Fusion (music)

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A fusion genre is a music genre which combines two or more genres. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm and sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided into smaller parts, each with their own dynamics, style and tempo. A word "fusion" used alone often refers to jazz fusion.

Artists who work in fusion genres are often difficult to categorize within non-fusion styles. Most styles of fusion music are influenced by various musical genres, such as the band Further Room. There are many reasons for this, the main reason being that most genres evolved out of other genres. When the new genre finally identifies itself as separate, there is often a large gray area in which musicians are left. These artists generally consider themselves part of both genres. A musician that plays music that is dominantly blues, influenced by rock, is often labelled a blues-rock musician. An example of a blues-rock group would be Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Vaughan, a Texas blues guitarist used rock and blues together. Ray Charles, who recorded gospel and jazz influenced blues, creating what would become known as soul, also recorded country music with his trademark sound. By fusing the two genres, Charles pioneered the style of country soul, most famously on his landmark album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, and influenced similar efforts by Candi Staton and Solomon Burke. A very strong example of fusion music can be seen in the Middle Eastern influenced Franco-Arabic music as personified by Aldo (musician). In Franco-Arabic music we see a blend of Arabic music styles with many western styles from rock to pop and Euro styles to folk music. Another distinct example of a fusion musician is 'Virtuo' which combines many styles together, the more extreme of which being Baroque and Hip-Hop.