VIRGO

While he was still a member of Entrance, Chilean keyboardist Jaime Rosas recorded his debut solo album as a medium for the release of his own symphonic prog musical ideology, the same that could only be partially delivered in Entrance, which usually follows a near-prog metal trend. Rosas is very much inspired by the legacies of Wakeman, Jobson and Emerson, embracing the former's pompous classicism, the second's penchant for eerie textures and the latter's incendiary bombast in equal proportions; perhaps you may also note some Vangelis connection, since a few ethereal passages remind of the Greek genius' soundtracks for films and documentaries. The Emerson factor makes Rosas' performing style sound more robust than many contemporaries, such as the keyboardsmen of Blezqi Zatsaz, Glass Hammer or Cast, to put a few examples. Now that he is no longer an Entrance member and has embarked on a groups project led by himself (first as a trio, currently as a quartet), we can see "Virgo" as a sort of musical trial that he needed to go through in order to put himself in perspective as a musician and composer. Since this is strictly a solo output, the main focus is almost exclusively centered on the keyboards: all melodies, harmonies, textures and orchestrations are played on keys, while the rhythm patterns are computerized via the use of sequencers. Anyway, don't worry about technology for this one; the usual rhythmic complexity is there, albeit electronically programmed. 'Plegaria' kicks off the album as a tribute to early Baroque sacrum music, displaying the high level of solemnity that you can come to expect from something like this. This splendorous piece serves as an anticipation of the electrifying pomp and circumstance that will take place in the four-part 'Sinfonía'. This number is the nucleus of the album, showcasing Rosas' abilities as a composer and as a performer: shades of Baroque, Romanticism, Impressionism and Mannerism, all of them exorcised in an inventive prog rock context. The first part - 'Uno' - is the longest, and also, the most impressive, since it comprises lots of varied of moods and tempos, all of them integrated in a solidly rich amalgam. 'Dos' stands on the contemplative side of things, bringing a compromise between slow symphonic and new age. 'Tres' recaptures some of the previous pomposity, while 'Cuatro' completes the general idea by reprising some of the motifs contained in 'Uno' and introducing a series of Baroque-meets-blues rock themes linked towards the ultimate climax. 'Lluvia' is a beautiful piano-based ballad, in which guest singer Jaime Scalpelli (from Entrance) gently describes the futility of rain as a metaphor for the futility of life. The orchestrations are extremely refined, providing a tasteful complementation of controlled bombast: in a way, they help to enhance the moving nature of the track's melodic development. Finally, the five 'Breves Piezas Rockeras' (Spanish for 'Brief Rockers') complete the spectrum by providing some room to the prototypical power trio sound. This input is really heavy rocking [including the slower 'Breve Pieza Rockera Cuatro'], although the synthetic nature of the rhythm section feels quite obvious; anyway, these pieces can be received as a hint of what the future of art had in store for Rosas once he would decide to leave the ranks of Entrance in order to pursue his own musical road without any kind of compromise. "Virgo" is, to put it simply, one of the best keyboard-centered prog albums for the new millennium - it's a fact that South American countries provide some of the most amazing prog around nowadays.

JAIME ROSAS is a respectful figure in Chilean prog scene and a long time member of the progressive rock/metal band ''Entrance''.He has also studied psychology to earn his living,but his classical education and love for music led him to follow a career as a musician.''Entrance'' are a very good band and they even played at Baja Prog Festival in 2003,but due to personal differences the band was put on ice for sometime after 2004.These problems led Jaime to compose his first personal work in 2003,named ''Virgo'' and released on Virus Music.

