
Frutería Toñi is a Progressive Rock band formed in 2007 in Málaga, Spain offering a very personal and eclectic sound. They have released 3 full-length tracks, the latest of which the self-produced “El porvenir está en las huevas,” released on March 25, 2020 containing 6 medium to long-length tracks and available on LP, CD and Digital. The style of the band, very personal and eclectic as mentioned above, develops around a very refined Jazz Prog with experimental veins. The sound embroideries that the band proposes see keyboards and winds duet and intertwine with valuable technique and inventiveness, solid rhythmic sessions and thick plots do the rest making this third chapter a mature and engaging work. The album opens with “Agonía en Koyukuk” which is also the longest track at over 10 minutes in length. It begins with excellent intertwining of keyboards, violin and winds with very engaging positive melodies with clear references to the 70s, and an excellent sax solo insert. The classic blends with the modern, offering a virtuoso Jazz Prog with Canterburyian traits, full of tempo changes where all the instruments offer an absolute level test. The vocal adapts perfectly to the music, alternating stronger moments with choral and melodic openings, with a pleasant sung in Spanish. At the end, a tempo change takes us to a section with very jazzed and intricate characters, showing excellent technique and quality ideas. “Cipango Petite Suite” continues on sounds strongly influenced by Jazz that mix with more symphonic features, creating a unique and original blend of sound nuances. With the entry of the vocal, warm and expressive, the theme is transformed with Latin melodies with percussion, and then quickly returns to the Canterbury territory of the band. Here too the constant tempo changes enrich and nourish the quality of the track, the individual and collective technique of the band stands out in each passage, both for originality and for execution, another excellent track. “El porvenir está en las huevas” is a short passage of 00:45 seconds with pleasant notes on the piano that soften the tones between one song and another. “El monte de las tres letras” is a track characterized by interesting keyboard layers, a warm and powerful vocal and a well-crafted massive structure. The horns offer excellent inserts that give a jazzy vein, as well as the load-bearing and articulated bass lines. The tempo changes, which are a constant in the sound of the band are always an added value offering a large amount of solutions. A good piece where the intensity increases with the passing of the minutes, also offering a right dose of solo inserts, always functional to the success of the work. “El traspié” has a more melancholy character, and a structure that at least initially follows the paths of the previous song, with a good vocal proof. The development, however, in this case is more imbued with symphony even if the structure is always very elaborate and full of unpredictable tempo changes which are undoubtedly an added value. The bass lines are penetrating, while the overall structure of the album is very close to the Canterbury style of the ’70s, making this a merit. “Los álamos verdes” is a slower and more reflective song, without neglecting the sound matrix to which the band has accustomed us throughout the album. The winds and the violin are central in the solo parts, with the keyboards that create an excellent carpet in the sung parts, sometimes choral always with the right attitude and aggression. After a more instrumental central section with the last verse sung, the song and the album close nicely. A valuable work and a very pleasant listening, very well structured and at times intricate, it is always very smooth. A record that at every listen always shows new ideas and nuances, as well as the excellent compositional and executive technique of the band. Many ideas all well blended and well distributed within the tracks showing high level elaborate plots. Their sound can be compared to that of the bands of the Canterbury scene of the early 70s, without ever falling into the copy but interpreting the genre with a personal and modern touch, truly an album and a band worthy of note.
Tracklist
1. Agonía en Koyukuk (10:33)
2. Cipango Petite Suite (7:27)
3. El porvenir está en las huevas (0:45)
4. El monte de las tres letras (6:25)
5. El traspié (8:37)
6. Los álamos verdes (5:30)
Lineup
Salva Marina / Keyboards, Piano, Vocals and Backing Vocals
Curro García / Bass and Backing Vocals
Jesús Sánchez / Clarinet and Sax
Víctor Rodríguez / Violin
Adrián Jiménez / Drums
With:
Lorena Alcaraz / Flute
Eva Montiel / Lyrical Voice and Big Scream
Camilo Motta / Bass Clarinet