Why so few American bands in 70's prog?

A couple months in rehab and still unintelligible.

Slightly off-topic, has anyone else experienced that people who have their music listening background in classical and jazz (rather than rock) often like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa but not British progressive rock except its most avantgarde practitioners? (Henry Cow etc)

HackettFan wrote: rogerthat wrote: As already mentioned, very influential avant bands/artists are from America. America also had a strong jazz rock scene in the 70s. It is symph prog that was weak in America. Perhaps the particular blend of classical influences with a more pastoral, folky kind of rock/pop could not have happened in America and what bands did pick up the thread from the European scene were condemned to be me-toos at best. Prog metal embraced the epic format and the most influential prog metal band is American. Folky music did happen at that time in America. I'm thinking specifically of Shawn Phillips who had a voice that could challenge Annie Haslam's. We don't call Shawn Phillips Progressive Rock because his Rock side was lacking. I was at a couple Shawn Phillips concerts later in the 80s and he had a few classical orchestral pieces he had composed on his Synclavier and played for us. I think the elements for Symph Prog and Prog Folk were there, but never came together the right way as they did in England. I agree, the US was very strong with Jazz Fusion. That did come together.

Rick Robson wrote: t d wombat wrote: I agree regarding Jazz but not so much re Classical. My earliest exposure was to Classical and for me that leads to an appreciation of the likes of e.g Genesis/Yes/Floyd. Took me a bit longer to get into Jazzier styles (Gentle Giant e.g.) and even now my tastes in Jazz run more towards the likes of Keith Jarrett rather than say the likes of Weather Report.  Of course one cannot underestimate the virtuosity of someone like Zappa but that's not the question.   Interesting your thoughts indeed. My earliest exposure was to Classical too, my interest for the Jazzier music began to grow only after being a member here, but I still keep having difficulty to grab their feelings, perhaps due to their complexity, the fact is that it pushes me off a bit after a while. I liked Jarret's The Koln Concert though, btw he has gone also into some Classical incursions through his incredibly long career, still today he keeps making big concerts.   It's the first time I read in PA's that Gentle Giant have a jazzier style, never dug into their music, so their better album to begin with is 'Acquiring The Taste'

Ah .... maybe its just me but I hear jazz free form elements in what GG I have listened to. I am not a huge fan so maybe I do need to listen to "Acquiring the Taste"    We have two choices here ... either I am not very good with labels or I am talking through my arse. I think I might hide behind the vagueness of jazzIER, bit more freeform, less melodic, in the way jazz experimentalists have. I guess what I was driving at was that GG's stuff (that I know) doesn't have a particularly smooth even flow. That's not necessarily a negative of course, indeed with what GG I do know it adds great interest and depth though not necessarily my speed.

Speaking of Jarrett I was thinking of his concert work such as Koln. Magnificent album. It is one of the problems with discussing artists when you have been listening to them for nigh on 50 years. After all how can I say I love Genesis and leave it at that ? The folk who love Invisible Touch are in a whole different world to an old fart like me who found them with Selling England and dropped away after Duke.

Listening to Turning Around live at the moment and I'm beginning to come around to the "talking through my arse" possibility.

GG use freeform in only a very calculated way when they do.  Everything about GG is very calculated and deliberate even if it may sound very weird and throw off listeners the first time (first few times?) around.  Not jazz at all in that sense.  Having said that, they do lean more towards jazz rock/funk on parts of Free Hand, but again only borrowing some stylistic elements and avoiding improvisation.

ClemofNazareth wrote: Pretty sure what happened was that America created the blues, jazz, R&B, bluegrass, country and psych, and while we were resting on the seventh day the Brits came up with prog.

Zappa is American tho' :) he was/ is awesome Progressive music did originate from the UK tho' :) xxx

Edited by Kati - June 26 2015 at 22:17

Indeed he was Kati, indeed he was.

Over the past few days I've been listening/watching a few interviews with various prog luminaries plus the BB King tribute doco. It is quite amazing how many of these people's earliest musical love was The Blues. Also pretty remarkable the debt American Blues players owe to the Brits circa early Stones, John Mayall, Yardbirds etc.

Congrats on missing the point yet again.  Now what year did you say this album was? 1971.  That's right.  By which time, Yes had released Yes Album, Genesis Nursery Cryme and ELP Tarkus.  Do you get the drift?  The three bigwigs of symph prog were already well established at this point.  If you have to name ANY American band from the 70s making symph prog, there are plenty.  But there were no first movers in that genre from America.  I am really sorry you have such a tremendous chip on your shoulder at your age but there's no way I can help you.  

What about Touch? Their album came out in 1968.