Blacks In PROG?

Biggles wrote: RaphaelT wrote:   KEVO, of course I was joking with hiphop and reggae and it was just a stupid stereotype that every black is a rapper or rasta. They are brilliant musicians on every instrument and they are not sparse in progressive world, even among greatest bands (see "A Great Gig In The Sky") Actually, I believe the singer you're referring to is Claire Torry, who happens to be white. She has the powerful black soul voice, but she's definitely white. All the renowned super virtuoso and hugely influential saxophonists seem to be black (Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Coleman Hawkins, Cannonball Adderley). The only exception I can think of to this is the great Stan Getz.

Michael Brecker has his moments, and probably hold the Guiness Record for most session appearances. And the late Bob Berg - and what about the white saxophonists Miles Davis employed........because they had already been working in jazz rock in the mid 60's?

Philrod wrote: Guitarist:Jimi Hendrix Drums: Billy Cobham Bass: Victor Wooten

I don't think Hendrix would be able to keep up with those two, to be honest!

Hendrix was a blues guitarist above all, and while he did do a few jazzy things here and there, I seriously doubt that he would have been able to play harmonically complex jazz in the same way that people like John McLaughlin could.

Edited by Biggles

I thought this was a joke thread!! Who cares what colour the band member is!! What next I wonder? Women in prog

I'd like to concur with KEVO by putting in another high recommendation for David Sancious.  This guy is like Eddie Jobson & Kit Watkins rolled into one (as amazing as Kit was, I hear obvious influences from both Jan Hammer & David Sancious). Sancious is also a great guitarist - he could even play guitar to mimic Allan Holdsworth as evidenced on his album, Just as I Thought, which is overtly influenced by the first U.K. album and features Jeff Berlin on a track or two). I have all the Sancious albums and all are worth owning. I even got hold of a CDR of his unreleased album, Dance of the Age of Enlightenment a couple of years ago. I would recommend starting with Transformation or True Stories. True Stories has a lot of soulful vocals from Alex Ligertwood, and Transformation is all instrumental I believe. This stuff is some of the best prog/fusion I've heard. I'm white and I got turned onto Sancious by a black aquaintence of mine way back in the early 80's. He was mainly a jazz-head, but he liked fusion. I turned him on to the Dregs and Bruford, and he turned me on to Weather Report and David Sancious.

Yes, it's silly (as some have posted) to talk about race as if it matters, which it doesn't. But it's just natural to explore uncommon cultural observations. I once heard that Sherman Helmsley (who played George Jefferson on The Jefferson's TV show) was a huge fan of Yes. If sharing information like that helps to confound and erase preconceptions, then that's good.

Jangoclone666 wrote: Hey,Kevo- Thanks for the leads.I'm gonna look for this stuff. As for where you can strut your proggy stuff,I'm not too sure.Maybe Myspace Music... Ah!I forgot- there was Carley Coma,who used to vocalize for Candiria.And then there was ex-Traffic bassist Rosko Gee,who played with Can for a short while(along with percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah- check out their Saw Delight album). Phil Lynott fronting a prog band woulda been CRAZY outasight(not that I don't love Thin Lizzy).

It would indeed be crazy, as Phils been dead a few years now

David Sancious also played and toured with Peter Gabriel. And, outside of Prog, he started a group called the E Street Band. Some guy came in and sort of took over and he left. Wonder whatever happened to that group? ; ) When Steve Hackett left Genesis the first touring replacement, having already recruited Chester Thompson from Weather Report, was Alphonso Johnson from the same band. I remember reading that Alphonso wasn't comfortable playing standing up (from an interview he gave for Armando Gallo's book on Genesis) and he recommended Darryl Stuermer.

Biggles wrote: RaphaelT wrote:   KEVO, of course I was joking with hiphop and reggae and it was just a stupid stereotype that every black is a rapper or rasta. They are brilliant musicians on every instrument and they are not sparse in progressive world, even among greatest bands (see "A Great Gig In The Sky") Actually, I believe the singer you're referring to is Claire Torry, who happens to be white. She has the powerful black soul voice, but she's definitely white. All the renowned super virtuoso and hugely influential saxophonists seem to be black (Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Coleman Hawkins, Cannonball Adderley). The only exception I can think of to this is the great Stan Getz.

what a mistaka I maka (like Cpt. Bertorelli said in "Allo Allo") with Claire Torry. My only explanation is that I saw her only on black and white photo.

The great Billy Cobham, for example, although he is more a jazz drummer. There are actually not many black people, not only in prog rock, but in all rock and metal.

rokmebaby wrote: As a long-time David Sancious fan, I am glad to see that others know about his splendid musical talents.  There is one more album the prog community should know about and that is David's very first: David Sancious and Tone "Forest of Feelings".  I suppose if you were to get your hands on only one the first two, then "Transformation: Speed of Love" is the way to go.  His guitar playing is as impressive as his keyboard chops. I am a "brother" who has been digging the prog scene since I first heard "In the Court of the Crimson King" as a freshman at Michigan in 1972.  It's bad enough you don't see many of us at rock shows.  Throw in the prog factor and there are even fewer.  Good thing that superb music trumps race.  Thanks to all who send in recommendations and ratings for old and new music.  Prog fans can truly appreciate what it's like to hear something new to our ears that tingles the spine, makes one want to dance, or just plan touches one in that special place. See you at the show...

I knew it, great music knows no racial boundries...

I'm just a simple Polock, but in addition to prog, I'm a HUGE fan of P-Funk, EWF, James Brown, Coltrane, Mingus, Miles, McCoy Tyner, Delfonics, Temptations, etc... Here's to music as the great force that brings people of different ethnicities together.


Edited by Nipsey88

rokmebaby wrote: As a long-time David Sancious fan, I am glad to see that others know about his splendid musical talents.  There is one more album the prog community should know about and that is David's very first: David Sancious and Tone "Forest of Feelings".

I recall mentioning it on the first page of this thread.