Jeff Lorber Fusion June 26, 2012

By the late 1970s, keyboardist and composer Jeff Lorber had become a prominent figure in the new movement known as jazz fusion - a marriage of traditional jazz with elements of rock, R&B, funk and other electrified sounds. Lorber and his band, the Jeff Lorber Fusion, first honed their craft in the Portland, Oregon, club scene and rapidly expanded their reach to a national and international audience via a combination of complex harmonies, unconventional time signatures and compelling rhythms. In subsequent years, Lorber dropped the term "fusion" from his billing as the movement evolved into what is currently known as contemporary jazz. Still, he continued to explore the innovative, improvisational potential of grafting other musical forms to the jazz idiom. More than three decades after his earliest recordings, Lorber has come full circle. His new recording, 'Now Is The Time,' delves back into his early catalog and reinvents some of the most compelling compositions from the Jeff Lorber Fusion heyday.