Nina wrote:
Does anyone know any good jazz/fusion songs that i can play along with and gather ideas from? I'll go from there, i can pick things up pretty fast and i have time to really get some confidence going, its strange im actually really excited to be auditioning, feels so right
This is a loaded question. First, by "play along," does this mean you'll need a play-a-long track to accompany you are your audition? Or are you just looking for some unique jazz/fusion tracks for inspiration?
My thinking here is you really need to be working with an instructor or educator on this. Do you have a private instructor? Auditions really aren't something you should prepare for alone. If you've never put together a bit of solo work, an instructor will be able to provide an extra set of ears and give you feedback on what's working and what's not working (the player doesn't always have the best perception of that). I would really encourage you seek help for this.
In the meantime, if you're just looking for some unique playing (shredding, in this case), here are my suggestions. Some of it is what I would consider "high technical," and some of it is what I consider "high concept." Either way, the better parts of the playing I'm about to present you aren't easily acquired and taken ownership of. Listener beware:
- Steve Gadd w/Chick Corea,
The Leprechaun. You will find no shortage of ideas here, but I think his stuff on tracks Lenore and Nite Sprite are actually notated in Rick Latham's book Advanced Funk Studies.
- Omar Hakim w/John Scofield,
Still Warm. On the first track, Techno, Hakim solos over the outro vamp for about 64 bars and just kills. It's better than his solo over the vamp on the Sting movie.
- Tony Williams, Lifetime,
Emergency. You could study this the rest of your life and still not compile everything.
- Vinnie Colaiuta, Karizma,
Document. It's hard to take a drummer like Vinnie and name his best work, but this one would have to be up there. All the Vinnie stuff is on this CD ... the odd meter work, the hand-to-foot stuff, the metric modulation, the over-the-bar playing, the tricky left-foot hi-hat work, the neo-swing, the forceful groove. It's just really good playing, with Vinnie featured on every track, if not the most inspiring musical moment as a group of players.
- Dennis Chambers, John Scofield,
Loud Jazz. Just really busy funk. Fun to listen to, fun to play. I think there are some limitations here as solo ideas because it's really heavy on the funk, but you have to mention it if only because Chambers made this more credible as an improvisational effort than your average jazz-funk outfit.
- Terry Bozzio, Brecker Brothers,
Heavy Metal Be-Bop. This one was a classic drum moment the day it was released. It's also the last time I think anyone's ever heard Bozzio in this kind of context. As it's told to me, Bozzio was taking criticism for sounding too much like Gadd, so he made a concious decision to go another philosophical direction.
- Dave Weckl & Vinnie Colaiuta, Jeff Beal,
Three Graces. Supremely tasty playing with a little bit of shedding in what was one of the better nu-jazz efforts of the late 90s, IMO. The strong songwriting really elevates their playing, I think.
This is what I'd call a starter kit to jazz fusion. There's plenty more where that came from, but these are what I think are most accessible. I would wait on, say, Mahavishnu Orchestra because it's much more dense, more complicated music to compile.
Hope that helps! 
