The Prog Andaluz Aficionado Thread

AZAHAR - Azahar

 

- In the early Nineties I bought a few Sirius magazines (former Spanish progrock fanzine) in order to improve my poor school Spanish. I noticed an add in which the known Spanish proghead Angel Romero was offering his entire progrock LP collection. I got in touch with him (we shared a negative view on the awful tradition of bullfights!) and he explained that he was suffering from an increasing dust-allergy, how sad. I asked him for advise to buy Spanish progrock records from him. Nowadays AZAHAR’s second eponymous album is still one of my favorites, the debut-album was entitled “Elixer”. The difference between these two CD’s (released by Fonomusic) is that the second sound far more mature. The eight compositions (running time between 2 and 10 minutes) are more varied and elaborated. The guitarplay is sensitive featuring short but powerful soli and some exciting flamenco guitarwork. The Spanish vocals has a typical Spanish undertone, very warm and expressive. The keyboards sound lush and have a pleasant variety: strings, organ, synthesizers, clavinet and acoustic – and electric piano. The rhythm-section plays dynamic, Spanish people have a natural feeling for rhythm! This CD is a very fine example of the unique Spanish progrock: harmonic, melodic and tasteful compositions above self- indulgence.

 

CAI - Noche Abierta

 

 

- CAI was a harmonic Spanish quintet with Diego Fopiani Macias (drums/vocals), Jose A. Fernandez Mariscall (guitar), Francisco Delgado Gonzalez (guitar), Sebastian Dominguez Lozano (keyboards and piano) and Jose Velez Gomez (bass/vocals). They released three albums entitled "Mas Alla Mentes Diminutas" (’78), "Noche Abierta" (’80) and "Cancion De La Primavera" (’81). The second and third album are released as a 1-CD. The album "Noche abierta" (1980) is one of the gems of Spanish progressive rock. The seven tracks sound pleasant with warm Spanish vocals, tasteful keyboards (piano, strings, synthesizers and organ) and sensitive electric guitar. The integration of "the art of the flamenco" guitar gives this progrock an extra dimension. If you like melodic and tasteful seventies prog, embellished with some flamenco, this one is for you!

CAI — Cancion de la Primavera

 

Cai is a top notch Spanish progrock band that made three studio-albums, this is their final effort.

1. El viaje (4:38) : A very pleasant and melodic sound featuring wonderful Spanish vocals (warm and a bit melancholical undertone), tasteful keyboards (including a fluent synthesizer solo), twanging electric guitars and a strong rhythm-section.

2. Tu mirada (3:12) : This one delivers a mid-tempo with a jazzy synthesizer solo, handclapping and fiery electric guitar, supported by sparking piano play.

3. Mercadillo del piojito (4:32) : A track thats sounds like a very dynamic blend of jazzrock and symphonic with splendid interplay, beautiful string-ensemble and Fender Rhodes piano. The powerful and moving guitarwork reminds me of Carlos Santana (his jazzrock-era). GREAT!

4. Donde tu estas (3:52) : First classical piano and warm vocals, then a slow rhythm with the wonderful string-ensemble sound, blended with sparkling piano. The final part contains sensitive, often howling electric guitar and soft synthesizer flights.

5. Fiesta en el barrio (3:38) : "Fiesta" is Spanish for "party", no surprise that the climate in this song is cheerful (a 'latin feel') with a swinging rhythm and excellent interplay between the guitar and keyboards.

6. Caletera (2:44) : It starts with the distinctive Fender Rhodes piano sound, then a mid-tempo featuring sensitive eelctric guitar and again the wonderful string- ensemble sound!

7. Camino a seguir (4:24) : This one has a pleasant mid-tempo with a swinging bass, beautiful electric guitarplay and emotional vocals.

8. Cancion de la primavera (4:40) : The final track delivers a cheerful atmosphere with lush keyboards, expressive vocals and great interplay between the guitar and keyboards, supported by a dynamic rhythm-section.

- Don't expect very complex music or typical progrock with lots of soli and shifting moods. Just enjoy the wonderful melodic and harmonic music from just another wonderful Spanish progrock gem!

GUADALQUIVIR - Guadalquivir

 

 

1. Harlequin: First soaring keyboards from Tony Hymas and then exciting interplay between the quick flamenco guitar runs and a dynamic rhythm-section (Phillips/Gustafson), embellished by the typical flamenco handclapping.

2. Desire Caught By The Tail: This is a sensitive duet from the flamenco guitar and the synthesizer (Memorymoog). Halfway there is a sensational break featuring sweeping drums, spectacular synthesizer sounds and rattling castannettes followed by a mid-tempo with splendid runs on the guitar and a fine colouring by the keyboards.

