Hi,

There is something missing in this ... I'm not quite sure what it is, but let's see if I can make it out as I write this.

I have my doubts about the quality of this statement ... what was coming out of the West Coast, and even America WAS NOT EXACTLY associated with classical music, unless you simply take on the amount of time some of these things tend to take. And the free form stuff that came out of the Fillmore and other places, was very free and its only association that would make sense would be "personal" and even based on an idea, and not always necessarily a beat or a theme, although those tended to show up again.

In England, or Europe, with its huge musical history, this comment would be made and the only music that "anyone" would notice, would be the one that had bits and pieces of classical music in it (THINGS YOU RECOGNIZE!!!), as a way of spanking your monkey that ... this is progressive music! A very simplistic and crazy idea but look at the bands that we mention, and we tend to start with The Nice, and Keith ... and what does he do? A lot of classical music, and for me, I really think this was a finger to his instructors in music school, who probably thought his version of this or that on the piano was too outlandish and not on the score sheet! Something outrageous and stupid ... since all music is about interpretation and no one can say that there has not been any in the past 600 years! 

So, in some ways, it makes it easier for the Europeans to look at this new thing as a logical element of the classical music story ... even if in some ways, it was not exactly that ... because you play it is not exactly "new", just another performer (so to speak) out there hoping to cash in before their flame dies out. This is VERY OBVIOUS in the many University places with some "names" doing a lot of classical music, and even to this day, I would rather listen to Keith at 18, or Rick at 18, than pay for any of these folks ... cardboard copies these really are compared to the other 2! AND, more importantly, in this sense the American music scene had a lot more freedom, and perhaps, some of it was similar to the jazz scene that exploded in America so fast ... a sign that its individuality had already developed, and was just waiting for the perfect moment to be seen, and it did in the 60's culminating the decade in some outstanding and explosive pieces, that in many ways rival what we have called "progressive music" out of Europe, when this part here in America was original and live, and totally different! As such, its work deserved more in terms of being a part of MUSIC HISTORY that the statement that was made in England, which kinda made everyone be nothing but just another choir boy or poster boy for classical music ... they could not possibly be that good, and to this day, even folks here at PA have a hard time listening to TARKUS done on the piano (solo!!!) by Rachel Flowers for us to realize what a massive Piano Concerto it is!!! 

Nothing against Caravan, and I have a very extensive collection of their work, but this comment is from someone that obviously did not know music ... and thought that by smoking a cigar and saying that getting away from pop music (... listen to Caravan's first album ... all pop music!!!), with unusual time signatures and then adding harmonies. What a novel idea, and why don't you try it and see if you can sell 10 copies!!!!!

In reality, Caravan was not the only one doing this and many other folks that became known as "Canterbury" were doing the same thing ... so that tells you that this guy only heard pop music, and when he heard Caravan, he thought he was hearing something that no one else ever DID. Now that's pretentious and out of line, and more in line with a rock writer for Melody Maker or New Musical Express ... as a way to get more "educated" (further up the education scale than high school) of those folks into the club and band wagon, which DID happen ... almost all the Canterbury folks were very highly educated musicians, and they were not "elementary" as was the case in many American bands!

I'm not sure why you are quoting someone just because he is "published". I don't think my comments are exactly perfect (I know music, but theory I don't want to know!) but they are honest and on par with the difference between the two scenes ... and the idea that one thing is this, and the other which is almost the same is not ... is very scary ... classical music was NOT the single greatest inspiration for PROGRESSIVE MUSIC ... and we are giving someone credit for something that was written to try and get someone's attention that you and I did not know music, anyway, and it would look good on the album ...  reminds me  of a FAUST album that quotes Frank Zappa ... and if ever there was a quote that didn't make sense in regards to the music and stuff that FAUST did, that one was it ... another somebody that thought he knew more than the average music listener, specially in those days, when FZ fans, specially in the West Coast, were mostly "street people" and not the fancy dancy dressed idiots that showed up later! And still did not like his music, but thought he was cool!

Hi,

I second this comment!

I do wish that PA could take the majority of these comments properly, by various folks and then use them to help detail a really good definition and study of what "progressive music" was and/or it became. The further chapters could entertain the further break ups into other areas, up to and including "prog" ... 

As for "truly" progressive, is something that we have to define right out front. It is progressive within the context of music history and its many changes, SPECIALLY the 20th century, and within that vein, it makes sense to say so, but we can not leave behind jazz, specially in America, because in many ways these were both parallel, but not only visible because of the movie studios that owned all rights and copyrights in regards to music and the arts, and they were not interested in black music to replace the possible money from their star actors and actresses, which they took advantage of quite a lot.

Once that fell apart ... the music showed up ... but all this says, is that it was already there, and we were not aware of it ... c'mon, by the time that Miles went blue, green and purple in his head and brain, he was not a beginner, and it was obvious and then some! And the same was found real quick about many other musicians with the same talent. 

It's just  scary for me, that we glorify "progressive music" and some of its folks, but many black folks that were very important to the jazz story also coming up are ignored, and not appreciated as loudly ... because they did not get the publicity (guess who owned the newspapers and radio stations!!! STILL THAT WAY TODAY!) ... that the Beatles and Rolling Stones busted out in England to put some royals in their place!