Of all the prog bands I have to say that Jade Warrior is one that deserves some mention.Tony Duhig on guitar and Jon Field on percussion and flute, Glyn Havard on bass and vocals.
Duhig and Field worked in the same factory operating fork lifts.Duhig met Havard in Iran then they started to make some original music.
I saw the band at the Capital Theatre in Passaic N.J. when they opened for Frank Zappa. By the 70's I was fairly burned out on Zappa so I just went to catch Jade Warrior. Duhig, Havard, and Field put together a special touring band that kicked ass. They had just completed their last LP together at the time Last Autumns Dream and before that they had their Debut LP Jade Warrior, then a very pop oriented Minimotos Dream. They were on the Vertigo label, famous for such bands as Cattapilla, Uriah Heap, Mayblitz, Black Sabbath, and even Rod Stewart.The label folded and Island picked up on Field and Duhig and Havard had to go so he went to the US and joined a Punk band.
There music had more of a jazz feel and soon I was finding their records inthe " world music' section in the shops.I especially liked the first 3 Vertgo LP.s but then others say it was afterwards that Jade Warrior sounded better.