Alma y Vida were a musical group in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
during the first half of the 1970s. Composed of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
musicians that turned to
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
in the late 1960s (Carlos Mellino was a member of
The Seasons), while other future members were regular visitors at the historic La Cueva club, Alma y Vida were pioneers in Argentina of jazz-rock in the vein of
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura N ...
, group whose music influenced the band's formative sound.
Original members
*
Carlos Mellino: voice and keyboards
*Juan Barrueco: guitar
*Alberto Hualde: drums
*Bernardo Baraj: saxophone
*Carlos Villalba: bass
*Mario Salvador: horns
History
Once they settled on a style, Alma y Vida recorded their debut single: ''"Niño de color cariño"'' b/w ''"He comprendido''", for the Mandioca label. Soon after, Gustavo Moretto replaced Mario Salvador on the horns, which would in hindsight be an important development. Alma y Vida then proceeded to sign with RCA to release their first self-titled album.
''Alma y Vida'' was to be influenced by the huge success of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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's similar music proposal. 1971's homonymous debut featured hit songs ''"Mujer, gracias por tu llanto",'' ''"Veinte monedas"'' (with superb guitar) and ''"Lágrima de ciudad".''
The band was increasingly popular in not-so-rock circles, particularly in so-called "trendy" clubs, yet only mildly received in the rock industry. But the strength of their sound would begin to reach crossover audiences, particularly after their 2nd full-length ''Alma y Vida II'' (another influence of Chicago was the title of the records). The track ''"Hoy Te Vamos a Cantar"'' was a significant hit.
Alma y Vida Alma y Vida
www.rock.com.ar (Spanish)
Their third album, 1973's ''Del Gemido de un Gorrión'', was arguably their strongest and one of the best rock releases of the period. It was sophisticated music, as much rock as mature melodies with some political leanings (to the left), predicting Argentine rock trends by about three years.
Alma y Vida released self-titled number ''IV'' for RCA in 1974. ''"Salven a Sebastián"'' ("Save Sebastian"), is widely seen as the biggest single in the group's catalog. And the rest of the album remains strong, the culmination of a half-decade of strong musical output that by 1975 had won rockers and music hall listeners alike.
But by then Gustavo Moretto gave the announcement he was stepping aside from Alma y Vida to pursue new musical horizons (he would form prog-rock act ALAS).
A now five member group released ''Alma y Vida V'' (number five), in early 1976. But the album showed clear signs of fatigue, in spite of a solid single in ''"Le daré su mano a Dios"''. That would be the end of the road for the group, with Carlos Mellino also leaving, but not before Alma y Vida left a delightful and gratifying sounding mark in the landscape of music of their time.
References
{{Authority control
Argentine jazz ensembles
Argentine rock music groups