3. Three Musicians: We can enjoy a swinging and catchy rhythm with a funky bass by John G. Perry, powerful drums from Ian Mosley and exciting rasgueado play (quick downward strokes from the nails on the guitar strings).

4. Sleeping Girl: This piece is in the vein of the famous romantic guitar piece “Romance d’amor” delivering a sensitive duet from a twanging acoustic guitar and mellow sparkling piano, WONDERFUL!

5. Self Portrait: The start is like “Spanish caravan” from The Doors: a bit sultry flamenco guitar, culminating in spectacular and propulsive interplay between the flamenco guitar, rhythm-section (Mosley/Perry) and keyboards, it sounds pleasantly bombastic.

6. The Aficionado: An exciting blend of typcial flamenco elements (based a ‘bulerias’, one of the more complex flamenco rhythms) and the technical sound of the progrock: handclapping and quick flamenco runs blended with a funky bass (Gustafson) and pitchbend-driven Moog flights from Hymas, VERY SPECTACULAR!

7. Girls Of Algiers: This one is based on a ‘zambra mora’, the most Arabian-influenced flamenco rhythms. First swelling keyboards, drums and bass, then great interplay between the flamenco guitar, keyboards and rhytm-section, its sounds very dynamic. The tension between the spectacular Moog flights from Hymas and the quick runs on the flamenco guitar delivers a captivating climate, in the end there is a magnificent duel, this is perhaps the finest moment on this album!

8. Weeping Woman: Here is the only solo guitar track from Juan Martin, it introduces you to the wonderful art of the flamenco guitar and sounds very varied with halfway a great build-up, very moving.

9. The Picador: The ‘malaguena’ is perhaps the most famous flamenco rhythm, you will recognize it for sure! It is a cheerful climate with catchy and powerful interplay from the flamenco guitar, rhythm-section and keyboards featuring sensational Moog runs. Halfway the music slows down and then goes faster and faster until an ebullient atmosphere, what a ‘grand finale’! This album is not just another smooth rumba-drenched blend of flamenco and rock but an excellent meeting of the flamenco guitar and the progressive rock, highly recommended!!

MEDINA AZAHARA - En Al-Hakim

 

— This my favorite studio-album from MEDINA AZAHARA, in my opinion their most mature, varied and symphonic effort. The opener “Al Hakim ... otro lugar” has that typical Morish climate, strong and expressive Spanish vocals and pleasant synthesizer flights (in the vein of Mark Kelly). The ballad “Otono” has become one of the ‘crowd-pleasers’: a slow rhythm featuring emotional vocals, tender pianoplay, bluesy guitar riffs and some fiery and howling electric guitar. Next is “Velocidad”, a simple but catchy up-tempo rock song delivering some fine synthesizer runs. On “La guitarra” guest musician Vicente Amigo (nowadays one of the leading flamenco guitarists!) enters the scene with a compelling acoustic guitar intro and then quick runs, accompanied by expressive vocals (this is the flamenco spirit) and later a fiery electric guitar and sensational synthesizer flights, what an exciting contrast with the acoustic flamenco guitar play! It’s bluestime in “El destino” but MEDINA AZAHARA adds an extra dimension by blending expressive flamenco guitar, moving mouth-organ, wailing Spanish vocals and harder-edged electric guitar, what an emotional experience, goose bumps! “Dejame vivir” (heavy electric guitar solo) and “Tal como es” (swinging piano solo) are two simple up-tempo rocksongs in the vein of “Velocidad”, tasteful but predictable. The final track “Desde Cordoba” features again the excellent Vicente Amigo on flamenco guitar, this time he delivers exciting duels with Paco Ventura’s hard-edged electric guitar, again goose bumps!

 

MEDINA AZAHARA - En Vivo (Live)

 

 

— This is the most popular Spanish rock band in the post-TRIANA era. In 1990 they released the double-LP “En Vivo”, on this live recording the band succeeded to capture the great live atmosphere and it contains all their best work. MEDIANA AZAHARA delivers on my 1- CD release version “En Vivo” (running time almost 75 minutes) a powerful blend of rock and ‘heavy progressive’. The keyboards from Pablo Rabadan have obvious hints from Mark Kelly (synthesizer flights), Manual Martinez his vocals sound inspired and emotional and the rhythm-section Randy Lopez on bass and Manuel Reyes on drums is strong and tight (sometimes too). But the focus is on Francisco Ventura’s varied and powerful guita rplay, he gives the tasteful arranged compositions a special flavour with his harder-edged but sensitive play, like Ritchie BLACKMORE meets Carlos SANTANA! Discover this top notch Spanish prog rock band: from the catchy “Velocidad”, the beautiful ballad “Otono”, the stage favourites “Amiga”, “Se” and “Hacia Ti” to the highlight “Paseando Por La Mezquita” (compelling Morish undertone and moving crowd participation, goose bumps!) and the up- tempo rock version from “El Lago”, a legendary track from TRIANA’s eponymous debut- album.

