley Clarke, many Narada Michael Walden albums
- Jay Graydon / Steely Dan
- Toto Blanke / Association P.C., solo
- Joe Caro / Michal Urbaniak
- Earl Klugh / Bob James, solo
- Joaquin Lievano / Jean-Luc Ponty
- Frantisek Griglák / Fermáta
- Gary Boyle / solo, Isotope
- Doug Rodriguez / guitar on Caravanserai, "Mating Drive," Giants, The Voices of East Harlem
- Bill Connors / Return To Forever, solo
- Joaquín "Max" Sunyer / Iceberg
- Daryl Stuermer / Jean-Luc Ponty, Genesis
- Vlatko Stefanovski / Leb I Sol
- Peter Maunu / electric & acoustic guitars, guitar synthesizer
- Denny Dias / Steely Dan
Also considered:
- Pat Metheny / Gary Burton, Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius
- Terje Rypdal
- Larry Carlton / The (Jazz) Crusaders, Steely Dan
- Lee Ritenour
- Gabor Szabo
- George Benson
- Dominic Miller
- Steve Kahn
Keyboard Players:
- Chick Corea
- Jozef Skrzek / SBB
- Tomás Berka / Fermáta
- Mike Ratledge / Fender Rhodes, Lowrey organ, AKS synthesizer for The Soft Machine
- Karl Jenkins / oboe, soprano saxophone, acoustic & electric pianos for Nucleus, The Soft Machine, Adiemus
- Larry Young / organ on Emergency! Love Devotion Surrender, Venusian Summer, Lawrence of Newark and Spaceballs
- Dave Stewart / Egg, Kahn, Hatfield And The North, National Health, Bruford
- Herbie Hancock
- Rainer Brüninghaus / Eiliff, Eberhard Weber, Volker Kriegel, ECM
- Allan Pasqua / Tony Williams Lifetime, Bob Dylan, Eddie Money, Pat Benatar, Allan Holdsworth
- Joachim Kühn / Association P.C., Jan Akkerman
- Allan Zavod / Maynard Ferguson, Jean-Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, Frank Zappa
- Harold "Ivory" Williams / Michal Urbaniak/Urszula Dudziak, MFSB, Miles Davis, James Cleveland
- Demetrio Stratos / voice & keyboards for AREA
- Joe Sample / The (Jazz) Crusaders
- Don Grolnick / The Brecker Brothers,
- José "Kitflus" Mas / Iceberg
- Ann Ballester / Édition Spécial
- Stu Goldberg / John Lee & Gerry Brown, Toto Blanke's Electric Circus
- Michael Mantler / Larry Coryell
- Onaje Allan Gumbs / Lenny White
- Gregg Rolie / Santana
- Georg Eckl / Exil
- Patrizio Fariselli / Area
- Nikola Dimusevski / Leb I Sol
- Bob James
Also considered:
- Hermann Szobel
- Joe Zawinul / Miles Davis, Weather Report
- Jan Hammer / Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, solo
- Barry Miles / Al Di Meola
- Patrick Gleeson / Herbie Hancock, Lenny White
- David Sancious
Horn & Wind Players:
- Freddy Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn, bandleader
- Didier Malherbe / saxophones, flutes / Gong, solo
- Eddie Henderson / Mwandishi-era trumpet player, band leader
- Joe Farrell / flutes, saxophones / Chick Corea, Bob James
- Don Ellis / trumpeter / the Glenn Miller Band, Maynard Ferguson, George Russell, The Hindustani Jazz Sextet, The Don Ellis Orchestra
- Hubert Laws / flutist for Prelude, self, Freddy Hubbard, Bob James, Joe Sample, et al.
