The Art of Burnout

After fusion's ascent, multiple jazz scenes returned to acoustic instrumentation in the ‘80s and ‘90s—with something to prove. Members of the M-Base school (like pianist Geri Allen) and the Young Lions scene (like Wynton Marsalis) took classic post-bop intensity and turned it up a notch, resulting in group interplay so feverish, it's easy to imagine players collapsing after the tune is over.