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Is the sax shunned by prog bands?
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HackettFan View Drop Down
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Points: 7951 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HackettFan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 02 2018 at 21:48
Originally posted by ForestFriend ForestFriend wrote:

Can your sax player play flute? It's a very common doubling as the instruments have similar fingerings. That'll open you up to some Jethro Tull and Moody Blues at least. I think Ian Anderson had been playing flute for about 6 months when he did the first JT album, so I'm sure your sax player can manage something even if they're just picking it up. Just have them do some blues scale licks while screaming into it and they'll get the Jethro Tull sound.

There actually is a Genesis song with sax on it - No Reply At All features a horn section.

I wouldn't say sax is shunned in prog any more than any other wind or non-traditional rock instrument (maybe flute's more popular - although most of the prog flutists I can think of played sax too). I don't think Frank Zappa or Maxophone have been mentioned yet, but they've got plenty of sax going on.

Yes, I'm surprised Zappa & the MOI weren't mentioned right off the bat. Still un-mentioned is the band no one else seems to mention but me; Jade Warrior. I'm thinking particularly of the album, Released.
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Wayne Shorter.

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Points: 29 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cord Change Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 04 2018 at 01:48
Soft Machine and Caravan. I find a lot of Jazz Fusion to be quite progressive. Frank Zappa has great woodwind session musicians on some albums, especially Hot Rats and Grand Wazoo. There is definitely nothing wrong with a Sax in Prog.
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Originally posted by Cord Change Cord Change wrote:

Soft Machine and Caravan. I find a lot of Jazz Fusion to be quite progressive. Frank Zappa has great woodwind session musicians on some albums, especially Hot Rats and Grand Wazoo. There is definitely nothing wrong with a Sax in Prog.

I agree, and I always say this, and feel like people gloss over jazz fusion entirely. Zappa's fusion era is my favorite era of his. I'm on a Weather Report kick so I'm probably biased atm.

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Points: 29 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cord Change Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 05 2018 at 01:46
Originally posted by Frenetic Zetetic Frenetic Zetetic wrote:

Originally posted by Cord Change Cord Change wrote:

Soft Machine and Caravan. I find a lot of Jazz Fusion to be quite progressive. Frank Zappa has great woodwind session musicians on some albums, especially Hot Rats and Grand Wazoo. There is definitely nothing wrong with a Sax in Prog.


I agree, and I always say this, and feel like people gloss over jazz fusion entirely. Zappa's fusion era is my favorite era of his. I'm on a Weather Report kick so I'm probably biased atm.


I knew when you said Wayne Shorter that you were probably into Fusion, very glad to hear! Saprano sax rocks! And Zappa’s composition style definitely suited Jazz Fusion... Hot Rats is a ridiculously great Fusion record!

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Originally posted by Cord Change Cord Change wrote:

Originally posted by Frenetic Zetetic Frenetic Zetetic wrote:

Originally posted by Cord Change Cord Change wrote:

Soft Machine and Caravan. I find a lot of Jazz Fusion to be quite progressive. Frank Zappa has great woodwind session musicians on some albums, especially Hot Rats and Grand Wazoo. There is definitely nothing wrong with a Sax in Prog.


I agree, and I always say this, and feel like people gloss over jazz fusion entirely. Zappa's fusion era is my favorite era of his. I'm on a Weather Report kick so I'm probably biased atm.
 

I knew when you said Wayne Shorter that you were probably into Fusion, very glad to hear! Saprano sax rocks! And Zappa’s composition style definitely suited Jazz Fusion... Hot Rats is a ridiculously great Fusion record! 


Yes and exactly. Fusion is my #1! Clap

Agreed on all fronts about Zappa. Good to know another's got some ears!

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Originally posted by Kingsnake Kingsnake wrote:

^I mentioned Pink Floyd, I even gave them credit for the whole sax-thing in the neoprog movement.

Other bands with sax:
- Gentle Giant (2 saxophonists even!)
- The Flower Kings (Ulf Wallander as guest)
- Unitopia
- United Progressive Fraternity
- Damanek
- The Tangent
- Caravan (Jimmy Hastings as guest)
- Soft Machine
- Hawkwind (who could forget Hawkwind)
- Tangerine Dream (couple albums with Steve Jolliffe)
- Jethro Tull (Ian Anderson having a go with the saxophone on Warchild)
Plenty of bands (even famous ones) having sax in their music. Even in every different style, so no need to worry.

I dont think so may be you are right but it cannot be 100% true.
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Points: 18655 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 07 2020 at 09:22
To a degree it is even though many of the early bands(VDGG, KC, Traffic and Family to name a few)embraced it. These days it pops up occasionally but doesn't seem as prominent as it once was.
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Originally posted by Lamneth Lamneth wrote:

oh yeah - I was quite surprised to find that over the span of the Genesis discography, they don't have a single song featuring sax on it.  They did play around with horns a bit though on Abacab though, and Phil Collins had sax on a little of his solo stuff. 

I don't think Yes had any songs with sax either(sampled horns is a different story). 
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Points: 36722 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 07 2020 at 10:10
Even if it's not the kind of music that the OP would have wanted (not that that really matters now because this bumped thread is over two years old), I'm surprised to see no mention of Cardiacs in the thread. Ralf Nowy is a favourite saxophonist/ artist of mine (like many other saxophonists, he also plays the flute).

I don't think that any instrument is shunned by Prog (part of Prog is about being open to wide variety of musical influences/ inspiration and instrumentation), and there are a great many examples of sax in the Prog universe.

Edited by Logan - October 07 2020 at 10:12
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Well the music I will be releasing with my friend in the near future will feature sax, so get ready. But... don't wait up...
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Points: 42544 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 07 2020 at 12:05
I mostly associate the saxophone with King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator. I wasn't a big fan of either band before I joined ProgArchives, although I've learned to appreciate them more now since I've been here. I'm even beginning to like King Crimson's Lizard album, much to my surprise. It may take a while longer before I grow to like Van der Graaf Generator's Pawn Hearts album though. Smile
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KV and VDGG are two great examples of sax in prog.

I just look at is as part of a natural fusion of/from jazz, that carried over into early prog rock bands.

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Originally posted by Nogbad_The_Bad Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:

Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:


Koenjihyakkei 
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The answer is clearly 'No, sax is far from shunned by prog'.

I like the way you're thinking, I would have mentioned all of those though I somehow don't think they are the first bands that come to mind for a prog "light" cover band (it would be epic though)

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Traffic (John Barleycorn, Low Spark), Floyd (DSotM, WYWH) Crimson (nearly every album) and Tull (APP and War Child) all have sax integral to specific splendid albums. And they are all worthwhile and add to the mix.
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Cardiacs had no issue.

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A worthy mention for Camel too, with Mel Collins on sax. Smile
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Phil Shulman!

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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Jimmy Page - Death Wish 2 e.g. Big Band, Sax and Violence. Masfel perhaps?

Not strictly prog rock but Sonny Rollin's work on the Stone's Tattoo You album is great and very accessible.

Steely Dan possibly?
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Norwegian band Pymlico has tons of sexy sax !
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