Bill Connors

The Profile

American jazz fusion guitarist; an early member of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever (Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy). Released influential ECM albums (Theme to the Guardian, Of Mist and Melting) and electric trio records like Step It.

Pioneering fusion guitarist associated with Return to Forever (Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy); cites Django Reinhardt as a legend; favored electric guitar in experimental contexts; solo career includes Theme to the Guardian (ECM) and collaborations with Jan Garbarek (e.g., Places, 1977, with Jack DeJohnette); Step It (1984) produced by Steve Khan with Tom Kennedy (bass) and Dave Weckl (drums), with Khan guesting on Twinkle.

A five-star rave for Step It portrays Bill Connors as a master technician and key fusion innovator. The review spotlights his power-trio lineup with Tom Kennedy and a young Dave Weckl, production by Steve Khan, and a muscular, blues-charged, rock-leaning sound. Highlights include the title track, A Pedal, Titan, and the gentler Flickering Lights, with a quoted comparison of Connors’ emotional scope to John Coltrane’s saxophone.