I host a radio show called Slutlord Sunday School that tries to hone in on certain themes from week to week and I've always been most drawn to prog, proto metal, and most things coming out of Japan in the 70s, etc.

Right now I am consumed with an obsession which is to find progressive rock or alternative styles of jazz or whatever that utilize traditional eastern instruments - in particular, the shakuhachi, a la OSAMU KITAJIMA.. GOOD, solid records that use these instruments in creative ways. I don't really want anything post 1980. 

Would love recommendations around this idea that I can explore - could be western groups incorporating these influences, or eastern groups at that time making use of their native instruments in new ways, I just prefer 1970s, generally speaking!

Thanks a million!

Hello there and welcome dear Slutlord - My head just exploded as I've been collecting this sort of stuff for over a decade - and literally got hundreds of potential suggestions for you (but thinking about it many of them falls outside of "prog", I suppose).

BTW:

dearslutlord wrote: I don't really want anything post 1980.

-

ANYWAY: from the top of my head here's three pre-1980's (now there's four) and two post-1980's suggestions:

-I was certain drummer Akira Ishikawa (and His Count Buffalos) were at PA already. He usually does not blend this this much eastern sounds into his Jazz Rock Fusion. This one's with Maestro Rinshōe Kida on Shamisen (which really is the main reason this album was the first one that came to mind):

 

Vasant Rai on Sarod (and Swarpeti), backed by Oregon which means you get Sitar and Tablas. Both of their album collaborations are beautiful.

Some Sarangi & Esraj-driven eastern Avant Prog-thing from Secret Chiefs 3/Ishraqiyun* (with ethnic percussion galore) *Secret Chiefs 3 is the general name for seven bands. Ishraqiyun being one of them (the others are Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, FORMS, and NT Fan. Sometimes they are all on the same album)

Then you got Ananda Shankar's wonderful compositions (this one came to mind as I saw Secret Chiefs 3 playing a fantastic cover version of Renunciation live). I've just learned that he is composer director here and the Sitar is played by Indranil Bhattacharya. All the other brilliant musicians are named, but not specified.

Another fantastic artist is the Lebanese Oud master Rabih Abou-Khalil. Sometimes he sounds more traditional, but here's one in a furious jazz -fusion mode (with Sonny Fortune on sax). His Blue Camel album is a perfect place to start. But this one's from its predecessor and my personal favorite Al-Jadida.

Bonus track: while editing, fixing spelling mistakes etc... I decided to thow in a bonus. Another oud player: Ahmed Abdul-Malik. He released East Meets West in 1959 and it's not even his first album (Jazz Sahara from 1958, The Music of (1961) and Sounds of Africa (1962) are all warmly reccomended as well)! A true pioneer of what was to become known as "World Music" (now it's just "World", I think) decades later.

Some excellent Dutar, Dilruba, Oud, Saz, Tambura etc... prog from Embryo

Embryo - We Keep on  (1973)

I don't know if this fits ... but Stephen Micus is all about a lot of traditional instruments, and has been since his first album ... leave it to ECM to show it!

But there is another one, I would like to introduce, that we probably will laugh at it and think that Mosh is just kidding ... PDQ Bach deserves a mention here for the many ... "instruments" he added to the music ... like the kazoo, the bicycle, and many other things, which may seem like a joke, but when used so beautifully within the context of the music, it's another story. Not to mention that almost all of these were done/used with local orchestras, all learning the "music" and having to maintain their composure during the great bits. The concert I saw him in, was too much ... I had to leave for a couple of minutes, TWICE, because it was just too much and too strong ... and he wouldn't let up! You just don't think of music that way!

Try to see if you can make it through "Seasonings, 1/2 tsp" ... and appreciate the kazoo in a very different role ... the bombastic blow out!