Azahar -

Azahar was a Spanish symphonic-rock band that released the 1977–79 Movieplay albums Elixir and Azahar.

Members: Ricardo “Dick” Zappala (vocals, keyboards), Antonio Valls (guitar), Gustavo Ros (keyboards), Jorge Barral (bass), Willy Trujillo (drums)

Background

Azahar formed in Madrid in 1976 around bassist Jorge “Flaco” Barral, whose earlier path gave the band its clearest prehistory. Barral came from Montevideo, where he played through the 1960s and early 1970s in Opus Alfa, Bisonte, and Días de Blues. After the 1973 coup in Uruguay, he moved to Spain and settled first in Barcelona, where he worked through progressive and folk circles with Enric Herrera, Emilio Baleriola, Hilario Camacho, and La Rondalla de la Costa before he shifted into the Madrid scene.

Barral’s move from Barcelona into a wider Spanish network proved decisive. His work on Hilario Camacho’s La estrella del alba brought him into contact with producer Gonzalo García Pelayo, and by 1977 Barral and keyboardist Gustavo Ros were presenting him with new material Barral later described as “aflamencado, tirando a árabe.” That material became Azahar. The group took shape with Barral, Ros, guitarist Antonio Valls, and vocalist-keyboardist Dick Zappala, a lineup of mixed backgrounds unusual for the period.

Elixir

Azahar released their first album, Elixir, in November 1977 on Movieplay.

Elixir sets Rhodes, Mellotron, Solina, synthesizer, Spanish guitar, and electric guitar inside long-lined arrangements with a soft edge and broad harmonic spread. Guitarist Antonio Valls, keyboardists Gustavo Ros and Dick Zappala, and bassist-percussionist Jorge Barral share much of the lead material, and Azahar wrote all seven tracks.

“Campos de Azahar” opens in a slow rise of keyboard wash and low-end support, while “Mercaderes” holds a more downcast tone and leaves wide space for an extended guitar statement. “¡Es que Esto no Tiene Nombre!” brings the sharpest structural movement, with several turns joined cleanly through changes in pace and texture.

“Cántaros de Fuego” lifts the album with a brighter cadence, but the record keeps its strongest weight in atmosphere, sustained keyboard color, and the bass’s steady presence beneath the upper layers. On the vocal pieces, Zappala pushes the lines with a strained, dramatic delivery that gives “¿Qué Malo Hay, Señor Juez?” and “Un Hombre Cansado” a rawer edge. The three-part “Viaje a Marruecos” traces the album’s widest arc, from shifting motifs and drifting keyboards to detailed guitar lines, then rises into a final surge where layered keys and lead guitar open the record to its fullest release.

A1. “Campos de Azahar” [Orange Blossom Fields] (3:56)
A2. “¿Qué malo hay, señor juez?” [What Is Wrong, Mr. Judge?] (4:35)
A3. “¡Es que esto no tiene nombre!” [This Has No Name] (5:46)
A4. “Mercaderes” [Merchants] (4:37)

B1. “Un hombre cansado” [A Tired Man] (3:44)
B2. “Cántaros de fuego” [Pitchers of Fire] (3:32)
B3. “Viaje a Marruecos” [Journey to Morocco] (11:22)

Azahar recorded Elixir at Estudios Sonoland in Madrid on September 5, 1977 with producer Gonzalo Garciapelayo and engineer Angel Gil, and the band handled the arrangements. Jorge Barral and Sonia Morales designed the gatefold sleeve, Gigi supplied the photography, some copies included a ten-page comic and an eight-page band booklet on newsprint, and the label listed B3 as “Marruecos” while the inner sleeve used “Viaje a Marruecos.”

Azahar

Azahar released their self-titled second album in 1979 on Movieplay.

The album reflects a lineup change, as only guitarist Antonio Valls and Dick Zappala remain from the first record while Jorge Barral, Gustavo Ros, and José María Pujol give way to keyboardist Manolo Manrique and drummer-percussionist Willy Trujillo. Collectively, they favor tighter structures, sharper keyboard attack, and more immediate movement between guitar, organ, clavinet, piano, and synthesizer.

“Expreso a Ketama” opens with hard-edged guitar and a fast, forceful pulse, while “La Naranja y el Limón” leans on a prominent bass line and keyboards that cast a North African hue across the track. “Noche de Primavera” slows for a wounded vocal setting. “Zahira” brings Spanish guitar, synth, organ, castanets, and doleful electric phrases into a fluid exchange that ranks among the album’s most vivid passages. “Bulerías de Lujo” strips the material down to percussion and a near-tribal drum feature.

“El Mago Acidote” spreads widest, with bell-toned electric piano, clavinet, lush keyboard weight, and a second half that slows into darker organ-backed vocals. “Aire y Fuego” pushes the album’s most severe scale shapes through wailing lead lines, strong organ work, and a tense vocal peak. The closing return to “Expreso a Ketama” turns outward into a looser instrumental coda, where electronics and guitar carry the album to its farthest stretch.

A1. “Expreso a Ketama” [Express to Ketama] (4:42) — Valls
A2. “La naranja y el limón” [The Orange and the Lemon] (5:07) — Valls, Zappala
A3. “Noche de primavera” [Spring Night] (3:40) — Zappala
A4. “Zahira” [Zahira] (3:40) — Valls
A5. “Bulerías de lujo” [Luxury Bulerías] (2:42) — Trujillo

B1. “El mago Acidote” [Acidote the Magician] (9:35) — Valls
B2. “Aire y fuego” [Air and Fire] (5:08) — Zappala, Manrique
B3. “Expreso de Ketama” [Ketama Express] (3:40) — Valls

Azahar recorded Azahar at Estudios Sonoland in Madrid with producer Gonzalo Garciapelayo, mixed the album with Antonio García-Oñate, and worked with technician Angel Gil. Moviegraf printed the sleeve, Iberofon pressed the record, and the package included a lyric-sheet insert.

Postlude

Barral and Ros left Azahar in 1978 and formed Azabache, which made the 1979/80 albums Días de luna and No, gracias. Barral then moved deeper into session and technical work in Spain, with later credits that include Glamour, Laventa, Raza, Azuzena, and the revived Labanda lineup in 1985. He also worked at Estudios Colores, a studio tied to many early movida recordings, and later launched La Destilería after he left Labanda in 1995.

Discography: