 A jazz fusion album , Songs of Experience was partly inspired by Gunther Schuller 's Third Stream concept , which fused American jazz with European classical music . Axelrod supported his Baroque orchestrations on the album with rhythms and melodies from rock , R & B , and pop music . The album 's suite is more orchestral and less rock @-@ oriented than Song of Innocence . Its symphony is embellished with percussive sounds , British and Irish folk song elements , and stylistic innovations from contemporary arranger Gerald Wilson . 
