S. Victor Aaron picks the best of 2015’s fusion jazz music, including John McLaughlin, Chris Potter, Donny McCaslin, Jeff Lorber and others.

Animation’s ‘Machine Language,’ a final gift from Bob Belden, leaves no doubt that his adventurous spirit lives on. Hopefully, forever.

As one of the final artistic statements by the multi-talented Bob Belden, Animation’s ‘Transparent Heart’ stands as a fitting coda to a rich career.

<<< Part Three, Whack Jazz In the final piece of these exhaustive, four-part salutes to the top releases of 2012, the fusion jazz records are surveyed. You May Also Like: Alphonse Mouzon (1948-2016): Tribute to an Endlessly Versatile Fusion Legend Jimmy Haslip, jazz bassist: The Albums That Shaped My Career

Coming off of not one but two albums of the same live concert performing the songs of Bitches Brew, Bob Belden decided to wipe the slate clean on his exciting, hard-hitting fusion band Animation and turn inward for inspiration. You May Also Like: Chris Potter – ‘There Is A Tide’Read More

And now for the final installment of my first-ever, mid-year assessment of what are the best records we’ve covered here on SER. This time, we survey that murky hybrid world called “fusion jazz.” You May Also Like: Jeff Lorber Fusion – ‘The Drop’ (2023)

Bob Belden has been in the thick of major jazz recordings issued or reissued in the last quarter century, but his name has rarely been presented in large, bright fonts. You May Also Like: Miles Davis’ ‘Bitches Brew’ Broke Every Rule: ‘An Art Form Unto Itself’