Vega - Andaluza 1978 Spain Flamenco prog-rock

Vega, led by guitarist Tomas Vega, recorded three albums of uniquely Spanish instrumental jazz rock with heavy flamenco influences in the late 1970's.This rarity was their first. Tomas plays both electric and acoustic guitars, switching between them in terms of the leads to set the moods, from flamenco-ish pieces with rock backing to balls-out molten guitar fusion. Good backing on keyboards (lots of acoustic piano, but also some organ, electric piano and mini-Moog) bass and drumsLate 1970s Andalusia was a fertile breeding ground of flamenco folk and English progressive rock, as evidenced by the success of bands like Triana. Vega was a band that was probably slightly on the fringe of this scene, as their heavily flamenco-influenced music has as much crossover with jazz as it does with prog. Nevertheless, the primary sound is that of bandleader Tomás Vega's flamenco guitar: the majority of this album consists of his beautifully fluid lead lines trading off with electric guitar and synth leads over a relatively static rhythm section. Imagine a slightly jazzier Triana without Jesus de la Rosa's distinctive vocals, and that's a pretty good starting point for comparison.This extremely brief album, barely breaching the half-hour mark, is attractive and competent but lacking a certain fire or distinctiveness that sets the best Spanish prog apart. It's not firmly enough in the fusion world to have much in the way of energetic soloing — the instrumental work is relatively tame and controlled, though Vega's guitar work lacks nothing in the way of beauty or proficiency. But perhaps because the flamenco idiom has become such a familiar one to listeners attuned to various international musics (so condescendingly dubbed "world" music in the American retail industry), there's just nothing particularly head-turning to be found here. Nice background music, and a must for flamenco-prog fanatics, but I'd just as soon listen to Triana or, better yet, the more distinctive bands of this stripe such as Mezquita.

Tomás Vega, guitars;
Guty López, bass;
Larry Martin, drums;
Pedro Ample, percussion;
Rafael Guillermo, piano, organ, mini-Moog;
Enrique Carmona, guitar;
Julián Llinás, string arrangements

Tracklist:
1. Triana — 3:55
2. Zona rosa — 5:53
3. Origen — 5:07
4. Arco Iris — 3:30
5. Andaluza — 5:32
6. Lamentos — 6:06

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