Fusion is the style of jazz pioneered by Miles Davis in the 1960s, most famously with his album "Bitches' Brew," in which the power, decibels and feedback of Jimi Hendrix were fused with the searing, exploratory complexity of John Coltrane.
Rapidly taken up by other groups of the time such as Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report, fusion quickly became one of the most popular jazz styles. After the '70s, though, as the novelty of cross-pollination faded and commercial success took its toll, fusion branched off into duller directions, such as smooth jazz, while sporadically producing exceptions such as Pat Metheny.
Today, while jazz purists like Wynton Marsalis argue that traditional jazz forms offer a sufficient range of musical possibilities, many players are influenced by postmodern sensibilities that emphasize the basic heterogeneity of artistic forms and revel in an ironic, detached approach to "playing." For a new generation of jazz players, the idea of mixing genres to create a more vigorous sound is still very much alive.