You will probably have never heard of the Spanish band Amoeba Split. Neither did I. This is only logical, because this five piece band comes from Spain and started in 2001 and recorded only this one, Dance Of The Goodbyes in 2010. Their first album was sold out very quickly and they had no record company, so for a long time they were a hidden diamond in our prog world. Thanks to Musea Records and Azafran Media this reissue of their debut is available again. The six members of Amoeba Split are Ricardo Castro Varela (keyboards), Alberto Villarroya López (bass, Mini Moog), Fernando Lamas (drums), Eduardi Baamonde (saxophones), Pablo Añón (saxophones) and Ruben Salvardor (trumpets) and not to be forgotten Maria Toro (vocals and flute). Their type of progressive rock can be compared to the British Canterbury scene and modern progressive jazz. A good example is the instrumental Turbulent Mix. More than 10 minutes of jazz oriented and experimental music. Folk and rock can be heard in the second song Perfumed Garden. Maria Toro has a very nice and good delicate voice which fits well with expressive sounds of the band. More jazz and up tempo adventurous music is easy to discover in the two Qwerty' s. The major piece of this album is Flight To Nowhere. More than 23 minutes of varied kinds of jazz-rock. Both sax players Eduardi and Pablo have sufficient opportunity to demonstrate their virtuosity. But also the influence of the bass-player and the drummer is not to be underestimated in this epic. All four parts have their own highlights and show the capabilities of all the members of the band. There is never a dull moment and your ears are certainly tired after this Magnus Opus of jazz rock. If you want to be surprised and have the patience to listen to more than an hour of modern Canterbury jazz, this Dance Of The Goodbye will certainly not disappoint you. ***+ Cor Smeets (edited by Astrid de Ronde) Where to buy? |
