HORIZONTE

The jazz-fusion and folk-rock scenes were very prolific in Argentina in the 70s, taking advantage of the remergence and vindication of folk music in an important part of pop culture. Arco Iris was the undisputed, unmatched zenith in this particular musical area; Horizonte, with only two albums in their CV, was the only band that could come really close to the aforesaid one. Horizonte's debut release is a delicious showcase ofr South American rock-fusion with heavy Andean accents, exemplarizing the archetype of a midway between Los Jaivas and Arco Iris that undeniably fits them so well. The opening track 'Sueño de Luz' bears a lovely candidness with its hopeful aura and dynamic rhythm structure. Track 2 'Tierra del Indio' is also extroverted, but this time it bears a somewhat harsher sound, more rock sensible, just like what Arco Iris did in their Sudamérica and Inti Raymi albums. The 10 1/2 minute-long instrumental 'Selva del Sol' is the album's definite gem. Starting with an ethereal, slightly cosmic intro, the first motif enters and setles in quite easily as a sort of prolongued interlude; the real main motif is introduced by massive percussions bringing in the typical cadence of malambo, in this way announcing a musical colorfulness that is perfectly complied by the full ensemble, featuring an ever powerful lead guitar that states the overall melodic development. Let me repeat the motto midway between Los Jaivas and Arco Iris in order to describe this track's essence in a few words: I will add that there is an epic vibe to the core jamming that makes the whole track expand its potential power quite successfully. What follows doesn't equal the magic of this lovely piece, but it's still worth enjoying in a genuine manner. For instance, 'Piel de Cobre' has a melancholy sung section that is followed by an instrumental jam that sounds very related to 'Selva del Sol'. 'Maíz Azul' is an Andean ballad with a brief (too brief!) joyful coda, while 'Trigo Maduro' bears a recurrent midtempo based on a fusion of Andean and blues-rock (vaguely Tullian, indeed). The album's finale is brought in by 'Vidala del Corazón', an emotional song that solidly portrays the melancholic and passionate sides of Andean folk in an art-rock frame. It will be on their second release where Horizonte will really accomplish musical excellence, but this debut album isn't far from tha tdemanding level: in fact, it ancipates in a very determined way. Horizonte is an important item for any serious prog-folk collector.