EN VIVO HOY

FIRST REVIEW OF THIS ALBUM

To me this interesting formation from Argentina sounds like a kind of answer to famous Chilean prog folk band Los Jaivas, blending folk with progressive ideas. Their story started early 1970 when Arco Iris made impression on a music festival in Buenos Aires, especially with the legendary composition Blues De Dana. Things started to roll and the band delivered a serie of wonderful and acclaimed albums. Arco Iris disbanded in 1975 when a part of the group went to California for a musical adventure (between 1977 and 2003). In 1997 this 'USA Arco Iris line-up' was awarded for their fine contribution to the culture in California during twenty years.

This review is about their live album En Vivo Hoy from 2000, it contains tracks from their album Peace Pipes (1987) and Peace Will Save The Rainbow (1998), and the abovementioned Blues De Dana as an 'encore'. Arco Iris delivers a New Age-like blend of prog and folk, it sounds wonderful and very pleasant with a wide range of (mainly acoustic) instruments: lots of percussion (conga, bongo and djembe), flute, saxophone, acoustic guitar and many flutes, including the panflute. In comparison with the studio-albums Arco Iris sounds more powerful, dynamic and also progressive on stage, due the extended live versions featuring more shifting moods and soli.

This is wonderful melodic and harmonic, often mellow New Agen inspired prog folk.

My rating: 3,5 star.