"World Music" Prog

BaldFriede wrote: Definitely Embryo!!! They are the most pre-eminent ethno-prog group.

true concerning the German prog scene (only)

I saw Zawinul band few times at Sarajevo Jazz Festival, wonderful staff, sort of jazz-world-fusion.

From the South-East Europe I can point at some celebrated folk/ethno influenced bands that may appeal to you: SEDMINA from Slovenia and ANASTASIA from Macedonia!

Check this:
http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/YUPROG.html

Roman Bunka too. (he was guitar player with Embryo, so it is no wonder his solo projects are very ethnic too). I especially recommend "Dein Kopf ist ein Schlafendes Auto". Bunka himself called the music on "Den Kopf ist ein Schlafendes Auto" "Afghani-Punk".
other recommendations: the German bands Between, Deuter and Dzyan

Cool. Since I think that these may be of interest to other progressive fans with an open mind to this style, I'll drop a few names...

Liquid Soul is absolutely fantastic band, seamlessly fusing acid jazz, fusion, and funk. Make Some Noise is a particularly recommended album.

The Solsonics' album Jazz in the Present Tense is also great. Kind of bebop jazz meets dance music. Always gets me swingin'.

For more funk/R&B influenced stuff try Brooklyn Funk Essentials or Groove Collective

If you don't fear stuff that veers into trip-hop territory, Kruder & Dorfmeister are great remixers of acid jazz/trip-hop. The K&D Sessions is one of my favorite non prog albums. And as I am from D.C., I would be remiss if I didn't mention Thievery Corporation. Even though they are really trip-hop, they have a sound that seems to draw influence from music from all over the world.

That should get you started.

And to all who feel uncomfortable with allowing my recommendations to stray so far from Prog...

Relax...it's all over now.

Thanks for the recommendations. I know i didn't start the thread, but it's something i'm interested in too and i've discovered some new stuff to explore  I'm particularly enjoying Baka Beyond.

Nipsey, if you don't want to recommend any of those acid jazz type bands in the thread, feel free to pm me with some suggestions if it's not too much trouble

a few additions that come to mind:

Tony Walcott, Steve Tibbetts, Tony Scott, Bobby Callender and Volker Krieger for fusion / jazz rock musicians who are inspired by “world” music

Strangely enough I was just talking to Joren about such an album today. Manfred Mann's Plains Music, currently listed in the Manfed Mann's Earth band entry, is heavily influenced by Native American Indian music.

In Jethro Tull's later albums there are a lot of influences from Middle Eastern music, as in Rare and Precious Chain and The Water Carrier. And what about the No Quarter album by Page and Plant, recorded with North African musicians? Perhaps it's not exactly prog, but it's a great album nonetheless.

TRY JON HASSEL & BRIAN ENO'S POSSIBLE MUSIC: INTERESTING!

ALSO: PETER GABRIEL'S PASSION OBVIOUSLY

Jade Warrior's 4 Island albums - all available on a double CD called Elements - drew on a host of influences, primarily Middle and Far Eastern but also some African and Latin American influences on their last Island album.

Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn weaves in some interesting strands of world music, including African drumming and Uillean pipes.

More recently, Baka Beyond's first couple of albums fuse Celtic folk with the traditions of the Baka forest people in Cameroon - not prog exactly, but well worth a listen.

Robert Plant's latest, Mighty Rearranger, draws on North African music and is the best thing he's done in years.