Alas-Alas (1976)

Alas was a refined and elegant Argentine progressive jazz-rock band with certain Creole folk influences. Led by multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Morettom, a renowned musician in his country's jazz scene, he joined forces with bassist Alex Zucker and percussionist Carlos Riganti to found Alas in mid-1975. A year after their formation, they released their debut album, a work acclaimed by the specialized media in their country. After this first release, bassist Pedro Aznar replaced Zucker, and with this new lineup, they recorded their second album, "Pinta tu Aldea" (Paint Your Village), an album more oriented towards progressive and symphonic sounds. Focusing on their debut album, Alas managed to create a work full of expressive and impetuous compositions within a jazz fusion context. The nods to the progressive rock of Triumvirat or Emerson, Lake & Palmer are reflected in the rich sounds emanating from the Hammond organ and the mini-Moog, the powerful bass, and a highly technical and dynamic drum performance. Excellent examples of progressive jazz, such as "Buenos Aires solo es Piedra", or clear fusion dynamics with the grandiose "La muerte contó el Dinero", in which they approach Italian lyrical and progressive rock, constitute a remarkable work of jazz-rock that has nothing to envy in iconic works from North America or Europe.