Does Miles Davis belong in Prog?

freyacat wrote:  When you really think about it, what is it that makes Mahavishnu Orchestra jazz and Larks' Tongues in Aspic rock?

zravkapt wrote: Some of you need to listen to this album: http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Dark+Magus/4432975

CPicard wrote: Miles Davis doesn't belong to PA - he had never done AOR albums. Shame on him. Miles Davis doesn't belong to PA - he had done some funky music. Progsters don't funk, they're too white for that. Miles Davis doesn't belong to PA - he had never played on a 12-strings guitar. Miles Davis doesn't belong to PA - he had never covered the Beatles. No Beatles, no prog, that's simple. Yeah, it's pure trolling, but I don't even regret it.

Well... I once worked for the largest jazz festival producer in the world, and as such I saw Miles Davis many times, even met him a few times, and all of that is irrelevant to this discussion.

Evolver wrote: Well... I once worked for the largest jazz festival producer in the world, and as such I saw Miles Davis many times, even met him a few times, and all of that is irrelevant to this discussion.   Miles was an innovator of electric fusion.  His early fusion albums were somewhat nebulous.  But the airy nature and open sound provides the backbone of the very early seventies fusion sound.  It was imitated by many of his protégés, as well as a number of other respected artists.  Even rock bands imitated his style.  Have you ever heard Soft Machine's Fourth through Seventh albums?    His later years have him blending funk into that sound.  Progressive rock?  No.  Progressive fusion? Absolutely.  And we have chosen to include progressive fusion on the site.  And fusion is a form of rock, as well as jazz.  So yes.  He absolutely belongs.  And I will oppose anyone who tries to have him removed.   I wonder if some of those who don't want him here question other tenuous sub-genres.  Electronic? I love it.  I'm glad it's here.  But is most of it rock?  Hell no.  And Kraftwerk? I haven't heard an album of theirs that I consider prog.   Jam bands?  Very few are prog.  But we have quite a few here.  What's so progressive about extended jamming?  Hmmmmm... sounds very much like some fusion.    My point is that we all have different views of what is prog and what isn't.  And apparently enough of us think each of the genres we include here is legitimate to warrant their inclusion.   So my advice: don't get so damned worked up over it.   Now I'm going to keep rereading Kati's "bounce bounce bounce" post... if my poor heart can take it.

If I can add one more thing that may have already been said, Miles wouldn't even be on here if it wasn't for his Jazz/Fusion period. I mention that because there are many Jazz greats who never had a Jazz/Fusion period and those wouldn't even have been considered for this site because of that. It's this site's policy though that the whole discography of an artist be included here weather the albums are Prog or not. So yeah it's a strange thing to see Kind Of Blue on a Prog album chart in my opinion, but Bitches Brew for sure. Miles in this Jazz/Fusion period at one point had two or three guitarists on stage, a drummer, a bass player just like most Rock bands. Like return To Forever always had a guitarist, Nucleus etc. 

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Progosopher wrote: But did he ever make use of a mellotron?  That alone would qualify him for PA.  If he never did, then no, he does not qualify.  Well....Bee Gees and Stevie Wonder used Mellotron........But they don't belong here. Does anybody also believe that having A kind of Blue in the top 100 Prog albums is misleading? There was no Prog, or Proto or nothing prog related in 1959

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Kati wrote: Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Progosopher wrote: But did he ever make use of a mellotron?  That alone would qualify him for PA.  If he never did, then no, he does not qualify.  Well....Bee Gees and Stevie Wonder used Mellotron........But they don't belong here. Does anybody also believe that having A kind of Blue in the top 100 Prog albums is misleading? There was no Prog, or Proto or nothing prog related in 1959 I second what Ivan said too!  yes jaja yep si sim da ahum oui I love Kati, it's like having a personal cheerleader. I wish I had that luck in high school....But I remember I  studied in an only male school, so better I didn't.  Iván

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Does anybody also believe that having A kind of Blue in the top 100 Prog albums is misleading? There was no Prog, or Proto or nothing prog related in 1959

Kati wrote: Padraic wrote: Davesax1965 wrote: As a jazz musician, I have to tell you that Miles Davis is as prog as the Spice Girls.  A lot of the experimental jazz of the late 50's - Davis, Coltrane et al, and even of the 40's - Charlie Parker and fellow beboppers - was basically an influence for "progressive" forms of music. But that doesn't make it prog.  It makes it jazz. It's already been labelled. And Miles went through several different musical styles, as did most jazz musicians. I see a lot of music mislabelled on Prog Archives, and this is definitely one of these occasions.  Prog ? No. Definitely not.  But you would agree that Miles was at the forefront of jazz-rock/fusion, and because that genre is represented here then it is appropriate for Miles to be here.  Now, if you think JR/F itself shouldn't be here, you're certainly entitled to that opinion, but it's a separate matter. Miles Davis both with Bitches Brew or Sketches of Spain if this does not belong here I really don't know what does, I am not a sheep btw, as I do not like a all prog moozik although my taste tends to favorite this genre. hugs,