Upon my initial listen to Joan Torres’s All Is Fused‘s Revolution, the album’s opening song, “Rebellion,” I was blown away and I knew I was in for a treat. Now, don’t me wrong, this is album may not be for everyone, especially those who looking for the next pop song with sugary-sweet lyrics. This album (and band) is for the musician. The individual who truly appreciates the art, the craft of putting musical notes together to create a song and eventually an album.
The new record entitled Revolution from the San Francisco area progressive Latin jazz six-piece opens with the stellar track, “Rebellion.” The six=piece takes the listener on a journey through rolling ebbs and flows of the brass section, heavy bass lines, and exotic guitar riffs. It opens with heavy guitars and brass, then breaks off into bass guitarist and bandleader, Joan Torres, slaying on the bass.
Interwoven between the electric guitars and heavy lines, the percussion and brass section is so successful in offering continued depth to the song. Guitarists Gabriel Vicéns and Sergio González bring the heat on the electric guitars and transform the track from drum and bass and add in some rock elements. The brass section is what really brings the song to life. The track is very in-your-face and upbeat. At a running time of 5:47, the band is really able to create a song that prepares the listener for the rest of the album.
On “High Stakes,” the San Francisco sextet creates another chapter in the story that is Revolution. Less than a minute into the track, the bass steps into the spotlight, and helps create a contemporary jazz vibe layered with the percussion, brass section, and guitars.
The tracks “Moving Mountain” and “Loss” take a different approach; while still progressive, they turn toward a mysterious ambiance in both songs. On “Moving Mountain,” it literally opens with a mysterious vibe and crescendoes into some heavier guitar riffs. The same riff repeats continuously as the control of the music changes from quiet to loud in mere seconds. When you think it’s going to be entirely ambient, it grows from quiet guitars to heavy, electrifying guitars and again, that in=your-face musicianship that you hear in Joan Torres’s All Is Fused.
The track “Loss” starts with more gentle guitar strumming and a string quintet that is able to musically illustrate the seasons of loss in the 4:26 running time. The listener can almost feel the draining emotions of loss, the sadness, sometimes guilt, and the ebb and flow of different emotions. It takes you almost a journey through nature. If you listen closely, you can feel the trickle of a waterfall, and then the track naturally flows into tranquility.
“Aftermath” is well-balanced between progressive Latin jazz and contemporary jazz. This is a track is going to kick your ass. It punches you in the face immediately and breaks off into separate parts of bass and piano, with a piano solo being truly an iconic element of the song.
You can find Joan Torres’s All Is Fused on most social media including BandCamp, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