MEZQUITA - Recuerdos De Mi Tierra

 

— The album ”Recuerdos De Mi Tierra” from ’79 contains six inventive and compelling tracks with exciting interplay between electric guitar and synthesizer, strong and expressive Spanish vocals, the emotional flamenco guitar and some handclapping (palmas). This is certainly one of my favourite Spanish prog rock albums because the atmosphere has such a typical Morish and Andalusian undertone like early TRIANA.

 

MORON (Diego De) — Diego De Moron 

My second musical passion is flamenco, the ethnic music from Andalusia, the poor but beautiful, Morish influenced region in Southern Spain. So I embrace every attempt from a progrock band to blend prog with flamenco (like Triana, Cai and Mediana Azahara) or every flamenco artist who invites progrock musicians to make music (like Juan Martin with his excellent album “Picasso portraits” featuring Tony Hymas and Simon Phillips). On this album flamenco guitarist Diego De Moron is accompanied by members from the known Spanish progrock bands Triana and Granada, a very promising combination! Don’t expect music like Triana, Cai or Mediana Azahara, this music is less symphonic, the focus is on the art of the flamenco guitar. But if you are up to flamenco and progressive rock, Diego De Moron delivers wonderful and often very exciting music. The album contains eight tracks, four with contributions from members from Triana and four with members from Granada. Diego plays the typical flamenco rhythms like Bulerias, Alegrias, Tarantas and Tangos, embellished with typical flamenco guitar techniques like picados (quick runs), tremolo (a trembling sound) and rasgueado (quick downward strokes with the fingers nails). At some moments you hear soaring strings and synthesizers, a very compelling musical experience! The highlight is the most symphonic track entitled “Despertar” (almost 8 minutes) featuring two members from Granada on keyboards: a lush synthesizer intro, followed by warm flamenco guitarplay, handclapping (palmas) and a beautiful string sound with a fine rhythm- section (drums/bass). Another good composition is “Suenos rotos” featuring the “Media granaina” (where Robby Krieger from The Doors based his guitarplay on during “Spanish caravan”): the intro has lush synthesizers and the climate is very moving because of the intricate flamenco guitarplay. IF YOU LIKE FLAMENCO AND PROGROCK, THIS CD IS A MUST!!

TRIANA - El Patio

 

 

— TRIANA is the most legendary and pivotal progressive rock band in Spain. Their stunning debut-album “El Patio” (1975) was a seminal blend of flamenco and prog rock and paved the way to flamenco-inspired prog rock in Spain, culminating in bands like AZAHAR, CAI, ALAMEDA, QUALDAQUIVIR, MEZQUITA and MEDINA AZAHARA. The opener on “El Patio” is “Abre La Puerta” (almost 10 minutes), it starts with choir-Mellotron, piano and flamenco guitar (tremolo-technique). Then the typical sensitive and skill full flamenco guitar blends with piano and soft synthesizer chords. A fluent and tight rhythm-section carries the music to a powerful acceleration with the typical flamenco vocals, expressive and a bit wailing. The rest of this song contains lots of shifting moods that range from mellow with flamenco guitar and choir-Mellotron to propulsive with powerful drums and howling electric guitar, very moving. Most of the other six compositions are in the vein of “Abre La Puerta”: beautiful shifting climates with typical flamenco elements like palmas (handclapping), rasgueado (quick downward strikes across all strings) and picados (quick runs on the guitar with two fingers), along with tasteful keyboards (organ, synthesizers, Mellotron and piano) and fine electric guitar play. The final two tracks are splendid compositions: beautiful interplay between the flamenco – and electric guitar and a bombastic finale with rasgueado, organ and electric guitar in “En El Lago” and powerful drums and a howling and biting electric guitar in “Recuerdos De Una Noche”. If you are up to the typical flamenco mood or you want to discover this perfect marriage of folk and sympho, try this album. For me it’s one of the few CD’s that can compete with the Seventies prog rock from YES, ELP, KING CRIMSON and GENESIS!

TRIANA - Hijos Del Agobio