OPUS I

This is a Brasilian trio in which the band members play keyboards, bass and acoustic guitar and drums, with guest musicians on violin and cello. Their debut CD has strong classical undertones, mainly due to the frequent work on the Grand piano.

1. Diapasoa (8.05) : What an impressive start: after sparkling work on harpsichord, accompanied by a fluent rhythm-section, a long piece on the Grand piano follows, I am blown away by Rodrigo Lana his skills on the keyboards, what a virtuosic! Then we hear orchestral keyboards and some flashy synthesizer lfights along a surprising break with swinging jazzy piano play (with hints from Keith Emerson).

2. Som Do Brasil (1.54) : A short song featuring wonderful work on piano and acoustic guitar including a beautiful duet that sounds very warm.

3. Sonata (6.08) : After an intro with orchestral keyboards, a piece with melancholical piano follows, then it's swinging time with the distinctive Hammond organ sound, obviously inspired by Keith Emerson. The rhythm-section plays outstanding. The final part is an impressive solo piece on piano.

4. Do Ceu Ao Inferno (7.51) : This composition features guest musicians on violin and cello, they match perfectly with the classical piano. After a solo piece, the music gradually turns into a bombastic sound with virtuosic piano.

5. Fuga (2.01) : This is chamber music delivering classical guitar (with a Spanish undertone) and the distinctive harpsichord, I love these instruments!

6. Noite A La Caipirinha (8.05) : A very swinging rhythm with sparkling piano and then a bombastic climate with orchestral keyboards and an adventurous rhythm-section.

7. Rock Espanhol (3.12) : A swirling solo piece on paino, very alternating, awesome!

8. Jazz (5.29) : Indeed, jazz rules in this song, we can enjoy very swinging, jazzy inspired piano work.

9. Piccolo Finale (0.57) : This final composition features a swinging and dynamic atmosphere with a funny end, a good contrast with the virtuosic climate on the whole album.

If you like keyboard-driven prog like ELP, Trace, Triumvirat or Ars Nova, this great debut CD by Brasilian band Diapasao will delight you!

Piano improvisations

Brazilian trio DIAPASÃO's first release is a confident if largely derivative opus. The music, which is entirely instrumental, centres around the significant keyboard talents of Rodrigo Lana. He may be in his early 20's, but he has a wealth of talent both in terms of composition and execution.

Lana, and indeed the trio as a whole, appears to take his influences from KEITH EMERSON and RICK WAKEMAN, plus traditional jazz and classical music. All of these combine in the opening 8 minute piece bearing the band's name to create a confident, assertive opener with much to whet the appetite.

The classical influences come to the fore on tracks such as "Do céu ao inferno" which features unnamed guest musicians providing violin and cello. The latter half is occupied by a very Emerson like ("Piano improvisations") piano performance.

Elsewhere, the brief "Fuga" is dominated by a tasteful harpsichord recital. The aptly named "Jazz" , sees the trio indulging in improvisation, the piece being little more than lounge music for an up-market hotel. The album is rounded off by the brief "Piccolo finale", a quick ragtime like piano romp.

The music of DIAPASÃO is the music of Rodrigo Lana. His favoured instrument is clearly piano, where he is not shy about displaying his virtuosity. The remaining members of the trio are clearly happy to play a supporting role throughout the album. There is no doubt that the band has great potential. It seems to me however that on this their first album they have been a little too indulgent. They will not enjoy any significant commercial success unless they are prepared to forego some of the freedom improvisation and virtuosity afford them in the interests of tightening up their product. I find this album to be full of talent and potential, but ultimately dull and unfocussed.

A young progressive band, modern without being stressed by modernism, still a bit more obscure or, sadly, hidden to a general public - doesn't this sound much too familiar, in a recent musical world of prog rock, in which some new bands make a delicious music and a classy style without catching the headlines, but others, just as new, make a spill of a music and even reach impressiveness by that? Diapasão, from Brazil, cover their ears to these bad thoughts, nonetheless, they should deserve much more attention in today's prog circles.

Their satisfaction resumes to a crystalline, adventurous and sometimes lightened style of prog rock, having a quality that, remarkably, allows only one dubious question: is Opus 1 a good debut or a definitory album? Despite having in mind that such a fresh style will need to be heavily preserved, through an equally clean tradition and charming aesthetic, I would generally pick the second reflection.

Diapasão has its star in Rodrigo Lana, but the music, without clings or condiments, expresses a trio's performance of good behaviors and gentle expressions, against the more and more rustling attitudes of music - being, therefore, the rhythm and the work of all three musicians. I'd dare say that a classic prog band, coming with an album so simple and serene as this one is, would have fallen in some kind of disgrace - instead, the whole album by Diapasão can serve in a way not decadent, but affective, its new period of prog. Obviously, the band covers some classic influences, out of which the style's initials belong to symphonic beauty. On second place comes the descriptive art of rock melody.

Rodrigo Lana makes out of the piano a beautiful and sentimental instrument. Credits mention "piano and keyboards"; I for one tend to think that the whole set of keyboards could adapt even the purest (and most divine, subjectively added) pianistic sound, still I'm glad to hear a pianoforte style that's overly consistent. I like the moments when the similarities with Rick Wakeman's own fantasy play build up really intense, because Lana plays with much passion and harmony the kind of piano music Wakeman often found it as new-age glitter. On the other hand, I'm not enthusiastic by any association made with Keith Emerson, since that great prog pianist rarely resisted the temptations of kitsch and catchy play; R. Lana resists, even tries a spotted recipe: accuracy with artistic simplicity. The album, though "pianistic rock", will finally catch powerful aromas, because G. Amaral and F. Moreira perform compactly and heartedly, Opus 1 gaining, by that, original vibrations.

