I'd like to expand my musical horizon - what is out there today with more than 3 chords?

[JazzDoc]

It is always difficult o recommend music to others as musical preference is such an intensely personal thing. People can recommend music that they like but that is not to say that you would or should like it

 

I don't get electronic music at all. I think that most of it sounds like a bunch of teenagers messing around with DAW software like Magix Acid Pro or Abelton. Electronic music in that it opens the door for those who may not have formal music training to engage in music creation. As I said, it's not for me.

 

Someone has recommended Grateful Dead. They are perhaps, an acquired taste and are often the muse of those who were enjoying contemporary music genres back in the 1960s and 1970s. I love Grateful Dead when they stretch out and improvise. The usual format of a Grateful Dead concert was play some songs, take a break, play some longer songs and improvise and then play some more songs to finish the show. I really like the music that they created.

 

Steely Dan may be another contender for you. As you appear not to like jazz, you would probably be better off avoiding my favourite Steely Dan album 'Aja' and going for the early ones, such as 'Can't Buy A Thrill' or 'Countdown To Ecstasy'. Steely Dan were master craftsmen in the studio. Their music is probably the most technically proficient that I have heard from a rock band.

 

A King Crimson album that I have enjoyed recently is their latest live release 'Meltdown in Mexico', which draws on repertoire from their fifty year career. There is real variety on this one.

 

A less popular genre is Canterbury Music, as exemplified by bands like Soft Machine, Caravan, Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North. Try the eponymous debut album by Hatfield and the North or 'In The Land Of Grey And Pink' by Caravan as starting points.

 

Good luck

[JazzDoc]

On 2/24/2019 at 4:07 PM, wgscott said:

 

The example I chose is from the 1990s.  I absolutely despised them until I was pranked (by a girlfriend at the time, who didn't particularly like them either) who tricked me into going to a concert in 1985. It was only then that I "got it" (and without any intoxicant).  The recording quality on this is absolutely superb, and Branford Marsalis makes a guest appearance.  If you haven't listened to this one, I suggest doing so.  You won't be disappointed.   (I like their 1980s and 1990s stuff the best, unlike "real" deadheads.)

I had the show with Branford Marsalis long before its official release. Remember the days when one could download a soundboard of just about any show that you wanted. I know that Jerry Garcia was cool about high quality audio GD shows being freely shared online although it all stopped after his passing. One show that I love is the one that gained official release as 'One From The Vault'. It was originally broadcast in the USA and the UK. There was a two disc vinyl bootleg of this show entitled 'Make Believe Ballroom (The 1975 Spotcheck)'. Friend of mine owned a copy. Prior to its official release this boot was the grail for me. I also thought 1977 was a good year for shows