The Cornerstone of Your Prog Supergroup

BrufordFreak wrote: Lewian wrote: So I have my band headed by a surprise (?) selection, namely Kate Bush. Of course Kate is only known for her solo work, but many good musicians have contributed to it, so she can play well in a team, too, and I'd really be super curious what she could come up with having behind her a band full of prog genuises with their own strong ideas. One reason why I go for her rather than some of the seemingly more obvious candidates is that I'd expect this band to come up with a unique synthesis, something that is really different from what Kate as well as her collaborators have done up to now, so something that would make me really curious. I hope she'll accept Jaki as a drummer (Bruford is unavailable because he has to tour with different supergroups; also both Kate and Jaki are known for exercising witchcraft, so that'll be a good fit and they can hopefully keep each other within limits), and we can talk about the rest later. Wow! this is a really clever and unexpected idea! I LOVE it! I agree: Kate would be an amazing band leader/cornerstone. Kate Bush, Chris Cutler, Keith Emerson, and Tony Levin (and perhaps Martin Barre)! I like the sound of those choices!

For my own choice…

Firstly, I’d exclude from my band all the egotists who had to be the dominant voice, all those who were unreliable because of drink / drugs / mental instability, all those whose vision of music was too narrow to accommodate a variety of approaches, and all those who are known to be ‘difficult’ (i.e. arseholes). You lose a lot of visionaries that way including the likes of Emerson and Fripp, but if you want a working all-star band then it’s a price I think you have to pay.

I’d look for people with a very distinctive contribution to make as both a player and a writer, and who have shown versatility in the kind of musical situations they can operate in. Multi-instrumentalism would be a benefit but not a requirement. Kerry Minnear is a contender, and might well make the band, but the fact that so far as progressive music is concerned he mainly just worked in the context of GG mitigates against him being the cornerstone. Other names that have crossed my mind are Bruford, Levin and Jon Hiseman. But I really feel like picking Mike Keneally. Brilliant on both guitar and keyboards, writes fascinating music, has worked in a multitude of contexts, and seems like a lovely chap.



Edited by Mascodagama - January 25 2022 at 23:07

richardh wrote: Predictably from me, the late great Keith Emerson but second choice would be Steve Howe. Such a shame those 2 never worked together.

I believe I read sometime that, well, Keith Emerson wanted his keyboard driven trio from the beginning, but if he could have had one guitar player with him, he would have liked Steve Howe.

^I'm shocked that you didn't read my post! I'm not talking about innovations, I'm talking about song writing. I'm not sure how much input Levin had on the 80's KC albums, and Tony's solo material is not good to my ears. That is what I'm talking about - his ability to write good songs. 

Edited by Grumpyprogfan - January 25 2022 at 11:46

JohnnyCanuck3 wrote: My cornerstone for a super prog group would be Neal Morse. Why? 1.  He's already a cornerstone for several groups, including Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Neal Morse Group, Flying Colors, etc. 2.  He is obviously able to work with a diverse array of artists, as evidenced by the various groups he is in.  Seems to get along well with others, and seems to be well liked. 3.  A prolific songwriter and seems to be comfortable spending endless hours in the studio and/or on tour. 4.  A great musician, playing keyboards, guitar, mandolin, and who knows what else. 5.  Able to work in a number of different styles/genres of music.

everybody!

Edited by BrufordFreak - January 25 2022 at 11:09

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: I'd probably go with Chris Cutler, the drummer of Henry Cow, he's got beautiful technique, has played with a ton of different bands and style, from what I've read he'd been a good organizer.  Now, this is a very interesting choice--and one worth following up on. I've loved the Henry Cow stuff I've stumbled across in the last 14 years but have never gone on an actual "Chris Cutler Quest." Perhaps it is time! Bruford i& Squire are certainly good suggestions.  I'd love to suggest Fripp, and while he'd be great at leading in the short term the band would dissolve in 3 years.

Manuel wrote: Martin Barre. An underrated orchestrator, who can go from blues to rock, classic, jazz, etc.