SPINETTA-JADE - BAJO BELGRANO - 1983

Spinetta Jade is one of the many projects Luis Alberto Spinetta made, this one is his fourth, after the more Prog Rock oriented Invisible, Spinetta moved into the jazziest side of Prog. This version of Spinetta Jade, has Spinetta on guitars and vocals, Leo Sujatovich on piano and keyboards, Hector Lorenzo on drums and Cesar Franov on bass, and a special guest, Oscar Fatorusso playing percussion on Vas a Iluminar la Casas, Ping Pong and Mapa de tu Amor. Spinetta Jade on this album brings a more sophisticated jazz fusion, being more in the funky side of it, but by no means leaving his sophisticated poetic lyrics behind:

The album has from up-lifting songs like Cancion del Bajo Belgrano, Cola de Mono and Mapa de tu Amor full of synths and very good bass work, to emotional songs as Resumen Porteño, Maribel Se Durmio and Vida Siempre with fantastic poetic lyrics and great voice expression by Spinetta. Then there's also sophisticated songs focused on the composition and musicianship like Ping Pong, a fantastic instrumental showcasing Spinetta's unique guitar tone, as well as some great moog work, with a very good rythm settled by the bass and drums, and finally a stunning bass solo, also there is Viaje y Epilogo, from a fantastic piano intro to the more moving second half with great bass work, and where showcases Spinetta's incredible range of voice.

The album, as I remarked on the review of the songs, has a very good mixture of moods. This giving it a very pleasant listen throughout the whole album. This is not a album where you can hear virtuosity or complexity, the contrary actually, it's very melodic and sentimental where you really feel the music running through your veins, full of energy, which in some cases you want to stand up and dance the hell out of it.

Fans of melodic and friendly jazz rock are to be highly rewarded with this, Bajo Belgrano reminds me at times of Allan Holdsworth's 80s releases. Also, if you're able to understand spanish and you're a lyric fan, make sure to check this out or any of the other works by L.A. Spinetta.

3.5 stars, rounded up due to the excellent lyrics, a pitty it's in spanish and not many prog fans will appreciate them, but still it's a very worthwhile listen just for the music.
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