Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

ALMA DE DIAMANTE

Spinetta Jade

Jazz Rock/Fusion


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Spinetta Jade Alma De Diamante album cover
4.26 | 114 ratings | 8 reviews | 46% 5 stars

Essential: a masterpiece of
progressive rock music

Write a review

Buy SPINETTA JADE Music
from Progarchives.com partners
Studio Album, released in 1980

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Amenabar (5:29)
2. Alma De Diamante (4:20)
3. Con La Sombra De Tu Aliado (El Aliado) (4:27)
4. Dale Gracias (5:20)
5. La Diosa Salvaje (6:20)
6. Digital Ayatollah (5:01)
7. Sombras En Los Álamos (8:07)

Total time 39:04

Line-up / Musicians

- Luis Alberto Spinetta / guitars, vocals, artistical direction & production
- Juan del Barrio / OBX-8, Mini-Moog & ARP Odyssey synths
- Diego Rapoport / Rhodes & Yamaha pianos, OBX-8 synth (7)
- Beto Satragni / bass
- Héctor "Pomo" Lorenzo / drums, percussion

Releases information

Artwork: Hidalgo Constante Boragno (photo)

LP Ratón Finta ‎- VS 61080 (1980, Argentina)
LP Sony Music ‎- 5309061 (2016, Argentina)

CD Ratón Finta ‎- 74321 33115-2 (1995, Argentina)
CD Sony Music Entertainment (Argentina) ‎- 8898 530906-2 (2016, Argentina)

Thanks to Geck0 for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
Edit this entry

Buy SPINETTA JADE Alma De Diamante Music



SPINETTA JADE Alma De Diamante ratings distribution


4.26
(114 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(46%)
46%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(33%)
33%
Good, but non-essential (15%)
15%
Collectors/fans only (5%)
5%
Poor. Only for completionists (1%)
1%

SPINETTA JADE Alma De Diamante reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by The Quiet One
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Fusion proveniente del Alma (Fusion from the Soul)

After the disbandment of Invisible, lead singer and songwriter, L.A. Spinetta released a solo album in 1978 entitled A 18' Del Sol, one of his most acclaimed solo efforts evoking the future jazz fusion spirit of his later 80s band, Spinetta Jade.

In 1980 the debut of Spinetta's jazziest group was finally released, called Alma de Diamante ("Diamond's Soul"), and damn, what a debut! Of course, it's not a real debut in the sense that it is the first time they compose and play in studio, Spinettta & Co. were already professionals by that time, so expect a very polished debut without the usual flaws of typical debuts.

First, let's state what type of fusion this band delivered. It's a smooth and very melodic fusion, with floating and chilling keyboards, an entertaining and diverse (but not technical-kind) rhythm section, good emotional soloing from the guitar and synths (not dated!) and finally, soulful vocals that is the band's most unique feature. Comparisons? Well, it reminds me a bit of Holdsworth's 80s solo stuff, the melody department specifically. So no, it's not really a clone or a derivative fusion band that resembles either Return to Forever or Mahavishnu Orchestra or Weather Report.

But what's so good of this fusion? Ah, the whole mixture of the previously stated elements. There are instrumentals, 'Amenaber' and 'Digital Ayatollah', which show the band in a more technical way, still very melodic. And then, there's the rest of tracks that have the lovely vocals of Luis Alberto, but they're not simple tunes either, still a lot going on from the band, powerful melodies, excellent solos, great instrumental parts, all in all making very pleasant and entertaining melodic fusion.

In last place, I'll say why this is in my opinion the band's greatest album. Mainly because this is purely consistent in great material and there's simply no filler or unmemorable parts. But mind you, the remaining three albums of the band are all quite different and worth of listening (with the exception of the last album), Los Niños Que Escriben En El Cielo "plays" a lot with varied time signatures and Bajo Belgrano is a very soulful record with greater pop sensibilities that don't harm.

5 stars: masterpiece of Spinetta Jade and of Argentinian music. Unique album in this country that I highly recommend if you want to hear what Argentina can offer musically alongside stuff by Invisible and Seru Giran. If you're a fan of the lighter, more melodic fusion, this is a must, however if you are more into the avant-side of fusion like the Mwandishi albums by Hancock and the like, well this album might not be such a necessary record for you to get.

Review by crimson87
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars The first record made by Spinetta Jade is one of the highlights of South American Jazz ? Fusion scene. To make a summary description of this album , it's a very accessible jazz rock record including passionate vocals by Spinetta. All members of the band are masters of their respective instrument , but they don't overplay or have many solo spots making the record very friendly for newcomers to the jazz ? fusion genre.

The record is the most consistent of the Spinetta Jade releases including seven really strong tracks. Among those tracks you will find two instrumental tracks (Amenabar and Digital Ayatollah) and the other 5 tracks include stellar performances by all the band members and the most important factor of this album are the lovely vocals by the band leader Luis Alberto Spinetta.

