Let’s go through this first Spotify playlist and see how the genre-defying, jazzy, funky bands of the 1970s combined musical styles & cultures to create mind-blowing, unique music…

Cymande, a group of West Indian natives in London, made some rhythmic, distinctive, jazzy, Irie sounds (and then became a favourite of hip-hop samplers).

Miles Davis turned a funky corner, mixing his Jazz with Funk and experimental street sounds.

Wayne Shorter & his fusion companions broke new ground in Jazz, as they pushed the envelope in Weather Report. “Black Market” is my personal favourite from them, and you’ll hear it in this Spotify playlist.

The Headhunters most certainly got it! Their epic, genre-bending Jazz-Funk-Fusion masterpiece, Survival Of The Fittest from 1975 gives us “If You’ve Got It, You’ll Get It,” with a badass berimbau intro.

The genre-bending, risk-taking vibe even spread to Cuba. Irakere funkifies traditional Cuban music with “Bacalao Con Pan.”

Brooklyn’s multi-cultural, Latin-infused Funk band, Mandrill gets down on “Coffee Jam.”

The Incredible Bongo Band made an iconic, one-off masterpiece that’s still hard to pin down.

Even Jeff Beck got experimental and more rhythmic with his 70s band.

Listen to 1971’s “South Side Strut” — Jerry Garcia’s funky alter-ego. It’s a super funky number Jerry did with keyboard player Howard Wales, showing a funkier direction the Grateful Dead could have gone in.

Roy Ayers, of course, was a great updater of Jazz in the 70s, making it funky & vibey.

Deodato does a funky “Super Strut.”

The experimentalism & hybridization of styles around the world certainly reached Brazil. Tim Maia brings Brazilian Soul into the Disco era, while keeping it cool, funky, and distinctly Brazilian.

And so does War. “Galaxy,” made in 1977 peak Disco days, is their danciest tune, yet stays true to their beloved Latin Funk flavour — updating it with sci-fi sounds & story.

Can you dig it?

Watch Mandrill gettin’ it all in 1973…