The album sugars impressions of rock with classical, jazzy, romantic and a bit of hot-headed new-wave improvisations. Most of the titles are enormously sugestive, but the band doesn't fall asleep thanks to that thing either: they play with a burn, plus with a smart form in mind, and with a minimalistic fulfilled style and fruitful serenity. Till the end, the subtlety doesn't get exhausted - though it is exactly the final that is more uninteresting, the band also playing jazzy symph instead of Rock Espanyol!, blues instead of Jazz!, or falling on their heads upon the mini-outro, much too playful. The big pieces are also the best played ones, having contrasts of a complex or capricious manner. Don't wish to end this with a stinging note, but I will remark that some moments aren't perfect, and the great mishap of Diapasão is that they use expressions instead of melodies.

A beautiful and inspiring album; eagerly awaiting future evolutions by Diapasão. It's true, the more artistic or experimental new or fresh prog rock will always incite more and better, but right after that, Opus 1 and its style is of a highly promising value.

After having reviewed two of the three EP's of this excellent Brazilian band, it's turn to review the full Prog album called "OPUS I", the record that caught my attention because of the excellent blend of Neo Classical, Symphonic Prog and a bit of Folk and Jazz, in my opinion one of the best recordings I heard in the past years.

The album starts with "Diapasao" (Tuning Fork) and it's frantic introduction with synth, harpsichord and drums, pure Symphonic Prog, well elaborated and demonstrating from the start the band members are virtuoso musicians, but without even noticing, the music changes into a melodic Neo Classical passage and then morphs into a restless jazzy tune with a fantastic piano display by Rodrigo Lana and superb drumming by Fabiano Moreira. Pure Progressive Rock.

"Som do Brasil" (Tune from Brazil) begins with an extremely beautiful piano melody and soft but elaborate percussion, while in the background Gustavo Amaral gives the Brazilian folk sound with the acoustic (probably 7 chords) guitar, a bit short but amazing.

"Sonata" as it's name indicates is practically a Classical piece where again Rodrigo Lana gives a flawless performance, changing from soft and melodic to strong and vibrant, but as the track advances the band progressively moves towards a jazzier atmosphere with a strong rhythm section to support them.

"Do Ceu ao Inferno" (From Heaven to Hell) begins with a heavenly melodic section where the violin has the lead, but constantly supported by the piano performance and amazingly adequate percussion. But as I suspected the song changes radically towards a Symphonic - Fusion aggressive passage that probably represents hell, again DIAPASAO hits the nail in the head.

"Fuga" (Fugue) begins with a typical Brazilian tune played with acoustic guitar which soon allows the harpsichord to take the lead, an excellent Baroque atmosphere created by a band that keeps surprising with their versatility.

"Noite a la Caiprinha" (Night to the Caipirinha) is hard to describe, jazzy and Symphonic simultaneously with Rodrigo Lana demonstrating his virtuosity in the piano, but as usual they have some dramatic changes to strong and pompous, back to melodic and at the end a martial closing.

"Rock Espanhol" (Spanish Rock) begins with a piano solo while the drums create a march atmosphere, but when the percussion stops again another wonderful melodies and almost hypnotic performance captures the listener.

At last Gustavo Amaral has the chance to open a track with a bass performance supported by percussion and later piano, even in the name of the song wasn't "Jazz", would be obvious we are in Fusion territory. But still the closure is missing and it comes with "Piccolo Finale" (Tiny Finale) which consists of 59 seconds of the band playing a frenetic 12 bar tune.

After my review, it is obvious how impressed I am with "Opus I", but I believe they earned this respect, because the album is flawless, absolutely versatile and with virtuoso performances, so I have no other alternative than rate it with 5 solid stars.

The idea behind the Brazilian act Diapasao (from Belo Horizonte) belongs to keyboardist Rodrigo Lana, who wanted to build a project where the members could come up with an instrumental music filled with both technique and feelings.He recruited bassist/guitarist Gustavo Amaral and drummer Fabiano Moreira, who completed the first Diapasao line-up.The trio recorded the debut ''Opus I'' in 2005 at Elierim Studios in Belo Horizonte and the Brazilian label Masque Records released the CD the following year.

The musicianship is pretty much centered around Lana's work on keyboards and piano and the style is almost swirling around a Classical Music basis.However the tracks show much diversity, ranging from Classic Prog to Chamber Music and from Classical/Folk to Jazz.Therefore the listener is hard to keep up with the listening throughout the album due to the variety of atmospheres, but this does not lower the high quality of the music a bit.A pair of tracks have a strong keyboard-based Symphonic Rock attitude in the vein of RICK WAKEMAN with strong piano/organ/harsichord fanfares and a very grandiose atmosphere, supported by a very dynamic rhythm section.Some pieces evoke more to pure Classical Music, structured around Lana's massive work on piano and surrounded by violins and/or a light rhythm section.The shorter tracks have more of a folky vibe with acoustic guitars on the forefront and some sort of Brazilian color around.Among the pieces the listener can find a few jazzy bits, but the entirely jazzy composition ''Jazz'' seems totally misplaced and simply out of the general mood.The result is an album halfway between Classical/Folk and Progressive Rock with a very professional approach.

I find ''Opus I'' not to be totally conveincing to the ears of the average prog fan but is definitely an album with a high level of execution and composing, that is sure to satisfy lovers of Classical Music and Symphonic Rock.Recommended overall.