Jaime plays a wide variety of keyboards,starting from his beloved Roland synthesizer and presenting echoes from classical piano,moog synth,Hammond and church organ throughout the listening.You don't need to be a prog specialist to discover that RICK WAKEMAN and KEITH EMERSON are Jaimes' biggest influences.The album starts with a moving 5-min. prelude of Classical orientation filled with Rosas' organ and synth sounds.It is followed by the excellent ''Sinfonia'',a 32-min. suite split in 4 movements with an obvious vintage feeling despite the modern technology used...a grandiose composition balancing between trully bombastic EMERSON-like keyboard parts with complex and dynamic playing and some smoother passages with mainly delicate piano and lots of emotional melodies and sensational harmonies.This is an absolute heaven for all keyboard-freaks out there!The follower ''Lluvia'' is the only track,which features some vocals,handled by Jaime Scalpello,another member of ''Entrance''.This is a keyboard/piano-centered offering with a very emotional vocal performance,a mellow atmosphere and a Classical aura.''Virgo'' closes nicely with another mini-suite,the 12-min. ''Breves piezas rockeras'' (also split in 5 parts),which a very strong track,fully synth-oriented with losts of bombastic keyboard orgasms,unusual solos,good breaks but some decent melodies as well.The end of the album will leave every keyboard-lover wanting for more,as this is really a very balanced work,where melody, complexity, calmness and heaviness are met in equal doses, and not a common example of pure egoism.A must have for fans of RICK WAKEMAN,E.L.P.,CAIRO,TEMPUS FUGIT,BLEZQI ZATSAZ and the likes.

A strong and promising debut!

Is what Jaime Rosas offers with his first solo album released in 2003 and entitled "Virgo", an album in which we can appreciate the evident talent that this trained musician from Chile has. It comprises eleven compositions, though four of them belong to a block named "Sinfonía", and five to this kind of collection called "Breves Piezas Rockeras". The album as a whole lasts 58 minutes, it was fully composed and arranged by Jaime Rosas, so please put attention to him.

It opens with "Plegaria", a six-minute track which has a slow-tempo base, in which keyboards manage to create everything, I mean, atmosphere, nuances, textures, etc. It is a nice introductory track, though the best is coming later in the album. However, as I said, this is only an introduction which shows us part of his talent anyways.

From track 2 to 5 we will find the symphonies, simply entitled "Sinfonía 1, 2, 3, and 4". The first one is the longest with 13 minutes length, and here the keyboard feast begins. Jaime Rosas brings a wonderful mixture of emotions and passages, changes throughout the whole song that in spite of its differences, work perfectly together. The symphonic prog sound is inhenert in Rosas' music, and what better example than naming a bunch of tracks as "Sinfonías", so go figure, it also talks about his classical music skills and trains. By the way, worth mentioning is that the music here (with the exception of one track) is completely instrumental.

"2" starts in a much softer way, and continues with that tranquility for the whole track; the music re is really calm, gentle and charming so one can feel relaxed and with peace here. I suggest using good headphones if you want to truly appreciate the variety of elements added here, because there is a vast amount. Though keyboards is what always predominate, it is nice to listen to the bass lines and drums (all created by the same Rosas) that complement the music. "3" is the shortest of these symphonies, but it is vertiginous since the first seconds. Later it is progressing little by little, with fore and back keyboards while bass and drums appear once again. Finally the fourth ("4") finishes with this batch of tracks. It creates a dark and tense atmosphere that prevails during the seven minutes, though in the last two with the entrance of drums the mood and rhythm changes a little bit.

"Lluvia" is the only song with lyrics, sung by Jaime Scalpello. After some 40 seconds of introductory piano and keyboards, the voice appears and complements the music, creating together a warm, soft and delicate sound. The song flows and continues like this until its very end. It was nice to have a non-instrumental track on the album.

The last five pieces belong to this group named "Breves Piezas Rockeras" something like "brief rock pieces", and they all have the same name, only with the respective number. And these are actually short tracks, the five together make only 12 minutes of music, however, one can have a vertiginous yet involving trip while listening to them. Fast and bombastic keyboards in moments; some softer passages; symphonic progressive rock with some heavier touches, is what we will find in this five-piece collection.

And with it "Virgo" finished, making a great debut of this Chilean prodigy. My final track will be four well-earned stars.

Enjoy it!