Further Lite(ish) Heavy Fusion
Summer Friday Sounds From Caldera
Listening to that Global Fusion Sounds compilation earlier this week inspired more than a few tangents — including a memory-lane trip back to 1976 and the tremendous first two albums from the LA-based Caldera.
Caldera centered around the talents of keyboardist and composer Eduardo del Barrio (from Argentina), guitarst Jorge Strunz (Costa Rica), drummer Carlos Vega (Cuba) and percussionist Mike "Baiano" Azevedo (Brazil). Integrating pan-Latin rhythms with dabs of funk and tasteful elements of fusion, the group developed a breezy, profoundly interactive, engagingly futuristic sound on its 1976 debut.
That sound evolved rapidly. Caldera’s followup album Sky Islands, from 1977, was co-produced by Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire; you don’t need an advanced degree to pick up on similarities in the songwriting (suite-like songs with intricate, technically demanding interlude sections) or the effortless cruise-control grooves. Sky Islands was recorded during what stands as EWF’s dizzying creative peak — between Spirit (1976) and the towering world-culture-classic All 'n All (1977) — and includes sparkling performances from vocalist Dianne Reeves (the title track) and Zappa/Genesis drummer Chester Thompson (“Pegasus”).
An ongoing arts and culture discussion right now has to do with the present-day resonance of vintage works. You might have participated in the TV sitcom version: Is All In the Family still effective as comedy and/or satire? What about M*A*S*H? Do modern viewers cringe at its treatment of cultural differences, and if so, how do we understand its contribution to the art?
No such deliberation is necessary with Caldera. Just put it on. Be open to its pulse and its positivity. Notice how long it takes before you’re moving — or smiling. Still works.
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Terrific! I never heard of this group. Keep 'em comin, Tom. And, funny you should mention MASH. I just started watching it again (going from beginning to end). I loved the show since it debuted when I was in nursing school and Vietnam was still raging. Watching it again now, I'm surprised at how the show consistently expressed a theme of tolerance while skewering the right-wing (militarism, religious righteousness) at the same time. One could say that the show made the right hate the libs even more then, but to me it has aged very well. We need a new show like that.