- Julian Priester / trombones / Herbie Hancock, solo
- Bennie Maupin / clarinets, flutes, and saxophones / Herbie Hancock, solo
- Ron Moss / trombonist for Chick Corea
- Zbigniew Namysłowski / saxophonist for Michał Urbaniak, Krzisztof Sadowski, Czesław Niemen, Krzysztof Ścierański, Skaldowie, Pop Workshop
- Joe Henderson / trombone
- Kenny Wheeler / trumpets
- Chuck Findley / brass
- Tom Scott / saxophones, flutes / Don Ellis, Bob James, solo
- Chris Hinze / flutes
- Wayne Shorter / saxophones / solo, Miles Davis, Weather Report
- Jim Horn /
- Eddie Harris
- Chet Baker /
- Ernie Watts /
- Bill Watrous / trombone / Kai Winding, Maynard Ferguson, Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Quincy Jones, Pat Williams, self/solo
- Bewin / tenor saxophone for Exil
- Jan Garbarek / saxophones and flutes / ECM label
Also considered:
- John Coltrane / saxophones
- Sonny Rollins
- John Coltrane
- Pharoah Sanders
- David Sanborn
Violinists and other Strings players:
- David Darling / cello / Paul Winter Consort, self/solo
- L. (Lakshminarayana ) Shankar / violin, double violin / Shakti, solo, The Epidemics
- Didier Lockwood / Magma, Lockwood, Gong, Clearlight, solo/self/bandleader
- Jean-Luc Ponty / violin / Stefan Grappelli, Frank Zappa, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, solo
- Michał Urbaniak / violin, electric violin, vitar, violectra, violin synthesizer, bandleader
- Giovanni Vigliar / violin, vocals, percussion / Arti E Mestieri
- Jerry Goodman / violin & electric violin / Mahavishnu Orchestra, Dixie Dregs
- Darryl Way / violin for Curved Air, Gong
- Mark O'Connor / Dixie Dregs, self/solo
- Eddie Jobson / UK, solo
- Zbigniew Seifert
- Stéphane Grappelli
Also considered:
- Don "Sugarcane" Harris
- John Blake, Jr. / McCoy Tyner
- David Cross / King Crimson, solo/self
- Edgar Hoffmann / Embryo
Percussionists:
- Zakir Hussein / tablas
- Arto Moreira / percussion for Miles Davis, Weather Report, Santana
- Armando Peraza / Santana
- Jose 'Chepito' Areas / Santana, Herbie Hancock
- Bill Summers / Herbie Hancock, The Headhunters, Joe Henderson, Shawn Phillips, Johnny Hammond, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Patrice Rushen,
- Don Alias / Miles Davis,
- Alejandro "Alex" Acuña / Weather Report, Joni Mitchell
- Mingo Lewis / Santana, Al Di Meola
- Manolo Badreno / Weather Report
- Ralph MacDonald / Harry Belafonte, The Voices of East Harlem, The Rascals, The Main Ingredient, Roberta Flack, The Three Degrees, Grover Washington, Jr., Herbie Mann, Bette Midler, Les McCann, Bob James, Ron Carter, Tom Scott, Gabor Szabo, Quincy Jones, Patti Austin, Carly Simon, Phoebe Snow, Geroge Benson, The Brothers Johnson, Ashford & Simpson, Earl Klugh, James Taylor, Freddie Hubbard, Maynard Ferguson, Hubert Laws, Joe Farrell, The Brecker Brothers, Art Garfunkel, Eric Gale, Paul Simon, Lou Rawls, Kenny Loggins, et al.
- Idris Mohammed / Herbie Hancock
- Pete Escovedo / Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, Azteca, Santana
- Shiela Escoveda / Azteca,
Also considered:
- Urszula Dudziak /
- Trilok Gurtu / tablas, drums, percussion
Tuned Percussionists:
- Gary Burton
- Benoît Moerlen / Gong
- Pierre Moerlen / Gong
- Mireille Bauer / Gong, Édition Spécial
- Victor Feldmann /
- Dave Samuels / Frank Zappa, Hermann Szobel
- Ruth Underwood / Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention
- Mike Mainieri
Orchestrators/Arrangers/Conductors:
- Claus Ogerman
- Michael Tilson Thomas
- Michael Gibbs
- George Martin
- Gil Evans
