AUM

Aum's Belorizonte is the most rare and underground masterpiece of the progressive brazilian rock scene. From Belo Horizonte, this instrumental brazilian band has a canterbury jazz rock feeling and really deserves your attention. Actually, the only copy of this LP that I found is too expansive and out of hand. The sound of these guys, a smooth prog jazz rock, clearly remind me of Caravan. This band is so obscure that is hard to find any kind of info about them.

Their only shot was released in 1983. The frist track is called Tema prá Malu. It starts with a calm pace, a beautiful atmospherical mood. I like the sax and guitar making the same riff together. The guitar and sax lines are very deep and full of soul. From the middle of the track, there is a high guitar solo with a light distortion, full of feeling. So the track changes to the amazing ending part, a little faster, but still smooth. The Second Track is called Serra Do Cural. It's a fusion of jazz and mpb, there's no drums, but creative guitar chords, bass solo, and a classical folk acoustic guitar solo. Belo Horizonte's intro (the third track) carries a light mood by the calm drums and guitar. The first minute features a canterbury-like keyboard solo, so a smooth guitar solo starts and gets heavier along with the drums after some minutes. A cool bass solo at 6:00", and the drums are sick! The song returns to the main structure at the last minute. The fourth track is called Nas Nuvens, and the first 40 seconds aren't brilliant at all, but right after this time, the song suddenly changes the vibe, with a great bass riff and outstanding drum playing. The keyboard passages are very pleasent for prog listeners. At the middle of the track the boring intro is played shortly, following a great sequel, so good that I don't mind these guys were doing it a few repeated times during the song. The fifth track is called 4:15 and is a beautiful jazz fusion including everything that you need from the band, great sax playing, guitar solos, keys, etc. Tice, the last track, is slow, atmospheric, and features some female vocalizations. The bass playing at the ending of the track is outstanding. An interesting finalization.

Hard to find, even in the internet, but it worth a check, absolutely! Well, I think you will never put your hands on a physical copy of it, but of course you can find it at the YT for stream, or maybe in any digital audio format. It's a forgotten gem, but it still shines.