Sun Ra… maybe more progressive than we thought.

Well said everyone!    

I love all three artists, however Davis and Shorter go into fusion territory multiple times, Sun Ra pretty much stays in the avant garde jazz lane, he did fusion rarely (Strange Celestial Road and Lanquidity) and even then those albums are more adjacent to experimental big band, Sun Ra is one of my favorite musicians however I don't think he fits here, if you want to stretch it you could argue he's some sort of a jazzy american equivalent to krautrock with albums like Astro Black, Space is The Place or Atlantis (which Atlantis almost sounds like The Residents at times) so big big maybe but even then he has so much work that outweighs those examples, I just don't see him fitting in but who knows what'll happen

Saperlipopette! wrote: ^ while I could add the gorgeous Sleeping Beauty to that short list of fusion albums, I'm tempted to agree. Those three albums and Sun Ra the artist/visionary himself - are even less related to the sort of Progressive Rock-related form of Jazz that Jazz Rock/Fusion (the sub genre) was primarily/originally intended for - than Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter...

Hi,

My main concern is not exactly that someone gets added to PA or not. I worry much more about us trying to pigeonhole someone into a corner because of this or that, only to find that ... hmmm ... not a good choice.

IF, and that is a huge IF, the descriptions and definitions of PROGRESSIVE were better worded and not contain silly stuff that all other music also has, we might have a better idea of what/how/who belongs and does not. I just don't like the idea of holding a band locked up in nowhere land because too many of us have different opinions, and in the end ... we can't even define "progressive" properly, specially when we keep adding progrock things that are just a copy of a copy of a copy, and are as progressive as our poop going down the drain!

In that sense, adding such a band, before SUN RA is criminal, and really ends up being a situation where the folks making the selections are not likely as versatile in music listening as they could/should be since they are attuned to something that is not progressive, but when they hear something that is 50+ years old, they punt. It's not their thing to define/decide anything about those folks. I tend to think that a wider view of music would be a good thing, but it will be a cold day in heck that someone with those inclinations will actually be invited to become a part of PA ... and some choices, sometimes, are scary when you read some stuff posted on various threads ... that person has a good idea of what music really is? NOPE. It's just a favorite, and has nothing to do with music!

Saperlipopette! wrote: ^ I’m not really concerned about this at all to be honest. It's not of importance to me, and even less for Sun Ra. But to me it’s not about the definitions of Progressive - which Sun Ra and many other artists of his era not represented on PA undoubtly were. Most of them aren’t here because they lack the «Rock»-element in their music. Just like Sun Ra. Because like it or not; This site is an archive for all things Progressive Rock - not all things progressive. moshkito wrote: we can't even define "progressive" properly, specially when we keep adding progrock things that are just a copy of a copy of a copy, and are as progressive as our poop going down the drain! You know, I don't even mind that. Experiencing music that's genuinely Progressive in spirit is fantastic, but it's quite rare really. -As long as the art is honest, comes from a place of love and necessity: artists/bands that do not really bring anything actually new or unheard to the table - but operate within a field already established by mentioned pioneers - is more than good enough for me. If the music gives me an experience, trancends me or simply touches my heart/crushes my soul, I don't need a challenge or anything else. I'm saving my poop-metaphors for something more deserving.

Good point. Sun Ra was Definitely not much of a rock and rolla. Space, Jazz , Lounge , If I had to choose 3 attributes.