Horn Rock
tagStarted 1968Peak 1970-1974Last big hit 1976
Located in 1 route
The harder, hornier strain of brass rock: aggressive, high-register trumpet stacks and screaming saxes riding driving rock rhythm sections. More overt jazz-fusion attack than its pop-leaning cousin, with virtuosic horn soloing and dense arrangements. Punchy, brassy and energetic, the horns trading firepower with the guitar and rhythm.
History
Peaked 1970-72 when jazz trumpeter Bill Chase formed the nine-piece Chase, scoring with 'Get It On' (1971), and Canada's Lighthouse and Britain's If pushed jazzier, solo-heavy charts. The style capitalized on fusion's rise but kept rock momentum; it faded mid-70s as horn-driven bands thinned out, though its DNA persisted in funk rock.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://rockcellarmagazine.com/top-11-rock-songs-with-horns/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_(band)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_(band)