JUMPING FROM SPRINGBOARDS

This is a rather unexpected surprise from Brazil, getting my attention in light of the distant (aka non- instrumental) presence of Tempus Fugit's Andre Mello, a heavenly mixture of dreamy and breezy progressive WITH a strong Brazilian feel , with doses of Canterbury, jazz-rock and symphonic .The expressed comparisons to Bacamarte are quite correct, as there are lots of similarities . "Urban Hermit" is an 11 minute 4-part atmospheric introduction to their sensorial world, a lush Amazon of sounds and effects, assorted acoustic and electric guitars as well as MIDI effected bass clarinet and bandoneon from Aloísio Campelo , substantial doses of flute from both Patricia Deschamps (who croons nicely as well) and guest Zé Mendes. A successful piece of prog music. "Inca's Revenge" is a muscular beauty that showcases some fine Steve Howe meets Carlos Santana guitar stylings, windswept Hatfield & the Northettes vocalizings from Patricia and the monstrous bass of Paulo Torres, who combines Chris Squire brute force with some fretless magic a la Percy Jones. Drummer Sergio Conforti embellishes the tradition of percussion madness peculiar to this nation. The title track has a more synth oriented arrangement, all done on MIDI guitars, with some more soaring vocals and a long adventurous sonic voyage with plenty of exalted flair and gentle passion. "Mantiquera" booms along like a speedy piranha, a tidy little jazzy promenade that effectively keeps the flow glowing. "Puzzles" is a bluesier workout, with some superlative scat singing and a blistering guitar solo from Patricia while the others keep the riverboat on track. The very brief "Manic Waltz" searches out the edgier extremes of progdom, tossing in some dissonance into the psychedelic pot, justifying the title. Bleeding directly into the lyrically interesting "Traffic Jams", the guitar takes on some severe pirouettes, dizzying and squealing when necessary, evoking the choking enigma of the urban nightmare. "Ritual" concludes this rather flourishing exercise, definitely worthy of some future release, with all the ingredients to charm and seduce the prog adventurer. The sole caveat, a first rate male vocalist would greatly enhance this crew's ability to impress. Artwork is first rate. 3.5 anacondas