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This genre, named by the town in Kent, England where the musicians in the mid-60s group The Wilde Flowers
hailed from (a band which was progenitor to both the Soft Machine and Caravan), drew on varying elements
of classical architecture, the influences of American jazz, whimsical and humorous lyrical imagery,
and the prevailing psychedelic atmosphere of the times to create a variant and exciting school of complex rock.
Although the Soft Machine and Caravan were the only groups to originate from Canterbury itself, the familial
nature of the ever-changing line-ups of these groups created a school by affiliation, especially after the
Soft Machine relocated to London. The styles of the artists adopted under the Canterbury genre varied from the
psychedelic whimsy of Caravan, the increasingly jazz-rock Soft Machine, and the sly song structures of
Kevin Ayers onto some of the most intricate rock ever created in Hatfield and The North and National Health.
Canterbury music also overlapped with British jazz-rock (see below), space rock pioneers Gong, classical rock
in Egg, RIO forefathers Henry Cow and melodic progressive group Camel. Canterbury music was so popular in
mainland Europe in its heyday, it spawned numerous stylistically influenced ensembles such as
Supersister (Netherlands), Moving Gelatine Plates (France), Tortilla Flat (Germany), Axis (Greece), and
Brainstorm (Germany). It has also continued to influence a generation of modern groups such as
Rascal Reporters (USA), French TV (USA), Volare (USA), Machine & The Synergistic Nuts (Japan), and Bablicon (USA).
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