(This post is dedicated to all prognotfrog followers and specially those who asked for more Vytas Brenner)By 1975 Vytas Brenner (see here for our first Vytas Brenner post) had consolidated his position as the forefather of progressive rock in Venezuela (and certainly the most advanced eletronic musician south of Rio Grande). He was ready for "Jayeche" and his fans were ready too.
Jayeche could easily qualify in the top 10 south american prog albums of all time. It has a very intelligent balance of experimental vintage electronica mingled with a symphonic prog suite which is at the same time seasoned with andean folk moods (“Canchunchú Florido”), laid back and trippy mid tempo psych (“Playa El Agua”), Experiments with non common alien rhythmic as 6x8 (taken directly from the Venezuelan rhythm called Joropo), Weird and abstract moments that went even beyond the most radical tunes of early Tangerine Dream (“Jayeche”) and even a radio hit (“Caracas Para Locos”) a title which was a satire on the political motto “Caracas para Todos”, one of the many failed urbanistic plans carried on during the 70’s that leaded Venezuela’s capital city to its actual state, a mad mix of Deep Heaven and High Hell.
Although “Caracas Para Locos”, was played thousands of times in Venezuelan radios during 75 and 76, dueto one of those enigmas that plague the history of Rock and Roll, this album hasn’t been released in CD.
What we present to you is a decent vinyl rip, which could probably be improved.
This was the line-up:
Vytas: Piano, Synthesizers, 12 String Guitar & Strings
Guitars & Mandolin: Pablo Manavello,
Bass: Carlos Acosta
Drums: Iván Velásquez
Percusión & Venezuelan Cuatro: Chu Quintero ç
Percussion: Carlos "Nene" Quintero
The more I listen to Vytas work nowadays, the more I believe he was a like a naturalist artist. He tried to capture in his music the overwhelming richness of the Venezuelan and Caribbean tropical landscape. That is an incredibly hard task, because nature there is so dense, lush, diverse and omnipresent that one could actually still believe that hope for this planet is not completely lost.
I like to think that Vytas realized this before his premature death.
It is then naturalistic prog and he was a happy and skilful sonic landscape painter.
Let’s join him in this exotic travel.
Keep Listening…!!!
Links down there
This Way to Jayeche
ReplyDeleteThanks friends for this music
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Greetings from a Venezuelan progster! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm almost 100% in agreement with your review. After 31 years or so, I continue to be a Vytas Brenner fan. The first keyboard rock tunes I learned were his, and I was fortunate enough to meet him in person, and even lend him some of my gear, which was pretty much a copy of his. You are right about the naturalistic aspect of his work. On his heyday, some of the radio people who aired his work labeled it among other things, "landscapist". If you ever were in Venezuela, you could actually close your eyes when listening to Ofrenda's music, and travel with your mind to those places, including Mad House Caracas. I was deeply sad with his premature death, he was in a way my mentor. I hope God has a special place for him, in spite of his weaknesses. Thanks for your praise for his work. He'd be really thrilled to know that more and more his work is being acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteOops, I forgot. If you haven't, I urge you to listen to his first album, La Ofrenda de Vytas, which is problably the best and a must-hear. Unfortunately, a little brief at times, but as my father used to say, "de lo bueno, poco" (better if brief). Otherwise, a wonderful magic realist fusion of Venezuelan folk, prog rock a la Wakeman, and electronic music.
ReplyDeletePlease repost this wonderful album the link is broken. Thank you.
ReplyDelete