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Caldera's second album, Sky Islands, found the fusion band working with a vocalist for the first time. Singer Dianne Reeves, who had yet to record a solo album and was little known in 1977, is featured on Eduardo del Barrio's haunting 'Ancient Source' and provides wordless background vocals on the Earth, Wind & Fire-minded title song (which Reeves would cover for Blue Note ten years later). Nonetheless, this is an instrumental album first and foremost, and intriguing cuts such as 'Pescador,' 'Pegasus,' and the Andean-influenced 'Carnavalito' give the soloists enough room to stretch out. With musicians like guitarist Jorge Strunz, keyboardist Eduardo del Barrio, and saxman Steve Tavaglione on board, it would've been regrettable if there hadn't been some room for blowing. While Caldera's first LP was produced by Wayne Henderson, Sky Islands finds Strunz and del Barrio doing the producing with Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn -- who was a logical choice considering that EWF was among Caldera's many influences. At times, they tend to over-produce. But the writing is consistently superb, and all things considered, Sky Islands makes good on the promise of the band's previous album.
Origin | New York City |
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Genres | Jazz fusion |
Years active | 1976–1979 |
Labels | Capitol |
Past members | Eduardo del Barrio Jorge Strunz Steve Tavaglione Carlos Vega Mike 'Baiano' Azevedo |
Caldera was an American band that combined jazz, funk and rock with Latin music. Return to Forever and Weather Report influenced Caldera, but its members were also influenced by soul, Afro-cuban, salsa, samba, Peruvian music.
Biography[edit]
Members of Caldera, which was led by keyboardist Eduardo del Barrio and guitarist Jorge Strunz (Strunz & Farah), came from all over Latin America as well as parts of the United States. While bass player Dean Cortez and saxophonist Steve Tavaglione were US born, other members were born in Costa Rica (Strunz), Argentina (del Barrio), Cuba (drummer Carlos Vega) and Brazil (percussionist Mike 'Baiano' Azevedo). In 1976, Caldera signed with Capitol and recorded its self-titled debut album, which was followed by Sky Islands in 1977, Time and Chance in 1978, and Dreamer in 1979. The four albums (all but their third have been reissued on CD) did not sell, and the band called it quits in 1979.
However, most of Caldera's members kept busy long after its breakup. Strunz went on to form the guitar duo Strunz & Farah with Iranian/Persian guitarist Ardeshir Farah, while del Barrio worked with artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Stan Getz and Dianne Reeves throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Percussionist Alex Acuña has become one of the most sought-after percussionists in jazz.[1]
Discography[edit]
- Caldera (1976)
- Sky Islands (1977)
- Time and Chance (1978)
- Dreamer (1979)
References[edit]
- ^Henderson, Alex. 'Caldera Biography'. Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
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