Jade Warrior | Artist

Jade Warrior is a British Prog band formed 1970 in Somerset, England, by founding members Tony Duhig (guitar, percussion, keyboards), Jon Field (flute, percussion, keyboards) and Glyn Havard (vocals, bass). Both Duhig and Field had previously been in the psych-pop band July, while Havard had come from short-lived heavy psych'ers Icarus. Jade Warrior was unique in the context of early 70's prog bands for their use of oriental musical influences and complex production to give an Ambient edge to their Prog rock sound. This was partly inspired by the trio's three month visit to Persia (later to become Iran) where they worked in various nightclubs. In 1970 Jade Warrior signed a deal with Vertigo and their debut album, Jade Warrior in 1971. This established their trademark sound of soft/loud contrasts, with Field's multi-layered flutes and percussion vying with Duhig's cutting guitar. This was followed in the same year by Released, with appearances from Allan Price on drums, and guest saxophonist Dave Conners. Here Jade Warrior sharpened their rock edge and the album is arguably the band's best work, along with their fourth album, Floating World from 1974. Other outstanding albums include Last Autumn's Dream (1972), Way of the Sun (1978) and their most recent album release Now (2008). The band's foray into what would later be labelled world and ambient music came parallel to that of Brian Eno who acknowledged the importance of the band for their album Floating World. Glyn Havard and Tony Duhig also formed the off-shoot duo Dogstar Poets who released the excellent Off Planet album in 2002.

Artist Website: jadewarrior.com

Featured Albums: Jade Warrior

Related Artists: July

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