Index from Brazil was founded by guitarist Jones Júnior (ex-Quaterna Réquiem). The band blends Classic Symphonic Prog with some south american music influences and nice accoustic passages. Vintage keyboards bring a classic prog feel to the music. They have so far released three albums and one DVD.
I got in touch with Jones Junior for the story.
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I believe ProgArchives biography on Index is pretty accurate. You
were an ex member of Quaterna Réquiem and started Index because you
wanted to play more instrumental prog. Watching your DVD while I am
doing this interview, I understand why. But why did you choose that name
?
I'm co-founder of Quaterna Requiem. In fact
Quaterna is based in Rio de Janeiro - the city I was born. I've moved to
another city ( almost 1500 km far from Rio de Janeiro ) and so I
started Index with new musicians. In the very beginning we worked with my
compositions from the Quaterna's years - the Index' first album is based
on that. But since that age we were looking for another directions to
our music mainly far from barroq and classical music. Not so far...
since classical guitar was my first instrument of course it will be
present in my compositions forever. But since that time our interest was
the style we have today not so close classical music but using its
elements mixed to jazz and hard rock.
Regarding the band's name there is an
explanation in the booklet of the first album. Like Galileo and Kepler
all progressive bands are proscribed by the media.
To start with; please give me your (long or brief) thoughts and lowdowns on.......
Index from 1999
It was based on some compositions from the
Quaterna's years. The first Index album was recorded during the winter
of 1999 using analog multitrack recorder.
Liber Secundus from 2001
This album was composed with other friends -
it has 3 compositions with lyrics. Also Otaviano Kury ( keyboardist )
brought some interenting ideas and compositions to the band.
Unfortunetely Liber Secundus was not recorded in analog tape and it not
sound the way we would like.
Anyway it marks the band’s definitive and
current lineup, with Leonardo Reis on drums and Ronaldo Schenato on
bass. They joined the group in july, 2001, and after a few months
rehearsing, the album came out in the end of the year, with guitar
player Jones Junior singing all the vocals and previous drummer Otaviano
Kury performing the keyboards section. However, in posterior gigs at
Rio Art Rock Festival, in 2002, and at BajaProg, in 2003, the band had
already been decide to go back to its original proposal, presenting
instrumental versions of the new songs. By the way, the audience at
time, generally speaking, endorsed the idea, praising the concerts as
being very powerful and strong. It was an important part of maturing
process of the band as a whole, as well to the members themselves.
Today, songs like “Guernica in New York”, “Portões de Gaza” e
“Instantes” still have been played live, but with completely modified
arrangements to fit an instrumental way.
Identidade from 2004
That is the best Index album! in our opinion..
of course. Regarding musical and technical aspects we could experiment
everything we wanted and Identidade is that album we can say exactly
we've planned. No exceptions. The compositions were lapidated and we had
a lot of time to record using a Analog Multitrack Tape Recorder to get
sound like the seventies. Identidade was conceived with the purpose to
bring back some instrumental ideas that were compose in parallel to the
very first album songs. It represents a change in the band’s career,
which marks the returning to no singing music, and was record all by
ourselves to intend to combine the analogue & vintage sonority from
the seventies that we enjoy and appreciate so much.
and the DVD Index Ao Vivo from 2008
The DVD was our biggest project up to date and
has been done thanks to the financial support from the City Hall of
Caxias do Sul. It has a mix of musics from our 3 records and as our main
goal, it sounds like INDEX sounds live: a rock band.
How is your writing and creative processes ?
Our creative process comes from our experience and training. Normally
we have worked upon a central idea of any member, which may be a bass groove or a chord sequence, and developed the idea. Of
course, sometimes the music barely keeps resemblance to the original
idea but it is always a starting point. With so many years on the road
already know the shortcuts, from where we are and where we are going.
Most of the readers of this interview does not
know your music, I am afraid. How would you describe your music to
those here who are unfamiliar with Index ?
It´s kind of hard to us to discribe
ourselves, but it´s common sense that we keep sailing the progressive
rock boat and, as a prog band, we have the freedom to try all the ways
progressive rock give to us. To resume, we drink from classical music,
70´s classic rock, jazz, fusion, progressive rock and try to lead our
influences to create a unique sound that people would recognize as
INDEX.
How is the gigs situation today for you ?
We are not the kind of band the plays a lot, we
prefer quality than quantity. Our city provides for us two concerts na
year and besides that we recive some invitations to play out of
state/country but its not always possible to travel to make the concert.
How is the distribution of your albums ?
INDEX (1999) and Liber Secundus (2001) had sold
out, we are planing make some new copies in the future. Identidade
(2005) was released by the Rock Symphony label and it can be bought by
internet, some cd stores and direcly with us. The DVD was a Project that
sealed our partnership with Masque Records label that released and are
distributing the INDEX Aao Vivo DVD.
What is your latest update and your plans for this and next year ?
We’re just began working on new songs that we
expect it’ll be included on a new album, that we would like to release
in the next year. The band are studying the possibility to try with new
medias or music formats, like .mp3 or vynil 180 gram, as well as
planning to compose some music for vocal, in the same way that our
second album Liber Secundus, which mix instrumental pieces with vocal
fragments.
Also, we've already started the rehearsals for
COLOSSUS PROJECT’s "Decameron", a boxed set record which we suppose will
be launch in the market in 2011 too, by MUSEA. We’re glad to take part
in this project with many important bands of progressive rock scene in
the present time, like ____________. Certainly, it'll be a unique chance
to take our work overseas, and we’re very excited and thankful to (nome
do dono do projeto) and Masque Records.
Finally, some gigs and concerts at pubs,
theaters and venues in our region will be scheduled for 2011, presenting
the new material to the audience.
To wrap up this interview, is there anything you want to add to this interview ?
I would like to thank the opportunity even to speak of own work is not an easy task. I
thank those who support us around the world and tell them that the
reason the Index exists is because there are people like themselves.
Thank you to Jones Júnior for this interview
Their PA profile is here and their homepage here
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