fusion and prog

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Originally posted by uzeb2
I don't think you can really mix prog and fusion, as is being done in some previous posts. Jazz, which includes fusion, is on a whole different level than rock. There are different, more sophisticated chords and scales that are not generally used in rock. I believe that almost any jazz artist could play prog, no problem. However, I'll bet there are many many progressive rock artists who can't play jazz.

I disagree that Yes plays any jazz whatsoever. They have no training in this area and, from what I've read in their books, don't care if they ever do. If they ever did decide to play jazz, they would have to put in the years of training for it, just like everyone else does.

wow, do we have a jazz snob here?

Jazz and progressive rock are different. It is insane to suggest that jazz is more sophisticated, more difficult to play, or somehow *better* than rock. (As a matter of fact, the primary thing that defines jazz is improvisation.) There is simple and complex jazz, and simple and complex rock. As far as musicians go, there are those very talented, somewhat talened, and hacks in both.

I remember when I was first learning how to play jazz drums, in college, I met a drummer who was very schooled in jazz. we started practicing together, and I thought I was getting so much more out of the time since I was learning so much just watching this guy play. What I soon found out is that he was learning just as much from me with my rock background.

If you listen to certain pieces of Return To Forever, as an example, and didn't know it was musicians with jazz backgrounds playing it, you would call it rock. I said prog rock and jazz are different above, and they obviously are; they also share a hell of a lot of common musical roots...