Instrumentally , this record has predominant bass and keyboard sounds but is far from being a keyboard driven album , the guitar is classy played by Spinetta on the whole record and the record it's very balanced. I strongly recommend this album to those who want to get either into jazz fusion since it's much more accessible than the records from the "Big Three" of the genre meaning Weather Report , Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever.

This record is one of those hidden gems that can be found among the site and hope that this review will help you in raising your interest in South American prog and Jazz Fusion in general

IMPORTANT: If you want to check an even stronger jazz fusion album by Spinetta get A 18' del Sol. At the time this record is not included on the site.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Spinetta Jade provided a haven for the classic jazz-rock sounds of the 1970s on this 1980 release. Whilst other fusion artists - including pioneers of the genre - struggled to adapt to 1980s production aesthetics and then-modern synthesisers, here Luis Spinetta and his comrades (particularly synthesiser and keyboard wizards Juan del Barrio and Diego Rapoport) do a brilliant job of producing an album which sounds fresh and clear and new and packed with novel synthesiser and keyboard textures on the one hand whilst still providing a fusion sound which will appeal to a broad range of fans of the genre, whether your cup of tea is the breezy textures of Weather Report, the volcanic tempestuousness of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, or the whimsy and unpredictability of Frank Zappa or the Canterbury scene.
Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars I'm such a huge fan of the band band INVISIBLE that it was a no-brainer trying to track this one down, which wasn't easy by the way. The connection between these two bands from Argentina is singer, guitarist and composer Luis Alberto Spinetta. When the band INVISIBLE packed it in SPINETTA JADE ended up being Alberto's new project at the time. By the way I also have a solo album by Alberto called "A 18' Del Sol" which is really good. This is a Jazz/ Fusion album all the way with vocals on some tracks which are very well done. The drumming is impressive and I'd also mention the sound quality as being exceptional.

"Amenabar" is very jazzy to start with drums, bass and piano standing out. Mini-Moog comes to the fore just before a minute in this somewhat funky opening track. Synths replace the Moog but they will continue to take turns. Great sound after 3 minutes as the guitar jumps in. An excellent start. "Alma De Dia Mante" has this orchestral intro before piano and drums take over, then vocals for the first time on the album. Some emotion to these Spanish vocals in this ballad-like track. "Con Ia Sombra De Tu Aliado(El Aliado)" is another vocal track and the bass and drums are so impressive here. Nice bass solo before 2 1/2 minutes. A piano/ bass/ drum section follows. So good. A top three tune for me. "Dale Gracias" is where they slow it down some with piano and drums leading the way to start as reserved vocals take over with piano. A beat returns and it does get fuller at times but overall this is ballad-like.

"La Diosa Salvaje" is also a relaxed tune with synths and drums to start then vocals after a minute. Intricate guitar as well. Some beautiful piano melodies before 5 minutes. "Digital Ayatollah" is also a top three. Man the sounds are so punchy and precise as these intricate sounds come and go. So impressed. It seems to get fuller later on which blows me away as I try to listen to all those sounds. "Sombres En Los Alamos" is the closer and longest track at just over 8 minutes. This is another laid back tune and we get vocals as well. There's some emotion here as well as some outstanding playing. A change 4 minutes in as it turns more intense and there's more imagination as well. It settles back again as the vocals return. A top three track!

This is such a melodic and lush album, a very solid 4 star album that comes close to a couple of my favourite INVISIBLE albums but not quite.

Latest members reviews

5 stars Certainly, there is a recurrent morning feel, not just in the lyrics, but also in the sound of Spinetta, and that trait is particularly prominent in Alma De Diamante, the debut album with his fabulous fourth band, Jade. The melodic material is truly complex, but it's also played as the whistling ... (read more)

Report this review (#2948934) | Posted by Heart of the Matter | Friday, September 1, 2023 | Review Permanlink

4 stars One of the most complex and precious albums in Argentine music, one of the definitive diamonds! After two aggressive bands like Pescado Rabioso and Invisible, Spinetta got a little tired of his characteristic progressive sound and went in search of something jazzier, more intelligently delicate ... (read more)

Report this review (#2600093) | Posted by Argentinfonico | Thursday, October 7, 2021 | Review Permanlink

3 stars Kids, only few artists can reach the legendary status of Spinetta. Think for a second of Mark Hammill, then translate him into Spanish and give him rock-star/legend status. Well, somewhere over there you might find Spinetta, who once was one of the most prolific musicians in the Argentine scene. ... (read more)

Report this review (#1511364) | Posted by Emiliano | Thursday, January 14, 2016 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Diamond soul After "Invisible", L.A.Spinetta created Spinetta Jade. The Spinetta Jade's first album was a good begining. The musical influences in this work are mainly Jazz and afro-latin rhythms and some things of classic symphonic rock. (1) "Amenabar": an strange composition. In some parts, t ... (read more)

Report this review (#117727) | Posted by Marcos | Monday, April 9, 2007 | Review Permanlink

Post a review of SPINETTA JADE "Alma De Diamante"

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.