Anyone know of any Prog bands predominatly featuring violin?

I have been a hugh fan of Kansas for years and have actually hired guest parts done by Ragsdale on one of the CD's I am currently producing. I guess everone knows of Mark Wood. I also like the old UK band with Eddie Jobson as well as KBB out of Japan (I think). But that seems to be about it. If anyone knows of new or old talent out there in the the prog genre using violin or cello, please let me know.

One final note, if your into strings or more especially violin in prog, watch for Katie Jacoby. What this lady does with a violin will amaze you.

Interesting post there proghead2112 ... 8-)

Personally, I love the violin work in Caravan, especially in the recent 'BBC Session' CD that I've bought. Other groups that spring to mind that feature violin are Curved Air, the excellent Ed Alleyne-Johnson (who plays a five string violin) and early material by Moth Conspiracy.

Dee

8-)
Lets not forget Gentle Giant with Ray Shulman on violin and Kerry Minnear on Cello,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM1-fDL76p0&mode=related&search=

also String Driven Thing & late 70's Van der Graaf Generator with Grahame Smith on violin; PFM, Darryl Way also in Darryl Way's Wolfand on the albums 'Heavy Horses' by Jethro Tull and 'Downwind' by Pierre Moerlen's Gong; David Cross with King Crimson and Allan Holdsworth played violin with Tempest and on solo recordings Velvet Darkness and I.O.U.

-Hm


::)
P.S. 'course if your definition of Prog lets you drift over into jazz . . .you've got early Mahavishnu Orchestra with Jerry Goodman on electric violin (Inner Mountinng Flame / Birds of Fire), David Darling-Cello esp. the album Cycles & Journal October; Christian Howe is an amazing violin player - check him out on Anthem by D.D. Jackson, Didier Lockwood has some prog fusion crossover with his group UBEZ and work with Clearlight...and of course there's the amazing Jean-Luc Ponty!!

This site has a large list of prog violinists if you scroll down a bit:

http://www.progforum.nl/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=4&thread_id=258&pid=3256

http://www.christianhowes.com/html/disc.htm

Hey guys,

Much thanks for the heads up on violin prog out there. I'm heading to the local music shop this evening after work to purchase some of your recomendations.

Thanks

:o 8-)
Cool! Let us know what you get !
(man of action - that's what I like to hear)

(IF you're going for Gentle Giant - I would reccomend In a Glass House (title track) or Acquiring the Taste (Plain Truth) or Power and the Glory (the Face))

P.S. Geoff Richardson actually plays a Viola (Slightly larger than a violin) for Caravan and later Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Richardson

I've not heard much of Gentle Giant or Caravan other than here(which is good)!!!

Kansas' sound wouldn't be the same without violin.

Mahavishnu(sp) Orch had some good string work.

Laurie Anderson(The female Peter Gabriel), although not really prog and quite spacey, has some good violin bit on a few tunes.

If you like a little classical music, or, if you don't,-The sound track of the movie "Last of the Mohicans is quite mind blowing.--Especially when hit loud!!

Sorry to get off topic!

Another "older" prog band from the 70s is Pavlov's Dog....They featured some violin in their music. They are, IMO, a good listen!  I do not believe they are still around tho :(

Whilst reviewing my next impending Prog session I rediscovered a track with some very cool Violin by a group called Paatos*   8-)

http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_CD.asp?cd_id=5564






*actually I chose quite a few tracks featuring the violin... [smiley=DJ.gif]

Hi,

Ah now .. would Roxy Music be considered prog ? Their album "For Your Pleasure" definitely !!

So how about Roxy Music then - Eddie Jobson (from Curved Air) joined after Brian Eno left.

Saw them in concert in 1974 (I think) Eddie did this amazing electric violin solo - spine jingling it was too ! I'm sure the track was "Out of the Blue"- from the album "Country Life".

Cheers

Jim

See in Media centre for the vid.

hi

While not in the strictest terms prog rock the first 2 cockney rebel albums "The Human Menagerie" and "The Psychomodo" feature some haunting prog-esque tracks with lots of cool violin playing.

Cheers

Ben Mink from the band FM played electric violin on the Rush track “Losing It” from the 1982 album Signals. Mink also collaborated with Geddy Lee (they co-wrote some of the tracks I believe) on Lee's solo album My Favorite Headache.

The Mars Volta uses both violin and cello in some of their music.

don't 4get JAEN-LUC-PONTY not 100% progrock but an amazing jazzrock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKkMvBvyqvE

remember that and reply