Feliu i Joan Albert. 1977 Spain

Feliu i Joan Albert's sole collaboration puts together two classically trained musicians from Barcelona. Joan Albert Amargos was a current member of Musica Urbana, and played keyboards and woodwinds for them. Prior to that he'd guested on saxophone on the 1971 Jarka album. Feliu Gasull provides the Spanish guitar. For the majority of the album, the music is acoustic, beautiful, and serene, with a big sound and some unusual arrangements. One will hear references to George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, no doubt an influence from their own formal training. There's also a feeling of what the original New Age movement was about, before the term was bastardized. Perhaps a bit like same era Popol Vuh, but without the overt spirituality. Closer 'Els Barbers Indignats' breaks out the electric rock instrumentation (with Musica Urbana in tow), and is quite jarring in this setting, and is a great way to end the album. Though one wonders what it could have been were it a pure play progressive rock album. The reissues to date have not yielded any other recordings, so it will have to be left to the imagination unfortunately.

Former ownership: CD: 2004 PDI. Jewel case with booklet mainly consisting of photos.

4//05 (first listen / review); 4/13/18 (new entry); 4/24/24