Indian Summer-Indian Summer (1971)

This is one of the hidden gems of English proto-progressive rock, a spectacular and magnificent work that was the sole legacy of the British band Indian Summer. Formed in Coventry in 1968 by drummer Paul Hooper and singer/keyboardist Bob Jackson, both musicians had already played in various Coventry bands such as The Rochester Beaks and This That And The Other. The band was completed by guitarist Roy Butterfield and bassist Alan Hatton. Indian Summer initially opted to be a cover band, but this trend was short-lived, as the talent of its members soon led them to create their own music. In the midst of a period of great creativity, guitarist Butterfield left the band and was replaced by Steve Cottrell just as they were discovered by talent scout Jim Simpson, a renowned promoter who at the time was managing bands such as Earth, who would soon become Black Sabbath. After several lineup changes, they signed with Vertigo Records and entered Trident Studios in London to record their first album in 1971. This self-titled debut featured Hooper and Jackson, along with new members Colin Williams on guitar and Malcolm Harker on bass. The album is packed with rhythmic sounds and expansive musical passages, emphasizing keyboards and guitars, and possessing a certain dark atmosphere. The opening track, "God Is The Dog", stands out as a superb composition that highlights Bon Jackson's deep vocals and organ sounds, while progressive passages like the excellent "From The Film Of The Same Name", "Black Sunshine", and "Half Changed Again" are on par with any of the leading bands of the era. The rest of the album is of exceptional quality, achieving sublime moments of great symphonic rock. The band's limited commercial success led to its dissolution, with each member pursuing different solo projects or focusing on other professional matters.

Atlas-Blå Vardag (1979)

Another interesting Swedish band was Atlas, who, with only one album released, achieved cult status within the European progressive rock scene. Founded in Malmö in 1974, their lineup consisted of keyboardists Björn Ekborn and Erik Björn Nielsen, Micke Pinotti on drums, Uffe Hedlund on bass, and Janne Persson on guitar. Their style was primarily focused on a meticulously crafted symphonic rock with elements of fusion and expansive instrumental passages, featuring numerous interplay between guitars and keyboards. To some extent, they drew on the progressive influences of the British band Genesis, the Canterbury sound of Camel, and the understated style of their compatriot Bo Hanson. Their only album, "Blå Vardag", released in 1979 by the Swedish label Bellatrix, was highly praised by critics and well-received by the progressive rock community. The entire album is remarkable, but it is undoubtedly the expansive "På Gata" that best encapsulates the band's excellence with an exquisite exercise in bizarre progressive rock, featuring layers of mellotrons, synthesizers, organ, and piano, with dense yet subtle sounds interwoven with energetic guitars. The remaining tracks maintain a very similar style, with echoes of jazz-rock at various points and some bucolic, pastoral sounds, always bathed in torrential curtains of keyboards and guitars.

Kenny Burrell-Midnight Blue (1963)

Kenny Burrell is one of the most important figures in jazz, an enormously versatile musician, considered one of the greatest guitarists of the genre and an icon of the Blue Note label. He has left behind essential works, both in his solo career and as a musician for other jazz artists. From a very young age in the 1950s, he recorded his first albums, showcasing his most notable influences, ranging from Charlie Haden to Django Reinhardt, and including one of his idols, West Montgomery. In the early 1960s, he recorded one of his most remarkable albums, this time focused on the blues, where he was accompanied by saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, percussionist Ray Barretto, bassist Major Holley, and drummer Bill English. The album "Midnight Blues", released on the Blue Note label, is an exquisite journey through the relaxed sounds of blues and jazz, showcasing Burrell's dazzling guitar technique and the brilliance of the rest of the band, especially Turrentine's saxophone. Lustful tracks like "Chitlins con Carne", the pleasurable "Mule", the melancholic "Soul Lament", and the exuberant "Midnight Blue", demonstrate Burrell's impeccable guitar mastery on an album as masterful as it is essential to the history of jazz.